Almost exactly two months ago, the Ottawa Senators’ forward corps - showing no signs of slowing down and often bailing out a lacklustre blue line and struggling goaltending duo - was gifted a significant upgrade.
An offense that, for some time, had been on the cusp of deserving an elite title, had seemingly got the piece to push them over the edge. The Senators now had the fire power that could truly allow them to go toe-to-toe with the best in the league.
This, of course, was a result of the blockbuster trade general manager Pierre Dorion pulled off the weekend before the team jetted overseas to Sweden for a back-to-back with the Colorado Avalanche.