The Ottawa Senators future is all of a sudden incredibly interesting and exciting, and it is fun to look at each of their positions to see how well they line up moving forward.
So far, I have analyzed left wing, centre, and right wing, and today I will be focusing on defense (both sides). As in past editions of the series, I will look first at the 2020-21 group, then I will move onto a projection of the Sens’ future.
Let’s get into it then!
2020-21:
Below is how the Senators depth chart could shake out for the 2020-21 season, although there could obviously be some things that shift around:
2020-21 Defense Pairings
| 1st | Thomas Chabot | Nikita Zaitsev |
| 2nd | Christian Wolanin | Erik Gudbranson |
| 3rd | Mike Reilly | Josh Brown |
| Extra | N/A | Artem Zub |
| Minors | Erik Brannstrom | Christian Jaros |
| Minors | Max Lajoie |
Thomas Chabot is entrenched in that #1 spot and DJ Smith loves Nikita Zaitsev, so I’m expecting those two to get the most ice time.