Prospective Look at Ottawa

A first round exit for the Ottawa Senators was not in the cards at the beginning of the season. The trio of Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson & Dany Heatley alone gave enough reason to think that there was a long playoff run in their future (or now present). That was not to be, however. Once the calendar year switched over to 2008, the team folded from underneath, internal turmoil had occurred and one of the worst collapses in NHL history happened. An amazing turn of events that would have only been worse, if they team missed the playoffs entirely after having one of the best starts in recent memory.

Of course, injuries played a huge part of their collapse. Their big line didn't see an entire season together thanks to some knocks and spills, but that shouldn't have really hindered the team too terribly. The political process around Ray Emery did cause a stir in the dressing room and the coach was spilled from his position and problems emitted from that pile of gossip.

The Sens have some room to move this summer and they have a few potential moves up on the big board, ready to push forward on. GM Bryan Murray has already commented that Emery will not be playing for Ottawa next season, so he's actively searching for a way to drop his $3.2 million salary from the books. If a trade cannot happen, it is very likely that Emery will be bought out, which hinders the books of the Sens for a few extra years. Until Emery is actually moved, he will remain on the list, just an FYI for when you look at the roster.

Forwards	Defense	Goaltenders
Jason Spezza	Christoph Schubert	Martin Gerber
Daniel Alfredsson	Chris Phillips	Ray Emery
Dany Heatley	Anton Volchenkov
Mike Fisher
Dean McAmmond
Chris Neil
Nick Foligno

Including Emery, the Sens have 12 regular players signed on for next season and it's at a rate of $39.6 million, which would allow for a decent free agent or possibly two. The likelihood of Wade Redden returning to the team is very small, since his price tag is so high. Redden probably isn't too thrilled about the fact that he likely won't be back with the team, but that's business. The Sens will likely have to go after a number one defenseman with all of their big money and Brian Campbell has been on the rumour mill already, as an unrestricted free agent.

There will be a big onus on their own prospects this coming season. Nick Foligno, Ilya Zubov and Alexander Nikulin should all be getting some long looks at camp next season, so they the budget could be a little more managable. James O'Brien didn't get a look during the year for the Sens, but he'll also be a name to be considered when camp rolls around. If Emery is able to be moved, there is a good chance that they'll address Martin Gerber's back-up situation with prospect Brian Elliot. All of these guys could very well be considered for a pool spot, especially if they have good linemates playing with them.

At the Draft, the Sens will be picking from the 18th spot, trying to put another good prospect in the stables for the coming years. The Sens are waiting on some of their more recent drafted prospects to blossom a bit, but they are very calculated when it comes to their youth, using Jason Spezza's slow build as an NHL player as an example.

The biggest move the Sens could possibly make this off-season is signing on a top notch coach. The availability of those kinds of coaches may be a tad thin, but the Senators team and program should be more than enough to build some enthusiasm for making a move to Ottawa. That's a position that should be watched carefully. That could be the move that gets the team turned around again.