Stat Hockey’s Ottawa Senators 2023-24 Line Projections

This is a look at the Ottawa Senators 2023-24 line projections. It will cover all forward lines, defense pairings, goaltenders, and scratches.

Projected Lineup

F

Brady Tkachuk – Tim Stutzle – Vladimir Tarasenko

Claude Giroux – Josh Norris – Drake Batherson

Ridly Greig – Shane Pinto – Dominik Kubalik

Mathieu Joseph – Mark Kastelic – Zack MacEwen

S- Egor Sokolov, Kelly Parker

D

Thomas Chabot – Jakob Chychrun

Jake Sanderson – Artem Zub

Erik Brannstrom – Travis Hamonic

S- Jacob Bernard-Docker

G

Joonas Korpisalo

Anton Forsberg

Forwards

It seems as though the Senators have finally turned a corner and they are going to compete until the end for a playoff spot. They have a great mix of veterans and young players at forward. Tarasenko comes in to replace Alex DeBrincat for cheaper and should get top line duties alongside Stutzle and Tkachuk. Those two are Ottawa’s stars and should both have major impacts this season. The hope is that they can also help Tarasenko bounce back.

The second line will hopefully feature a healthy Norris for the entire season. That hurt the team in 2022-23 because it took Pinto out of their bottom-six. Batherson and Giroux should make this line very dangerous as well. None of them will hit a point-per-game, but 25-plus goals and 65-plus points each is still great.

Once the Senators can sign Pinto, they’ll be set. I expect him to be signed by opening night and he is a strong third line centerman. The wing should feature two relatively new pieces. Kubalik was brought in and is an underrated offensive producer. He could realistically play in the top-six right now and should if there’s an injury. As for Greig, we saw some of what he can do last season. He will now be in a full time role and be able to chip in a good amount.

The fourth line won’t be bad for the Senators. It is believed that the team wants to move Joseph because of how he performed last season. It was a big drop-off from his performance at the end of 2021-22. If he’s not moved, he’ll be on the fourth line to start. Mark Kastelic should be promoted to a full time player in Ottawa now and take over the fourth line center spot. The right winger MacEwen was an underrated addition since he fills the toughness needs on the team. I can see Sokolov getting into the lineup some nights over MacEwen though.

Defense

The Senators got their guy when they acquired Chychrun last season. He is accustomed to playing his off side, so it’s no big deal for him to move over and play alongside Chabot. These two are offensively capable, but will have a little less of an impact in their own end. Although, they aren’t slouched when it comes to defending.

The second pairing is where the Senators will put their trust into shutting down lines. Zub was paid to do just that and Sanderson is coming off a great rookie season. Both got paid and are sticking around. They will be very tough to play against.

Related: Stat Hockey’s New York Rangers 2023-24 Line Projections

Brannstrom is still being given a chance in Ottawa. He did improve a bit and finally played a full season with the Senators. At this point I think he’s stuck in a third pairing role which is fine. He’s young and has talent regardless. Hamonic should be able to defend well alongside the young defenseman, but don’t expect a lot of ice time for either. There will be a battle for the seventh spot as both Bernard-Docker and Lassi Thompson both have to pass through waivers if they don’t make the team and are both capable.

Goaltending

The Senators made a great upgrade to their goaltending. Korpisalo comes in on a multi-year contract and is backed up by Forsberg. Korpisalo played very well on a bad Columbus Blue Jackets team and has proven he can play at an elite level at times. He had very strong numbers once he got adequate team defense in Los Angeles. Forsberg is a great backup with the Senators. Health is key for him though. I expect an improvement in net overall this season.