Underachieving Sens know change coming
Players brace for likely overhaul of roster following disastrous 30th-place finish
As the Ottawa Senators gather Monday at the Canadian Tire Centre, they might want to take a moment to look around the room, because there’s no question this is the last time this group will be together.
Coming off a 5-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday at the TD Garden to wrap up a disastrous season, the 30th-place Senators will head their separate ways on Tuesday morning to begin the off-season and to start preparing for training camp next September.
“We should have a chip on our shoulder, because we know that this isn’t us. This is a playoff team that challenged for a Stanley Cup last spring, and we should be able to get back there,” centre Matt Duchene said following the club’s loss in Boston.
“You want to take the positives and the negatives and you want internalize them and be better for it. We have two ways to go. We can go up or we can go down. You’re never staying the same in this game and we sure as heck don’t want to stay the same.
“We want to go north as a group and I have faith that we will. This is one of the best groups of guys I’ve ever been around. There’s so much character, talent, passion and drive and I know that this is a blip on the radar. This is nothing that’s going be long-term and nothing that’s going to linger.”
To call this season a disappointment would be an understatement. In many ways, the trip the Senators took from being a goal way from the Stanley Cup final last spring to 30th place in the league — and the fashion in which they underachieved this season — is embarrassing.
“You would be naive to think something isn’t going to happen this summer,” said veteran defenceman Mark Borowiecki. “This is a results-driven business and we didn’t get the results.
“We’re all professionals in here and we know it’s the nature of it. It sucks because we do have a close group in here and we get along great. Anytime that you see a guy — who’s not only a teammate, but a buddy — leave, it stinks.”
Just how bad was this team? Heading into the April 28 draft lottery, the Senators have the second-best odds of winning, with a 13.5-per-cent chance, behind only the Buffalo Sabres at 18.5 per cent. Ottawa can’t drop any lower than fifth.
The club hasn’t had a top five pick since 2000, when they dealt centre Alexei Yashin to the New York Islanders and selected
Jason Spezza with the No. 2 pick the club acquired.
The last time the organization earned a pick this high was 1996, when the club selected blueliner Chris Phillips No. 1 overall. Yes, this year’s team was pretty bad, and it was frustrating for everyone involved.
“We know we’ve got more talent and the ability to do better is in this room,” Borowiecki said. “Anytime you have a missed opportunity, it stings a little bit more.”
Coach Guy Boucher noted this season shows why nobody should take anything for granted, because the hockey business is about “what have you done for me lately” — something the Senators found out the hard way.
“We’re always two players away from going up and two players away from going down,” Boucher said. “Injuries, circumstances, all kinds of things, so that’s the NHL.
“... Some of the teams who were at the top last year are at the bottom this year. That’s what the NHL is and that’s what we mean by parity. It’s a league where everything ’s got to go right, and whenever it goes wrong, you (have) to value some of those moments, because they mean a lot.
“It’s tough to be consistent, it’s tough to be good in the NHL. What we’re looking at for the future is to bring in more youth, more speed, more drive and inject some of what we saw in this last portion of the year into our lineup to keep growing.”
The hope is that the Senators can get their act together and get back to the playoffs next year.
Borowiecki said after taking a much-needed rest, he plans to get back to work.
“It starts the day you walk in that gym or step on the ice in the summer. You know, you need to use it as a tool to push yourself,” he said.
“Hopefully, this is a kick in the butt for us, as individuals and athletes, to take our summer training seriously and really make sure we’re not complacent, and just be ready to come in and rock next year.” bgarrioch@postmedia.com Twitter: @sungarrioch