The kids: The Senators have a tremendous amount of youthful talent, including forwards Tkachuk, 21;
Tim Stutzle
, 19; Josh Norris, 21; and Batherson, 23; and defenseman Thomas Chabot, 24. Their roster is littered with players who could become stars in the NHL, and there is no question Ottawa has made good use of its draft picks and could soon see the end result of their rebuild.
One year older: During a season without a lot of winning, the Senators have allowed the players who will contribute to their future to gain significant experience. They (presumably) won't have to suffer through growing pains in a season with a playoff berth on the line. That experience counts.
Wins and improvement: It's notable who some of Ottawa's victories have come against: The Senators have gone 6-2-0 against the Calgary Flames, 5-3-1 against the Montreal Canadiens and 3-4-1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the top team in the Scotia North Division. The Senators have also shown improvement as the season has gone along; they are 6-2-1 in their past nine games after going 13-25-4 in their first 42.