Better Luck Next Year: Ottawa Senators edition

As NHL teams are officially eliminated from Stanley Cup contention, theScore NHL freelance writer Katie Brown takes a look back at the highs and lows of their season, along with the biggest questions ahead of 2018-19. The seventh edition focuses on the Ottawa Senators.

The Good

There remains some talent up front. While the top six would look a little better with Derick Brassard still there, the Senators have a decent amount of skill in their forward group, including Mike Hoffman, Matt Duchene, Mark Stone, and Ryan Dzingel. Stone leads the team in scoring and is a restricted free agent July 1. Duchene, another player the Senators hope to sign to an extension this summer, has been one of their best players since his trade from the Avalanche, with 41 points in 61 games. He and Hoffman have found chemistry as linemates, and Dzingel has a career-high 20 goals.

Filip Gustavsson. Acquired in the trade that sent Brassard to Pittsburgh, Gustavsson is one of the best goaltending prospects in the world. He was a star at the World Junior Championships, where he had a 1.81 goals-against average and .924 save percentage in six games. As Ottawa examines where its goaltending is headed with Craig Anderson’s contract up in 2020, knowing it has Gustavsson in the pipeline should be a comfort.

Erik Karlsson’s mostly solid season. Karlsson continued to be a bright spot for the Senators during an otherwise joyless season. He’s fifth in scoring for defensemen and seven points off the lead with 58. Karlsson had his share of ups and downs, missing the first five games of the season for recovery from ankle surgery (that removed part of his ankle bone) and then losing his unborn son in March. The fact he’s been able to put up nearly 60 points despite all that is a testament to his elite talent.

The Bad

Major goaltending problems. Many of the Senators’ woes can be attributed to some truly abysmal goaltending. Anderson’s save percentage is under .900 and backup Mike Condon's is only slightly better at .902, both far below the league average of .913. This is especially concerning when you consider Anderson’s body of work in Ottawa and his terrific play that helped the team reach the Eastern Conference Final last year. The Senators might be in contention for the playoffs if they had even remotely consistent performances from their goaltenders.

An irate fanbase. Between the Karlsson trade rumors and threats of relocation because of poor attendance and other issues, Senators fans are becoming increasingly frustrated with owner Eugene Melnyk and the overall direction of the team. Some even pooled money for a billboard calling for Melnyk to step down. The team's owner doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon, but he has a lot of work to do to win back the fans' trust.

One of the worst seasons in franchise history. Surely the Senators set out to make a different kind of history than having the fifth-worst season in franchise history. It was the worst since 1995-96 when they won only 18 games. This was a team that was one goal away from the Stanley Cup Final last year. How did everything fall apart so quickly?

The Questions

Will Karlsson be traded? Trade rumors swirled endlessly around Karlsson, especially toward the deadline. Now, the Senators are faced with the choice to either re-sign Karlsson or let him go, probably along with Bobby Ryan, to clear some salary from the books. He’s regarded as one of the best defensemen in the league and would command a serious haul in a trade.

What happens to Guy Boucher? Every aspect of the Senators organization will be scrutinized this summer - and head coach Boucher is no exception. He’s in the last year of his contract and there’s a good possibility he won't be behind the bench in Ottawa next year. His fate will ultimately come down to whether he fits with ownership’s vision for the future of the franchise.

What can be done to turn things around? Melnyk has promised Senators fans a rebuild - but what exactly does that entail? Are Ryan and Karlsson part of that plan? There’s also the matter of the first-round pick Ottawa relinquished to Colorado in the Duchene trade. The Avalanche could get a first-rounder in 2018 or 2019, but the Senators get to decide on the year. That decision will have a bearing on where the Senators are headed. Where they land in the draft lottery will have an effect, too. If they’re inside the top five, it would be wise to keep the pick this year.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)