It would have taken six more points for the Ottawa Senators to reach the playoffs last season.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s a dramatic leap for a team that had posted deficits of 27, 34 and 30 points in its last three full 82-game campaigns. However, no one could fully hide their disappointment west of the Ottawa River.
Because at this time last summer, the objective was clear. After the acquisitions of Alex DeBrincat, Claude Giroux and Cam Talbot, and given all the offensive talent this group possessed, expectations were high in the federal capital. A disastrous start to the season, a rain of injuries and a series of troubles in front of the net, however, decided otherwise.
A year later, Thomas Chabot believes that this time, finally, will be the right one. DeBrincat was certainly traded without the organization acquiring a player of his caliber in return, but other key elements joined the group. Unusually, the Senators got their hands on not one, but two of the most prominent unrestricted free agents of the offseason. Goalkeeper Joonas Korpisalo and forward Vladimir Tarasenko will discover life in Kanata. Additionally, defenseman Jakob Chychrun, acquired through a trade in March, will begin his first full season in his new uniform.
“Last year, we fought until the end. There were just three games left in the season when we were eliminated, ”recalled Chabot, last Thursday, on the sidelines of the ProAm Gagné-Bergeron, charity game presented in Quebec.
Although he warns that this is “no excuse”, the defender made the case for the large number of injuries suffered by sensitive players. He himself missed 14 games, including the last eight of the season. Josh Norris has been limited to eight meetings. Three times Cam Talbot had to sit out 9-12 games. “It’s part of the game,” breathed the Quebecer. It still hurts.
Through these trials, the group “learns how hard it is to rank.” The experience of the Florida Panthers, who reached the Stanley Cup Finals by qualifying for the playoffs at the last minute, should become an example.
“It shows us that anything happens on the ice, that once you get in [in the playoffs], anything can happen. »
“We’re all getting old,” recalled Thomas Chabot. Him first: Turns 27 next campaign and completes the first half of the long and onerous eight-year contract he signed in 2019.
It is indeed allowed to believe that it will not always be able not to happen… especially in 2023-2024. The Atlantic division will not make a gift to anyone, but a breach seems to be opening.
The Boston Bruins have still not replaced Patrice Bergeron, who retired, or David Krejci, who will likely imitate him. The Tampa Bay Lightning also haven’t replaced their top players who have departed in the past two years. The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t improved significantly. The Detroit Red Wings seem to be treading water. The Panthers will have to start the season without Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour.
In Chabot’s eyes, if there is one department that could make a difference, it’s his. Chychrun’s presence from the start gives the Senators a quality defense that hasn’t been seen in a long time. And Jake Sanderson is ready for his second NHL season, having finished second among league rookie defensemen with 32 points in 2022-23.
“Year after year, if you look at the winning teams, their top 4 is solid,” Chabot said. It’s [these defenders] who play the biggest minutes in a game. We added Jakob, and Sanderson is so talented, it looks like he’s been in the league for 10 years. We see that we are solidifying, that the pieces are falling into place. We are going in the right direction. »
With all due respect to Artem Zub, it’s unclear who would complete the top 4 if the Senators were immediate Stanley Cup contenders. But they’re not there either.
Although the Panthers were not there last August. It was their year. It could well, this time, finally, be that of the Senators.