OTTAWA — The grief of the end of the Ottawa Senators' season is still raw, but the prognosis for next season is already underway.
The analytics, the eye test, and the "pesky team-o-meter" showed progress, but the playoff result was worse, getting swept in painful fashion by the Carolina Hurricanes.
“In no way are we satisfied,” said general manager Steve Staios on Monday as his team cleaned out their lockers for the final time.
Senators players reused the words "stings" and "frustrated" on locker cleanout day more often than they said “it’s going to be a long series,” not so long ago.
Tim Stutzle mentioned how last year they were just happy to get into the dance, and this time it was the expectation.
The expectations for next year are higher.
"I think the team is on a great path. I love playing here. I love playing with these guys," Stutzle said. "And I think we have something really good going, and I think we will be good for a long time.”
What makes the diagnosis of what went wrong and how to learn from it more difficult is how banged up the blue line was all season, especially in the playoffs.
Thomas Chabot’s broken forearm was never fully healed, yet he came back and played two weeks after breaking it. Artem Zub needs another month to heal, Tyler Kleven finished the series with a bubble on his helmet, and Jake Sanderson couldn’t speak to the media on Monday because of his concussion.
“Injuries aren't an excuse, but it became a bit of reality for us. So, it's a little bit harder to gauge,” said Staios.
“Shitty, I'd say,” said Chabot about his own injury and those of the backend.
But getting swept wasn’t just about a depleted D-corps. Ottawa had an anemic power play against the Hurricanes and scored only five goals in the four games.
The Senators seem like they desperately need a top-six scoring winger.
“It'd be nice," said Staios about adding another winger. “They're hard to find. What you have to give up to get it is one thing. But we were eighth in goals for in the National Hockey League this year.”
The Senators' ceiling will also be set by Brady Tkachuk, who went pointless in the first round and has two seasons left on his contract.
Tkachuk did not speak Monday as he and his wife Emma welcomed their second child.
Staios was asked if he had spoken to Tkachuk about the captain's long-term future with the team, but the GM dismissed the question as "nonsense."
“There's nothing that we have talked about or thought about where that conversation should happen,” Staios said, later adding, "It is what it is, and it depends on what week and what fan base it's coming from. So, I don't read it. I don't bother with it."
The topic of Tkachuk's future was also exasperating for head coach Travis Green.
"I feel like I'm repeating myself a lot in (the media) room, getting questioned about the player that 31 teams would love to have,” Green said. "(He’s a) pretty sought-after guy in the league. So, I don't know why I have to be asked about it, to be honest."
While Staios and Green might not like it, the noise won't go away until Tkachuk reveals what his plans are. That's just the reality for a team based in Canada; people care.
“Playing in a Canadian market is the biggest pleasure you can have," Stutzle said. "It's the best to be honest, but it can get tough sometimes and we respect that, too.”
We wonder if Tkachuk will podcast about his future at any point.
Tkachuk's podcast with brother Matthew of the Florida Panthers and some of the celebrations around Team USA's gold-medal win at the Olympics created a ton of outside noise. It felt like the drama this season with Tkachuk never ended. The social media rumours and silly conversations haven't helped either.
Meanwhile, Staios said he doesn’t listen to Tkachuk’s podcast, but said that he’s fine with him having a life outside hockey.
Tkachuk will be at the centre of off-season discussion about the team, but there’s plenty of other stuff to chew on.
Here are some other tidbits from Monday at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Contracts
Pending restricted free agent Jordan Spence was phenomenal down the stretch and into the playoffs. He was asked about his willingness to sign a long-term contract in Ottawa.
“I want to be here,” he said, and indicated he’s hopeful to get something done.
Two pillars of the team, Zub and Drake Batherson, are entering the final years of their contracts and are eligible for extensions on July 1. Both are due for big raises.
Batherson said his agent will talk to Staios about a possible extension when he's eligible.
Meanwhile, Zub said, "Yes, I like it here.”
Staios wouldn’t be drawn on whether the Senators' ownership was willing to spend to the salary cap next season.
"We’ll look at every possibility to make the team better," he said. "I don't have an answer for you on that."
The Senators have over $17 million in projected cap space next season, according to PuckPedia.
Giroux’s uncertainty
Last year, the question around Claude Giroux was whether he and the Senators could find a resolution so he could stay in Ottawa. Now it’s as much about whether or not he will keep playing.
“It's too early to even answer that question,” the 38-year-old Giroux said. “For me, I need to calm down a little bit. I'm still fired up about the series, and sometimes you need to take a step back and give yourself a chance just to kind of chill and then see what's next."
Giroux reiterated in French that if he returns to hockey, his preference is to stay in Ottawa. On the ice, he showed he can still play this year with 14 goals and 49 points. He was one of only three Senators players to appear in all 82 games.
Ullmark finding peace
Linus Ullmark was spectacular in the post-season with a .932 save percentage, which should give the Senators confidence going into next season. He had a well-publicized struggle with mental health mid-season that led him to take a personal leave of absence. Ullmark was well below par when he left the team in late December but resurrected his form when he returned.
"It was the first real time in this whole season where I felt like myself again and I could do what I thoroughly enjoy to do," he said of his playoff performance Monday. "It didn't feel like a chore. It didn't feel exhausting. It felt motivational and inspirational."
He said he was moved by a fan's sign in the crowd that read "The only noise that matters are the cheers from the fans."
Greig awaiting punishment
Ridly Greig suckerpunched Hurricanes defenceman Sean Walker in Game 4 and will have a hearing soon for a possible suspension in the upcoming season as a result.
"I got to do a better job of controlling my emotions," Greig said Monday.
Greig said he shouldn’t have done it, and that his sucker punch wasn’t retaliatory.
Backup plan
Interestingly, Staios admitted that he made a mistake last season in how he handled the backup to Ullmark.
“I didn't do a good enough job of supporting Linus and that position, and probably didn't put (backup) Leevi (Merilainen) in the best position to have success as well,” the GM said.
The Senators eventually brought in veteran James Reimer in early January and he provided stability as the team climbed back up the standings.
Staios was asked how he’d learn from the mistake heading into the off-season.
“We're not going to bat 1,000, but there's lessons learned this year, for sure,” he answered.
