Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Ottawa Senators
By Jared Crozier of SenShot
The Ottawa Senators finally had mathematically confirmed on Tuesday what everyone had known for about a month – that the playoffs were not in their immediate future.
Ales Hemsky has continued to be a revelation since coming to the Senators, but he needs a new contract. Hemsky’s three points against the Islanders on Tuesday gave him 16 points in 17 games since the trade from Edmonton.
The Senators will be on the outside looking in, and to make matters worse, they have to watch Anaheim use their pick in the first round, which will likely be a top-10 selection.
The next two years will be pivotal in their development with a number of key players (Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek, Bobby Ryan, Clarke MacArthur, Marc Methot, Craig Anderson and Hemsky) all in or about to be entering the final year of their contracts.