Ottawa Senators

Founded: An earlier Ottawa Senators franchise played from 1917-1934. The current team was founded in 1992.
Arena: Corel Centre
Stanley Cups: 4
1920, 1921, 1923, 1927

2008-09 Senators Preview:

(See below for the team ranking from last season)

After much pondering, the Senators settled on goaltender Ray Emery and former defensive stalwart Wade Redden as the scapegoats for last season's disaster. Both are gone. No more blaming the sulky goaltender or overpaid, underachieving defenseman.

There were other changes over the summer: Andrej Meszaros, at times the best defenseman last season, was traded to Tampa Bay due to exorbitant contract demands. Mike Commodore, brought in at the trade deadline, is also gone.

The changes on defense will change Ottawa's game. Losing Meszaros and Redden subtracts 74 points from the blue line. The power play quarterback will likely be Filip Kuba, who arrived in the Tampa trade. The other new defenseman is former Flyers' captain Jason Smith. The hopeful result is a tougher defense, and the tradeoff is less skill and speed. Fans won't be seeing as many long breakout passes or defensemen joining the rush.

At forward, trade deadline Band-aids Martin Lapointe and Cory Stillman are out. Jarkko Ruutu - agitator or cheap-shot artist, depending on which side you're on - was signed from Pittsburgh. The new coach is Craig Hartsburg, a veteran who has served at just about every level of the game.

The hope is that this team will prove more resilient than last year's. That's impossible to quantify, so let's stick to what we know. We know that the heart of this team remains the top line of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, and Dany Heatley. Few trios are more dangerous with the puck. Every Ottawa coach has tried separating them. But they always end up back together when the chips are down.

When a team falters like Ottawa did last year, media types start grumbling about a lack of "character" or "leadership." Another bad season will turn a glaring spotlight on Alfredsson, Spezza and Heatley. But at least they score. Isn't it time the Senators asked more from veteran forwards like Mike Fisher and Antoine Vermette?

Goaltender Martin Gerber played well when Emery was injured last season. So the current theory is that he's great if he knows he's number one, but comes unglued if he feels competition from his back-up. Not the kind of theory that inspires confidence. In any case, Emery was replaced by journeyman Alex Auld, who is used to sitting on the bench.

It couldn't have been much fun to be a Senator last season. Nobody relishes the hysteria and media badgering brought on by a season-long collapse. But as Alfredsson says, "If you don't like it, play better."

What the Ottawa Senators did in 2007-08
NHL rankings in each category are noted in brackets

2007-08 Regular Season Record: