With the Senators away on what is their longest road trip of the season, some fans and media would not mind if the team came back looking a little different, ideally with a pure goal scorer in the lineup. With the lack of Sens hockey to talk about, it makes sense that fans and media might start to conjure up ideas that the Sens need to trade for a top-end goal scorer. Now that the team’s core is locked up for the next three years, many want a bona fide finisher to help lead the team toward true cup contention.
My opinion, though, is to wait for the right fit and not force a trade that would cost the Sens one of their young right-shot defencemen—players who are still developing nicely and look like legitimate NHL-caliber pieces. I’d prefer to see Travis get creative with a fully healthy forward group that actually includes their captain. Allowing players to play in their proper spots will give the Sens a better evaluation of what this group truly needs. With everyone forced to elevate their game just three games into the season due to the Tkachuk injury, let’s see who continues to step up as impact players each night.
Do we continue to see a hot Amadio, Batherson, and Stützle? Or do the Senators still need more scoring punch even with Tkachuk back in the lineup? And how much are we willing to sacrifice in terms of younger players like Greig and Batherson—especially when the current forward group already has three players over 35 and the organization has limited forward depth in the minors? All of this supports the argument not to force a trade, especially when the “depth cupboard” is already thin and the team doesn’t have a first-round pick this year to help resupply in the coming seasons.
Now, with my humble take on the trade rumours out of the way, we can move on to discussing the first game of a seven-game road trip—one that will stretch fifteen days and 10,162 km of travel to the west coast and back.
The Senators enter this game coming off a quiet 1–0 loss to the Kings, but prior to that they had managed to earn at least a point in seven consecutive games. Currently sitting outside both the divisional and wild card spots, a win tonight would put them back into a playoff position. Their inability to consistently secure full two-point games in previous overtime losses has them in a spot where they cannot ease off the pedal—they need to keep pace. They’re currently playing their best November hockey and look poised to finally break their poor November curse of years past.
Greig is out of the lineup tonight. Halliday will suit up for his first NHL game tonight, centering the fourth line. I am sure they will monitor his ice time and zone starts tonight as they ease him into his first NHL game.
All eyes will be on the state of the Senators’ defence, especially the execution of the second pairing of Spence and Kleven. There is going to be a lot of pressure on those young defencemen during this road trip as the team battles injuries on the backend. Spence came to Ottawa looking for more playing time and a bigger role—well, now he has it. He’ll be relied upon to transition the play from the backend to the forwards and generate clean zone exits. Kleven will need to provide a steady defensive presence, clearing the front of the net and eliminating time and space for the opposition.
I believe Spence is going to excel tonight. The Ducks like to play a high-octane, chance-trading style of hockey, and it will be essential for Spence to pick his moments to jump into the play and create offence. If he can show maturity in choosing the right moments while not hurting his team defensively, he’ll earn real admiration and trust from Travis as their relationship develops on this new team. I think Spence and Kleven will seize the opportunity in front of them (Carpe Diem, gentlemen). The Senators’ projected defensive depth will come through on this road trip.
If the Senators can play a mature style of hockey—everyone committed to a 200-foot game—they can come out with wins against these rebuilding west coast teams. They’ll need to embrace a responsible approach. These west coast teams would love nothing more than to trade chances all night and put on a shinny-style game for their fans. I’d rather see the Sens keep it simple and boring—play disciplined hockey and let the scoring chances arise naturally from sound defence.
We’ll get to see what brand of hockey the Sens bring tonight at a 10 p.m. start time on RDS and TSN5.
