Everybody figured Jason Spezza was going to have the chance to turn Jonathan Cheechoo back into a consistent goal scorer.

Turns out, Alexei Kovalev is going to get the first crack at the job.

For the Senators pre-season opener tonight against the Florida Panthers, Cheechoo will play alongside Kovalev and centre Mike Fisher.

"It's a pretty good line. Fish is a hard-working guy and Cheech is a goal scorer. I know people talk about how he hasn't scored as much as he used to, but hopefully, we'll get him on the right track again," said Kovalev on Wednesday morning.

Cheechoo led the NHL with 56 goals during the 2005-06 season, but watched his numbers decline in each subsequent year. Injuries limited him to just 12 goals in 66 games last season in San Jose, before he was sent to Ottawa on the weekend as part of the Dany Heatley trade. Cheechoo enjoyed his success with the Sharks with Joe Thornton as his centre, which led many people to believe he would be automatically put with a similar play maker in Spezza here in Ottawa.

For his part, Cheechoo is excited to play with Kovalev, who he grew up watching on television.

"I'm excited to play with him. He's got a big shot and some of the best hands I've seen around," said Cheechoo. "To get a chance to play with that guy, you just try and make his life a little easier. Get him the puck and let him fire away and make plays."

Head coach Cory Clouston has insisted that his line combinations are not set in stone during training camp. But he is hoping this trio will give the Senators some much-needed secondary scoring.

"We're going to put some guys together and see if they have chemistry. We don't have a lot of pre-season games so you have to get right into it," explained Clouston.

The key to the line might be Fisher, who is trying to bounce back from a sub par campaign in 2008-09 that saw him produce just 13 goals and 32 points.

"It's not always about the best players playing together. And it doesn't matter what line Mike plays with, he always creates energy and creates space for his linemates. We're hoping it's a good fit," added Clouston.

For tonight's game against the Panthers, Spezza will centre a line with Daniel Alfredsson and Nick Foligno. But it's expected that Milan Michalek, who arrived in Ottawa on Wednesday, will play alongside Spezza and Alfredsson when he joins the team for game action.