In the made-up little fantasy world in my head, NHL fans who have to endure lengthy rebuilds get to find some consolation in having a competitive AHL team to keep tabs on in the meantime. In the case of your Ottawa Senators, whose AHL affiliate relocated to nearby Belleville to coincide perfectly with said arduous rebuild, we have seen no playoff runs to speak of at either the NHL or AHL levels. In all fairness, we have witnessed a couple of pretty solid regular seasons in Belleville but due to COVID-19—no playoffs!
Part of the job of managing an NHL team through a rebuild involves creating the best possible farm system while simultaneously giving fans of the NHL team just enough reason to keep watching the parent club—enter Thomas Chabot, Brady Tkachuk, and Tim Stützle.