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2019–20 Ottawa Senators
Division 7th Atlantic
Conference 15th Eastern
2019–20 record 25–34–12
Home record 18–13–6
Road record 7–21–6
Goals for 191
Goals against 243
General Manager Pierre Dorion
Coach D. J. Smith
Captain Vacant[1]
Alternate captains Mark Borowiecki
Thomas Chabot (Feb. 24 – Mar. 11)
Ron Hainsey
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Oct. 2 – Feb. 24)
Arena Canadian Tire Centre
Team leaders
Goals Jean-Gabriel Pageau (24)
Assists Thomas Chabot (33)
Points Brady Tkachuk (44)
Penalties in minutes Brady Tkachuk (106)
Wins Craig Anderson (11)
Goals against average Marcus Hogberg (3.12)

The 2019–20 Ottawa Senators season was the 28th season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Senators attempted to return to the playoffs after missing the playoffs in the past two seasons.

The season was suspended by the league officials on March 12, 2020, after several other professional and collegiate sports organizations followed suit as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[2][3] On May 26, the NHL regular season was officially declared over with the remaining games being cancelled and the Senators missed the playoffs for the third straight year.[4]

Team business[]

On October 5, 2019, the Senators announced that Chris Phillips would have his jersey number (#4) retired by the team on February 18, 2020. He is the third Senators' player to have their jersey retired by the franchise, the others being Daniel Alfredsson's #11, and original Senator Frank Finnigan's #8.[5]

The team named a new CEO in January 2020. The team had operated without a permanent one since 2018. Owner Eugene Melnyk had temporarily filled the post. The team named Jim Little who had served as executive VP and chief marketing and culture officer with Shaw Communications. Little was given the priority to repair community relations and boost ticket attendance among other business issues.[6] Less than two months later, the Senators dismissed Little on March 4, 2020, and promised to announce a new CEO within a few weeks's time.[7]

Off-season[]

In May 2019, the Ottawa Senators announced that D. J. Smith agreed to a three-year contract to be the team's head coach.[8] The team filled out the coaching staff by hiring associate coach Jack Capuano, assistant coach Davis Payne, assistant coach Bob Jones and video coach Mike King. Capuano and Payne are both former head coaches in the NHL. Goaltending coach Pierre Groulx was retained from the previous staff.[9]

Regular season[]

The Senators started their season with a 5–3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 2. Scott Sabourin scored a goal in his NHL debut during the season opener.[10]

Veteran player Bobby Ryan missed approximately three months while attending an NHL player assistance program.[11] It was later revealed by Ryan that he had entered the program due to ongoing struggles with alcohol abuse.[12] He would return to NHL action on February 25 in an away game versus the Nashville Predators. In his first post-rehab home game on February 27, Ryan made headlines by scoring his fifth career hat trick.[13]

At the trade deadline in February 2020, the club continued to build for the future, trading away Dylan DeMelo, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Vladislav Namestnikov and Tyler Ennis for draft picks. All were pending unrestricted free agents. After the trades, the Senators hold a total of 13 2020 NHL Entry Draft draft picks, including three in the first round and four in the second round.[14]

The season was suspended by the NHL on March 12, 2020, after several other professional and collegiate sports organizations followed suit as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[15] On March 17, it was announced that an unnamed Senators player had tested positive for the virus, the first case identified among NHL players.[16] The team announced on March 21 that a second player has also tested positive.[17]

Standings[]

Divisional standings[]

2019-20 NHL Atlantic Division Standings

Pos. Team GP W L OL RW GF GA Pct.
1 Boston Bruins 70 44 14 12 38 227 174 .714
2 Tampa Bay Lightning 70 43 21 6 35 245 195 .657
3 Toronto Maple Leafs 70 36 25 9 28 238 227 .579
4 Florida Panthers 69 35 26 8 30 231 228 .565
5 Montreal Canadiens 71 31 31 9 19 212 221 .500
6 Buffalo Sabres 69 30 31 8 22 195 217 .493
7 Ottawa Senators 71 25 34 12 18 191 243 .437
8 Detroit Red Wings 71 17 49 5 13 145 267 .275

Eastern Conference[]

