 The Ottawa Senators may not yet possess the same tradition as their Canadian NHL neighbors in Montreal and Toronto, but their fans are equally as passionate. Since the team's arrival in 1992, the city's fans have been loud and boisterous in their support, and equally as such with their criticism. Thus, the rebuilding of the Senators is something which needs to happen quickly and successfully, in order to satisfy the fans and avoid the team's first bout with prolonged struggles since the 1997. To say that last season was a disappointment would be selling the Senators short. After losing in the Stanley Cup Finals three years ago, Ottawa moved backward for the second consecutive season, and out of the playoff race. The Senators fired their coach at mid-season for the second year in a row, and star winger Dany Heatley later requested a trade, which left Ottawa with a major dilemma; Heatley had both a no-trade clause and clear desire of who he wanted to be traded to. Thankfully for the Senators, they managed to complete a deal with San Jose that Heatley was happy with, while acquiring forwards Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo, and a little peace of mind immediately prior to the start of training camp. During an offseason full of rumors and speculation, other than the forced Heatley deal, the only other actual move that Ottawa made was the signing of former Montreal captain, Alex Kovalev, to help fill the void left by Heatley's departure. The Senators still have some talent up front, with longtime captain Daniel Alfredsson entering his tenth season, still as one of the league's most dynamic players. Along with playmaker Jason Spezza, Kovalev, Cheechoo, and Michalek will provide the Senators with some solid scoring options to pick up the slack left by Heatley's departure. Luckily, the Senators appear to be stronger on defense this year; with such solid players as Filip Kuba, Chris Campoli and Chris Phillips on hand the group as a whole should be much improved. There are also a few questions in goal, where Pascal Leclaire will attempt to prove his detractors wrong; after being acquired late last year from Columbus, there are questions as to his durability under the rigors of starting for an entire season. While there may be a few areas of improvement to address, the Ottawa Senators have some pieces in place that may allow them to get back to the playoffs. Fans should get Ottawa Senators tickets now because the Scotiabank Place will be packed when they do turn things around.
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