For the last 23 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.
The 24th annual review will appear here on Dobber Hockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are taken into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.
Enjoy!
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Gone
Brady Tkachuk, Nick Jensen, Lars Eller, Dennis Gilbert.
Incoming
William Eklund, Andre Burakovsky, Samuel Ersson, Sammy Blais, Philip Tomasino, Philippe Daoust.
Putting aside the complete you-know-what-show (rhymes with hit) that was Brady Tkachuk‘s exit from the Nation’s Capital, it has once again been a relatively quiet offseason for Steve Staios and the Senators’ front office. Sure, the additions of a shifty William Eklund and versatile veteran Andre Burakovsky bring some depth to the top-nine forward group, but other than that, Ottawa is looking to run it back with basically the same roster that fell to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in the first round this past season. Sens fans can be as positive as they want and spin Tkachuk’s departure in any direction to deflect from the obvious: a lot of the identity and swagger of this Ottawa squad ran through its former captain, and none of the moves Staios pulled off do much to rectify that loss.
With that said, Eklund is the clear gem of the summer’s transactions, and his numbers from last year indicate a potential fantasy asset worth targeting in the middle rounds of upcoming drafts. Eklund registered 53 points in 78 games last year with the San Jose Sharks, to go along with intriguing peripheral-category coverage that totaled 176 shots on net, 72 hits, 51 blocked shots, and a little penalty-minute fantasy cherry on top with 32. Eklund will also get all the opportunity in the world to play alongside Tim Stützle on Ottawa’s top line, and he’ll get the same
opportunity on its No. 1 power-play unit. His deployment adds an element of upside, even if the Sens end up in a playoff wild-card battle as a team lining up to be on the outside looking in when it comes to springtime hockey.
Much like last season, this section for Ottawa has to revolve around rearguard Carter Yakemchuk. The seventh overall pick from the 2024 NHL Draft is a six-foot-four behemoth with the kind of offensive flair that makes him a lock as a fantasy keeper/dynasty option and a player with a really good shot at making an impact with the big club this season. Yakemchuk did not seem out of place in a limited look last campaign, as four regular-season games and a single playoff showing yielded a goal and three assists while also revealing the 20-year-old’s ability to contribute at the NHL level.
The top power-play spot is, and should remain, firmly in Jake Sanderson‘s back pocket, but the second unit could add to Yakemchuk’s fantasy repertoire, as the young D-man’s offensive skill set and skating ability should be an excellent fit as quarterback for Ottawa’s No. 2 group on the man advantage. The Sens had the eighth-best power play in the NHL just a year ago, and even though assistant coach and man-advantage aficionado Daniel Alfredsson bolted for an assistant role with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa should return to running out a top-10 unit, one that Yakemchuk could very much benefit from being a part of.
Finnish winger Kasper Halttunen and American blue-liner Logan Hensler are two other names on the radar in a retooling Sens system, but both sit behind Yakemchuk on the depth chart and don’t really move the fantasy needle.
Much like their aforementioned Ontario counterpart, a separation needs to be made with this Ottawa group. A distinction between what their fantasy options bring to the table and what the Sens actually end up achieving in the Atlantic Division standings as a club currently resembling a bubble team competing for a wild-card spot.
However, when it comes to elite fantasy options, the Sens are a team that should be regularly plundered for solid options. The first three targets are Tim Stützle, Jake Sanderson, and Drake Batherson, followed by Dylan Cozens, William Eklund, and even goaltender Linus Ullmark—all players that will be taken in the top-150 slots of draft boards. Filling the void that Tkachuk has undoubtedly left will continue to be a storyline that haunts this fanbase, and until a new identity is established, Ottawa remains a dark-horse team with a lot to prove.
Overall Grade: B+ (Last year was A).