Ottawa Senators top three under 2024-25 – Hockey Writers – Ottawa Senators

There is no doubt that the Ottawa Senators have one of the most exciting cores in the NHL. Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle give the team a dangerous one-two punch up front, while blueliner Jake Sanderson has a chance to become one of the NHL’s top two defensemen. With Shane Pinto, Ridly Greig, Thomas Chabot, and a healthy Josh Norris, few teams have as much NHL-ready talent coming out of a long rebuild.

The problem is that, despite the number of rising stars in the Senators, the other team failed to stand up, bringing down the whole ship. The scoring and defense have been abysmal over the past few seasons, and while there have been a few bright spots in the front six, for the most part, they’ve struggled to contribute anything meaningful. However, the 2024-25 season will bring a very different group of role players to Ottawa, many of whom could be instrumental in the team’s push for a playoff spot. Here are three underrated Senators who could have a bigger impact this season than the stat sheet shows.

David Perron

When David Perron’s two-year, $8 million deal was announced, fans saw him as a player who could provide secondary scoring while bringing much-needed leadership and experience. His 2023-24 stats back up that claim; last season, the 36-year-old scored 17 goals and 47 points with the Detroit Red Wings, and while he ranked seventh on the team in points, it was his lowest total since 2016-17. He’s considered one of the slowest players in the NHL, and with his health struggles — he’s only played two full seasons in the last seven years — it’s unlikely he’ll be one of the Senators’ key players this season.

But it’s more than meets the eye for Perron, and what has made him a valued member of the Red Wings over the past two seasons is his ability to play smart, competitive hockey and do so. He has been a 60-point scorer for most of his career despite playing for six different teams, earning him the nickname “Mr. Consistency,” and “Mr. Overtime” for his ability to score when it really matters. Expected to start the season alongside Norris and Batherson on the second line, Perron should have an easy time returning to the 25-point, 60-point mark in his first season with Ottawa.

Another factor that makes Perron more valuable than consistent scoring is his aggressive style. In Detroit, the problem was that they didn’t have anyone else who matched his ferocity; his 55 penalty minutes were second on the team last season. That led to him becoming a law enforcer, which led to an unfortunate incident between him and Artem Zub. Now in Ottawa, he will no longer play that role, as Zack MacEwen is expected to take over most of the team’s duties, but he will still bring an edge that will mesh well with Tkachuk and Greig, giving the Senators. another tough customer that will make almost every line as frustrating as the next one.

Angus Crookshank

The competition will be tough in the fourth row this season. Noah Gregor and MacEwen have one-way deals, which leaves just one catch for several prospects. Jan Jenik and Adam Gaudette have experience, Xavier Bourgault and Jamieson Rees have a chance to be a top scorer, and Zack Ostapchuk might be the right fit for the team right now. But one player who may have the best angle in that area is Angus Crookshank.

After three seasons in the minors, Crookshank finally made his NHL debut last season, playing in 13 games and scoring two goals and three points. Injuries slowed his growth, but when he was finally able to play a full season, he wasted no time getting down to business, posting back-to-back 24-plus goal and 46-plus point campaigns. In 2023–24, he was named to the American Hockey League (AHL) All-Star game.

Related: Ottawa Senators 2024-25 Prospect Pyramid

But what he did while playing in the NHL gave him a leg up on his competition. Despite being the youngest player on the roster, he refused to shy away from anything. In 13 games, he threw 20 hits, including four in his first game. A full season spread of 82 games, with 126 strikeouts, would have tied him with Mark Kastelic for fifth last season. He also recorded eight blocked shots, bringing his total to 50 for the full season. Only Parker Kelly had more blocks among Ottawa forwards in 2023-24, with 67. With Kastelic and Kelly gone, Crookshank could be called upon to take over his duties on the fourth line while bringing a high level of offense, something the Senators desperately wanted. lack in previous years.

Drake Batherson

It’s hard to think of Batherson as an underdog, as some consider him part of the Senators’ backbone. He had a back-to-back 20-goal, 60-point season and was named to the NHL All-Star game in 2021-22. But he’s also not on the same level as Stutzle, Tkachuk, Chabot, Sanderson, or even Norris, whose absence proved just how important he was to the top six. Batherson fell to the second division in Ottawa where he was considered valuable, but could be replaced. Ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, Ian Mendes believed there was at least a conversation worth having, writing, “… if Staios and company want to shake things up with a hockey trade, it makes sense that Batherson would be on the list. of tradeables that could bring good returns” (from “Senators trade tiers: Who’s staying and who’s leaving before the deadline?,” Athletic – 26/02/2024).

There are concerns about consistency keeping Batherson out of untouchable range, but last season he showed his two-way value. He was one of 23 players to score more than 20 goals and record more than 90 hits, 30 blocks, and 40 takeaways. Of that list, 14 received award consideration as Batherson sits second in scoring among those who did not. The only player above him? Travis Konecny, whose future looked uncertain before the draft and was briefly linked to the Senators before signing an eight-year, $8.75 million offseason extension with the Philadelphia Flyers.

There is no doubt that the Senators were surprised by Konecny’s combination of offensive skills, but the Senators may have that type of player with Batherson. The Flyers center scored 33 goals, five more than his Senator counterpart, but had just two more points, one fewer block, and a few fewer hits. Batherson also had fewer penalty minutes, a better shooting percentage, and is a year younger. He also averaged 2.51 on-ice goals per 60 minutes, which was the fifth best on the team. Konecny, on the other hand, had a goal-per-game average of almost 60 minutes, sitting at 3.41, one of the worst for the Flyers. So, while Konecny ​​excels on the offensive side of the game, Batherson excels in almost every other aspect. This is a very good case for being one of the Senators’ most underrated players.

The Senators will struggle to make the playoffs this season; the Atlantic Division remains incredibly competitive at the top and the Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, and Buffalo Sabers have made improvements to their programs, making the fight for a wild card spot even more difficult. But the Senators core continues to take steps forward, and with Perron, Batherson, and Crookshank able to contribute in multiple ways on and off the ice, they have as good a chance as any to end their playoff drought.