Thanks to the Washington Capitals’ victory yesterday, we can finally say for certain that the Ottawa Senators (26-37-6), for the 5th straight year, will miss the playoffs. There are, of course, reasons for optimism going into next season, but the primary concern is that this season has trended in the same direction as 2021 — they got off to a nightmarish start and picked up their play later on.
Until they can translate their improved play into some early success next year, I fully expect there to be some skepticism, especially if they’re content to stick with the same group without making an upgrade or two.