Ottawa Senators: Ranking The Six Best At Each Position

It’s been a productive summer for Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios, who’s taken care of nearly all his offseason business. Staios bolstered the NHL roster by signing veteran center Lars Eller and acquiring defenseman Jordan Spence in a draft-day trade. He’s also wrapped up most of the organization’s free agent signings, with only defensemen Donovan Sobrango and Max Guenette left to finalize.

As the Senators prepare for another training camp, The Hockey News Ottawa has ranked the top six players at each position. While some forwards can play multiple roles — complicating things — the following lists rank Ottawa’s best players by position, regardless of the lines they’ll probably be on.

Left Wing Rankings

Brady Tkachuk

Ridly Greig

David Perron

Nick Cousins

Olle Lycksell

Zack MacEwen

There’s no debate at the top: Brady Tkachuk is the Senators’ number one left winger, and it’s not close. The bigger question is the battle for the second spot. Ridly Greig enters his third full NHL season — often the breakout year for young players — while veteran David Perron will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing campaign. Lycksell is a point-per-game AHL player, but he’s also 163 pounds. The rugged MacEwen might be the first option on the fourth line in the event of injury.

Right Wing Rankings

Drake Batherson

Claude Giroux

Michael Amadio

Fabian Zetterlund

Arthur Kaliyev

Hayden Hodgson

Drake Batherson and Claude Giroux are neck-and-neck here, but Batherson’s skating and youth give him the slight edge. Meanwhile, despite his big new contract, I’m not ready to rank Zetterlund ahead of Amadio, who’s turned into a good, consistent two-way guy for the Sens. Zetterlund can lift heavy things; now he needs to lift up his offensive production. Five points in 20 regular-season games and zero in the playoffs won’t cut it.

Kaliyev, a recent free agent signing with a laser of a shot, will be intriguing to watch after the Kings moved on from him last season. Still, if the Senators have injuries and need a fourth-line winger, they may opt for the wrecking ball option here too, making Hodgson the likelier call-up.

Center Rankings

Tim Stützle

Shane Pinto

Dylan Cozens

Lars Eller

Jan Jeník

Stephen Halliday

Tim Stützle is Ottawa’s undisputed number one center. The debate comes at the second spot, where we believe Shane Pinto edges out Dylan Cozens. Based on his paycheque and what the Sens gave up, Cozens will obviously get the first crack at second-line center. While Pinto may not have truly broken out offensively yet, we love his intelligence, speed, and two-way game. If he gets more offensive responsibility, high in the batting order, the stats will come.

Cozens, meanwhile, has to show he can return to being the player he was a couple of years ago. Last season’s glimpse was a decent audition. But as former Sabres coach Lindy Ruff put it back in March, “Dylan could never quite find his game here.” That’s a concerning critique that no one has ever had for Pinto.

Right Defense Rankings

Nick Jensen

Artem Zub

Jordan Spence

Carter Yakemchuk

Nikolas Matinpalo

Lassi Thomson

Assuming Nick Jensen returns to full health after hip surgery, he’s Ottawa’s top right-side defender. Zub remains steady, but might be pushed by the newcomer Spence, who’ll get plenty of opportunities this season. GM Steve Staios basically got him for nothing in a slick bit of draft-day maneuvering. The more Spence succeeds, the better that looks on Staios.

Carter Yakemchuk, the Senators’ 2024 seventh-overall pick, could push for NHL minutes sooner rather than later. Even after re-signing Matinpalo, Staios hasn’t dismissed the idea of Yak cracking the roster out of camp. But if Jensen is healthy, the kid will likely start the year in Belleville.

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators/latest-news/steve-staios-we-re-not-dismissing-that-carter-yakemchuk-makes-our-team-out-of-camp

Steve Staios: ‘We’re Not Dismissing That Carter Yakemchuk Makes Our Team Out of Camp’
When the Ottawa Senators selected defenseman Carter Yakemchuk seventh overall at the 2024 NHL Draft, the assumption in most hockey circles was that he’d eventually need a pinch of seasoning in the AHL before cracking the NHL lineup. Then the kid suddenly changed some minds after almost making Ottawa’s roster last fall.

Left Defense Rankings

Jake Sanderson

Thomas Chabot

Tyler Kleven

Donovan Sobrango

Jorian Donovan

Matthew Andonovski

Jake Sanderson is Ottawa’s number one on the left side, and Thomas Chabot remains a fairly strong second option. But Tyler Kleven continues to climb the ranks with his physical, punishing style of play, and could narrow the gap on Chabot as the season progresses.

Goaltender Rankings

Linus Ullmark

Leevi Meriläinen

Hunter Shepard

Mads Søgaard

Jackson Parsons

Kevin Reidler/Vladimir Nikitin

Ottawa’s NHL tandem is set with Ullmark and Meriläinen, but injury history makes depth crucial. Søgaard has the most NHL experience of the group and would likely get the first call-up. Still, Hunter Shepard is a name to keep an eye on. It’s hard to ignore a guy who’s won two of the last AHL Calder Cups.

Of course, a player’s ranking is highly subjective and doesn’t necessarily dictate where he’ll play in the lineup. Those decisions rest solely on the whims of Travis Green and his coaching staff. But in taking stock of everything, it’s pretty clear the Senators boast a roster that won’t be an easy out for anyone this season.

By Steve Warne
This article was first published at THN.com/Ottawa