Please follow me on twitter at
Follow @KevinFr65525204

As we start to wind down the month of August, I thought we would take a look at the Ottawa Senators depth chart. Naturally Sens GM Pierre Dorion could still add a RW or Center between now and the beginning of training camp but it seems less likely as each day goes by.

The Center ice position is a very intriguing one with so many players that can fill the 3rd or 4th line center spot. Which is why so many Sens fans have wondered why Ottawa hasn’t dealt with the void in the 2nd line center spot. It has been mentioned that DJ Smith possibly moves Nick Paul to center to see how that experiment goes. Management has said on a few occasions how they hope to get Shane Pinto some quality time in the AHL before having him play on a regular basis at the NHL level, much the same they did with Josh Norris and Drake Batherson.

As it stands now, Ottawa has Norris, Pinto, Colin White, Chris Tierney and Logan Brown(who still has yet to sign his qualifying offer) as natural centers. Brown could also be given time on the RW, a position of need for Ottawa, that is if he even begins training camp in a Sens uniform.
Personally I think Tim Stutzle is a year away from the team trying him at center, which is another option that fans have wondered about.

When looking at the LW position of the club, it’s easily their biggest strength at the forward position. Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, Nick Paul, Alex Formenton. Paul is the wildcard as I mentioned earlier in my piece as he could possibly fill the 2nd line center void until management deems Pinto is ready for full time NHL action.

The RW position is definitely a concern after Drake Batherson and Connor Brown are cemented on the first two lines. After those two players, it’s pretty thin, unless Colin White or Logan Brown were to get moved over to the right side to fill the 3rd line void. Austin Watson will most likely occupy the 4th line role on the right side. Sens prospect Egor Sokolov had a solid season in his first year in Belleville after a very productive junior career. Although he is probably a year away from competing for a full time position on the right side, it will be interesting to see if he can impress the coaching staff come training camp.

Can Parker Kelly or Ridly Greig make an impression on the coaching staff to get a few games early in the regular season? Many questions!

Shifting the focus to the Sens defense, the club truly didn’t address the dire need of adding a true top 4 defensemen as they said they would in the off-season. The club continues to overplay Thomas Chabot on a nightly basis, while not finding him an every day partner on the blueline. This has to be very concerning to all Sens fans that Dorion has failed at finding Chabot a regular partner. The Sens have 4 players capable of being on the 3rd pairing but not enough high end talent to be in the top 4. Some will say that with Jacob Bernard-Docker and Jake Sanderson will eventually fill that void but entering training camp, it remains a glaring need! How far away is Lassi Thomson from making the big club? Many say, 1-2 years away.

In goal, it will all boil down to if Matt Murray can stay healthy and be consistent, neither of which he did in his first season in Ottawa. Murray needs to take a stranglehold on the starter’s position and show fans why management gave him that huge 4 year extension after acquiring him from Pittsburgh. Filip Gustavsson will push for the starter’s role while Anton Forsberg will provide good depth, if the team should run into injury issues.

Here is a quick glimpse at what the current depth chart looks like. Naturally, with a month to go before training, things can change.

Tkachuk-Norris-Batherson
Stutzle-Pinto-L.Brown(?)
Paul-White-C.Brown
Formenton-Tierney-Watson

Contending for playing time - Sokolov, Parker, Greig

Chabot - Zaitsev
Del Zotto - Zub
Mete - Holden
J.Brown/Brannstrom/JBD

Coming up the pipeline, Sanderson and Thomson.

Murray
Gustavsson
Forsberg

Very curious to hear each fan's thoughts on what they think the Sens line-up could look like come opening night! Thanks for reading.
Kevin

Join the Discussion: » 70 Comments » Post New Comment

» Which player has exceeded expectations so far this season?!

» The Sens are in the playoff conversation to start 2023!!!!

» Sens set for critical back to back home games!

» Sens Gameday/More injuries/Sale of team

» Sens Gameday in Dallas/Dorion tried very hard to trade Formenton!