After their defeat at the hand of the Buffalo Sabres, the Senators adressed the press and answered some questions about this last season, and what lies ahead for the team.
Q: Your team had quite a good season, but you couldn't make it out of the first round. Can we expect a lot of changes?
A: No, don't expect them. We're going to listen to what every other GM has to say and consider our options, but as disappointing as a first round exit is, I think this was a huge step forward for our team. We went from a veteran team, to one of the youngest in the league over the last 2 seasons. I was hoping this team would compete for a playoff spot, but I didn't expect a 4th overall finish. Unfortunately for us we had to face the 2nd place Buffalo Sabres, and I'm proud of this young team for pushing them to the brink. We almost beat them, and look at them now, they just defeated the Presidents Trophy winner and are leading the series in the Conference finals.
Q: If you do make any changes, what do you think this team could use?
A: The numbers don't lie. We had the best defense in the league, thanks in large part to Matt Murray, Torey Krug and Ivan Provorov. But our offense could use some help. Tyler Seguin was fantastic in his first season in Ottawa, but we're hoping to give him more support. I think some of that will happen naturally. Robert Thomas took a step forward this year, and I think there's another level to his game. Anthony Cirelli put up okay numbers, but he only shot 5%, I think there's more coming from him too. A full season of Filip Forsberg should make us more dangerous too. Adding someone to help those guys out is probably the most pressing need.
Q: The team has a lot of room under the cap, do you plan on utilizing that?
A: For the right player, at the right price, yes. We'll see who wants to play here, and who is a fit. We have a young team with a lot of promise still, so it's not time to overpay on the free agency market. Hopefully our solid season and young promising team will mean that guys want to come here, and be part of a contender. We'll see what happens.
Q: What are your expectations for next season?
A: Playoffs. We have a team that can the playoffs again. It's still young and improving. Beyond that we'll see. Once you get in anything can happen. We're in a tough division. What's important to me is that the young guys keep taking steps forward and keep building a winning culture. A lot can happen in a season, so for now, we'll keep it at that.
Q: Belleville was also one of the top regular season teams, and many of your top prospects aren't even in the AHL yet. What can we expect from the young guys this coming season?
A: The plan is and always has been to let the young players develop properly. We don't want to rush any of them. That means they'll have to prove they are ready to make the team. Everyone will get a look, and we'll see what happens, but we also aren't putting ourselves in a position where we need a 18, 19 or 20 year old to step in and play. We're excited, we have high hopes for Joel Farabee, Drake Batherson, Matthew Boldy, Adam Fox, Evan Bouchard, Adam Boqvist, Justus Annunen... There's a lot of promise there, beyond those guys too. But it'll be when they are ready.
The Senators enter the off season with aproximately 13 million dollars in cap space to fill two positions, unless someone surprises and makes the team. How they will use that money to remain competitive in the difficult Atlantic Division remains to be seen.