2019-20 NHL Eastern Conference standings

Pos. Team GP W L OL RW GF GA Pct.
1 Boston Bruins 70 44 14 12 38 227 174 .714
2 Tampa Bay Lightning 70 43 21 6 35 245 195 .657
3 Washington Capitals 69 41 20 8 31 240 215 .652
4 Philadelphia Flyers 69 41 21 7 31 232 196 .645
5 Pittsburgh Penguins 69 40 23 6 29 224 196 .623
6 Carolina Hurricanes 68 38 25 5 27 222 193 .596
7 New York Islanders 68 35 23 10 24 192 193 .588
8 Toronto Maple Leafs 70 36 25 9 28 238 227 .579
9 Columbus BlueJackets 70 33 22 15 25 180 187 .579
10 Florida Panthers 69 35 26 8 30 231 228 .565
11 New York Rangers 70 37 28 5 31 234 222 .564
12 Montreal Canadiens 71 31 31 9 19 212 221 .500
13 Buffalo Sabres 69 30 31 8 22 195 217 .493
14 New Jersey Devils 69 28 29 12 22 189 230 .493
15 Ottawa Senators 71 25 34 12 18 191 243 .437
16 Detroit Red Wings 71 17 49 5 13 145 267 .275


Schedule and results[]

Pre-season[]

The pre-season schedule was published on June 18, 2019.[18]

Regular season[]

The regular season schedule was published on June 25, 2019.[19]

2019–20 game log

Legend:       Win (2 points)       Loss (0 points)       Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Players[]

Statistics[]

Skaters[]

Regular season[20][21]
Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM
Tkachuk, BradyBrady Tkachuk 71 21 23 44 −14 106
Brown, ConnorConnor Brown 71 16 27 43 −6 24
Pageau, Jean-GabrielJean-Gabriel Pageau

|| 60 || 24 || 16 || 40 || 10 || 32

Duclair, AnthonyAnthony Duclair 66 23 17 40 −5 18
Chabot, ThomasThomas Chabot 71 6 33 39 −18 42
Tierney, ChrisChris Tierney 71 11 26 37 −6 20
Ennis, TylerTyler Ennis

|| 61 || 14 || 19 || 33 || −5 || 16

Namestnikov, VladislavVladislav Namestnikov

|| 54 || 13 || 12 || 25 || −5 || 35

White, ColinColin White 61 7 16 23 −12 39
Anisimov, ArtemArtem Anisimov 49 15 5 20 −15 8
Paul, NickNick Paul 56 9 11 20 0 24
Borowiecki, MarkMark Borowiecki 53 7 11 18 1 58
Zaitsev, NikitaNikita Zaitsev 58 1 11 12 −8 22
Reilly, MikeMike Reilly

|| 30 || 1 || 11 || 12 || −8 || 18

Hainsey, RonRon Hainsey 64 1 11 12 10 12
Batherson, DrakeDrake Batherson 23 3 7 10 −12 13
DeMelo, DylanDylan DeMelo

|| 49 || 0 || 10 || 10 || 3 || 31

Ryan, BobbyBobby Ryan 24 5 3 8 3 22
Brown, LoganLogan Brown 23 1 7 8 0 4
Hawryluk, JayceJayce Hawryluk

|| 11 || 2 || 5 || 7 || 2 || 8

Chlapik, FilipFilip Chlapik 31 3 3 6 −7 10
Sabourin, ScottScott Sabourin 35 2 4 6 −6 33
Boedker, MikkelMikkel Boedker 20 2 2 4 −1 0
Brannstrom, ErikErik Brannstrom 31 0 4 4 −9 16
Balcers, RudolfsRudolfs Balcers 15 1 2 3 −2 0
Englund, AndreasAndreas Englund 24 0 3 3 −8 12
Jaros, ChristianChristian Jaros 13 0 3 3 −2 6
Goloubef, CodyCody Goloubef

|| 24 || 1 || 1 || 2 || −2 || 8

Peca, MatthewMatthew Peca

|| 9 || 0 || 2 || 2 || −2 || 0

Abramov, VitaliiVitalii Abramov 2 1 0 1 0 2
Davidsson, JonathanJonathan Davidsson 6 0 1 1 0 0
Beaudin, Jean-ChristopheJean-Christophe Beaudin 22 0 1 1 −4 7
Szwarz, JordanJordan Szwarz 3 0 0 0 0 2
Lajoie, MaximeMaxime Lajoie 6 0 0 0 0 0
Norris, JoshJosh Norris 3 0 0 0 2 0
Veronneau, MaxMax Veronneau

|| 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || −2 || 0

Wolanin, ChristianChristian Wolanin 3 0 0 0 1 0

Goaltenders[]

