Senators miss playoffs, could not overcome injuries, goalie problems

The Ottawa Senators failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth straight season, the longest drought in their history.

Ottawa (26-37-6) was eliminated from contention when the Washington Capitals defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 on Wednesday.
The Senators last qualified for the postseason in 2016-17, when they advanced to the Eastern Conference Final before losing in seven games to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
Here is a look at what happened for the Senators during the 2021-22 season and why things could be better next season:

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Chris Tierney, F; Tyler Ennis, F
Potential restricted free agents: Dylan Gambrell, F; Adam Gaudette, F; Josh Norris, F; Alex Formenton, F; Mathieu Joseph, F; Victor Mete, D; Erik Brannstrom, D
Potential 2022 Draft picks: 10

What went wrong

Early key injuries: Center Colin White missed the first 50 games of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a dislocated right shoulder he sustained during a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Center Shane Pinto played the first four games of the season before he sustained a shoulder injury against the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 21 and missed nine games. He returned against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 13 but reinjured his shoulder on a face-off and hasn't played since having surgery. The Senators didn't have the depth to overcome those absences.
Goalie stability: A variety of injuries and illness kept No. 1 goalie Matt Murray from having his expected impact, and after starting the season 0-5-0 with a 3.26 goals-against average and .890 save percentage in six games, he was placed on waivers and sent down to Belleville of the American Hockey League on Nov. 28. At that point, Ottawa was already in last place in the NHL (4-14-1) and was allowing the most goals per game (3.84).
Rough start: The injuries and goaltending issues were compounded by multiple players entering NHL COVID-19 protocol, leaving Ottawa without some regular players in November and December and forcing prospects from Belleville to try to fill those roles. As a result of the Senators' poor start, the young players, including forwards Brady Tkachuk, 22; Josh Norris, 22; and Tim Stutzle, 20; and defenseman Thomas Chabot, 25, weren't able to play in meaningful games down the stretch again.

Reasons for optimism

Promising centers: The injuries to White and Pinto gave Stutzle the chance to move to center. The No. 3 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft has scored 43 points (15 goals, 28 assists) in 68 games in his second season -- not big numbers, but on-the-job training that bodes well for a dynamic future. Stutzle and Norris, who has scored 45 points (30 goals, 15 assists) in 53 games, help give the Senators a strong-looking young core down the middle.
Young defensemen: It's too early to tell if they'd be an ideal top four, but the Senators have some impressive young talent that could evolve into a group full of skill and leadership. It starts with Chabot, who is already in his fifth full NHL season. Lassi Thomson, 21, has played 16 games for Ottawa this season (five assists) and continues to develop with Belleville, as does Jacob Bernard-Docker, 21, who has played eight games for the Senators (one assist) this season. Jake Sanderson, 19, signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Senators on March 27 after two seasons at the University of North Dakota. Chabot (No. 18 pick in 2015 NHL Draft), Bernard-Docker (No. 26 in 2018 NHL Draft), Thomson (No. 19 in 2019 NHL Draft), and Sanderson (No. 5 in 2020 draft) each was a first-round pick by Ottawa.
Draft capital: Not only do the Senators have extra draft picks this year to use as assets, they also have a prospect pool and NHL salary cap space that could potentially allow them to improve their roster more quickly via trades. In the offseason, Ottawa could dangle the likes of forward prospects Egor Sokolov (second-round pick, No. 61, in 2020 draft) and Tyler Boucher (first round, No. 10, in 2021 NHL Draft), Brannstrom (first round, No. 15, by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017 NHL Draft) and goalie Mads Sogaard (second round, No. 37, in 2019 draft) if it wants to make immediate upgrades to its roster.