Ottawa Senators Preview

Departures
Mike Comrie, Alex Auld, Dany Heatley

Arrivals
Alexei Kovalev, Jonathan Cheechoo, Milan Michalek

Forwards
With the Dany Heatley saga over and done with, the Senators will now be able to focus squarely on hockey.  To be perfectly honest, I feel that the Sens improved their scoring depth with their acquisitions of Kovalev, Cheechoo, and Michalek.  Kovalev –when he wants to – can dominate any game.  Cheechoo is looking for a bounce back season – again – so put him with Jason Spezza and try to create some magic.  And Michalek is a proven 20-25 goal scorer and will look great on the wing with either Spezza or Mike Fisher.  Either way you put it, the Sens are more balanced up front than potentially any of their previous years.

Defenseman
Led by the veteran shut down pairing of Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov, this above average defensive corps should once again be fairly solid.  Filip Kuba provides stability on the 2^nd pairing, and youngsters Brian Lee, Chris Campoli, and Alexandre Picard should provide a bit of offensive spark on the back end.  Swede Erik Karlsson, their first round draft pick in 2008, will be looking to crack the top six with an impressive showing at training camp.

Goalies
If last Saturday’s showing against the Montreal Canadiens is any crystal ball viewing into the future, the Senators lucked out in trading for Leclaire last season.  Leclaire’s best season was in 2007-08 with the Columbus Blue Jackets, when he posted a 24-17-6 record, with a 2.25 GAA and a .919 SV%.  The only solid goaltending this team has ever gotten was from Ray Emery when he took them to the Stanley Cup finals three seasons ago.  They’re hoping that Leclaire can help them return to the promise land, or they will be relying on backup Brian Elliott and third string Mike Brodeur.

Strengths
- With the addition of Kovalev, Cheechoo, and Michalek, the forward lines just got that much deeper.  Kovalev will surely bring an improvement to the tenth ranked power play in the league last season.

- The leadership of Daniel Alfredsson has been questioned in the past, but all that seems to be out the window now.  They removed Dany Heatley from the locker room, and the captain took it all in stride and answered all the questions demanded of him.  Incorporating Cheechoo and Michalek into the fold is his next task.

- The shutdown ability of Phillips and Volchenkov on defence is one of the tops in the league.  They’re both heavy hitters and if they can stay healthy, should help the younger players’ progress.

Weaknesses
- The uncertainty of Leclaire in goal has many people wondering where this team will finish in the standings.  If his injury comes back to haunt him, the Sens will be forced to go with Elliott as their starter….which could mean another long season.

- The lack of offensive ability from the defenceman was shown last season, especially with the loss of Joe Corvo.  Brian Lee will most likely be given the duties of backing the power play with Chris Campoli.  If this strategy doesn’t work out however, Erik Karlsson is waiting in the wings for his chance to take their spots.

Analysis
In the end, the Heatley deal made the Sens a better team on paper; however it remains to be seen whether they can get the production out of Cheechoo and Michalek like they would have out of Heatley.  Kovalev will definitely give them an added spark, and should make the team better – if he decides he wants to play on any given night.  The biggest question mark is in goal with Leclaire.  If he can play to his full potential, the Senators will be in the hunt for Lord Stanley.  But if not, they will once again be on the outside looking in.

Prediction: 9^th in the East