So as the prognositcations begin to roll out, it would appear that the late-season run the Senators went on is regarded as more luck or fluke than organizational progress. Terms like "hot goalie" and "lucky run" have been used by various media outlets, so it looks like the team as a whole will still have to prove it is legit.
But today I will throw out three names of Senators players that have the MOST to prove, starting when the puck drops for the pre-season in less than a week.
1) Jared Cowen - Far and away, without a doubt, the man with the most to prove. Cowen has already been written off by a large segment of the fan base. It is certainly put up or shut up time, and you have to think he is starting to look over his shoulder, especially with the comments that Ben Harpur is approaching NHL readiness. A subtle improvement won't be enough to appease many of the skeptics, he will have to show marked upswing in his performance to prove the naysayers wrong.
2) Andrew Hammond - Nobody expects Hammond to duplicate his gawdy stats from the 25 game stretch he played when he was forced into duty. But nobody, not even the Senators themselves, expected that run to begin with. Again, there is the segment of the population that expect him to crash and burn and be a complete flop, and he has to show that he is not a flash in the pan and is at least a capable NHL backup if not a starter in this league who just needed a chance.
3A) Mike Hoffman - A 27 goal season hasn't shown enough, as the arbitration ruling in this summer showed. Hoffman will be under pressure to at least get close to that total again, while playing a more balanced game. Hoffman also needs to shed the 1 hit wonder label, despite the fact that his past history dictates the has improved in the second season at every level he has played at.
3B) Bobby Ryan - This year his $7.25M contract extension kicks in, and no matter how streaky a scorer can be, 18 goals simply won't cut it from a guy who is in the top 20 highest paid forwards in the league. He has claimed injury wasn't a factor in the late season slump that he and Hoffman endured while the team excelled, and if that is the case he has to produce more consistently in order to pull his own weight.
So I said 3 players, but Hoffman and Ryan, for different reasons have almost an equal amount to prove in my eyes, so I made it 4. And their success will be pretty much intertwined if the projections come true and they play on the same line to start the year.