This might’ve been the weirdest Ottawa Senators season I’ve ever seen. They were let down by their penalty kill and goaltending for most of the year, then both drastically improved, helping the club qualify for the playoffs with a 21-6-4 finish. Then, both of the Sens’ biggest weaknesses became their biggest strengths in the playoffs, yet they couldn’t even get a single lead all series.
They finished 9th in the NHL, but 5th in the Atlantic. Baffling.
Because of this, it’s a lot tougher to evaluate the players and staff than in years past. Very few exceptional performances, but (almost) no major liabilities, either.
This year’s edition of the End-of-Season Report Cards will begin a week from now, so make sure you get your responses in by Thursday, May 7th at noon EST.