For the second time in three seasons, the Ottawa Senators failed to make the playoffs, and that prompted some painful changes.
Guy Boucher and his cool, mysterious scar will now reside behind the bench. GM duties shift from Bryan Murray to Pierre Dorion.
Looking at the roster and the team’s overall outlook, both Boucher and Dorion still have a lot of work to do to really turn the Senators around. As bumpy as the transition might be, the toughest times may very well be ahead.
Off-season
The biggest move (outside of the front office changes) came when the Senators traded younger forward Mika Zibanejad and a second-rounder for Derick Brassard and a seventh-round pick.
Dorion insists that the decision wasn’t driven by money, and that Brassard is currently the better player. He’s putting it on the line with that move, along with giving up a pick to move up in the 2016 NHL Draft to get Logan Brown.
Expectations aren’t that different compared to last season, and the roster isn’t that different, but Boucher and Dorion have a chance to start putting their own stamps on the team.
Can the Senators make the best of a strange mix of great talent (Erik Karlsson), bloated contracts (Dion Phaneuf) and other pieces after stumbling more often than not? PHT will explore the questions surrounding this team on Saturday.