Regular season[22]
Player GP GS TOI W L OT GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Anderson, CraigCraig Anderson 34 31 1,845:11 11 17 2 100 3.25 1,018 .902 0 0 1 0
Nilsson, AndersAnders Nilsson 20 19 1,093:16 9 9 2 58 3.18 628 .908 0 0 0 0
Hogberg, MarcusMarcus Hogberg 24 21 1,344:33 5 8 8 70 3.12 728 .904 0 0 0 0

Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Senators. Stats reflect time with the Senators only.
No longer with team.
Bold denotes team leader in that category.

Awards and honours[]

Player Award Date
Anders Nilsson NHL 1st Star of Week November 11, 2019

Milestones[]

Player Milestone Date
Scott Sabourin 1st career NHL game
1st career NHL goal
1st career NHL point
October 2, 2019
Connor Brown 100th career NHL point October 2, 2019
Vitalii Abramov 1st career NHL goal
1st career NHL point
October 10, 2019
Scott Sabourin 1st career NHL assist October 10, 2019
Ron Hainsey 300th career NHL point October 12, 2019
Bobby Ryan 300th career NHL assist October 12, 2019
J. C. Beaudin 1st career NHL game October 23, 2019
Jonathan Davidsson 1st career NHL game November 7, 2019
J. C. Beaudin 1st career NHL assist
1st career NHL point
November 9, 2019
Jonathan Davidsson 1st career NHL assist
1st career NHL point
November 9, 2019
Brady Tkachuk 100th career NHL game December 5, 2019
Craig Anderson 200th win as Ottawa Senator February 18, 2020

Transactions[]

The Senators have been involved in the following transactions during the 2019–20 season.

Trades[]

Date Details Ref
July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) To Toronto Maple Leafs
Cody Ceci
Ben Harpur
Aaron Luchuk
CBJ's 3rd-round pick in 2020
To Ottawa Senators
Connor Brown
Michael Carcone
Nikita Zaitsev
[23]
July 16, 2019 (2019-07-16) To Chicago Blackhawks
Zack Smith
To Ottawa Senators
Artem Anisimov
[24]
July 30, 2019 (2019-07-30) To Tampa Bay Lightning
Mike Condon
6th-round pick in 2020
To Ottawa Senators
Ryan Callahan
5th-round pick in 2020
[25]
October 7, 2019 (2019-10-07) To New York Rangers
Nick Ebert
4th-round pick in 2021
To Ottawa Senators
Vladislav Namestnikov
[26]
October 26, 2019 (2019-10-26) To Florida Panthers
Jack Rodewald
To Ottawa Senators
Chris Wilkie
[27]
January 2, 2020 (2020-01-02) To Montreal Canadiens
Andrew Sturtz
5th-round pick in 2021
To Ottawa Senators
Mike Reilly
[28]
February 18, 2020 (2020-02-18) To Winnipeg Jets
Dylan DeMelo
To Ottawa Senators
3rd-round pick in 2020
[29]
February 19, 2020 (2020-02-19) To Toronto Maple Leafs
Max Veronneau
To Ottawa Senators
Aaron Luchuk
conditional 6th-round pick in 2021
[30]
February 24, 2020 (2020-02-24) To New York Islanders
Jean-Gabriel Pageau
To Ottawa Senators
1st-round pick in 2020 or 2021
2nd-round pick in 2020
conditional 3rd-round pick in 2021
[31]
February 24, 2020 (2020-02-24) To Colorado Avalanche
Vladislav Namestnikov
To Ottawa Senators
4th-round pick in 2021
[32]
February 24, 2020 (2020-02-24) To Montreal Canadiens
Aaron Luchuk
7th-round pick in 2020
To Ottawa Senators
Matthew Peca
[33]
February 24, 2020 (2020-02-24) To Edmonton Oilers
Tyler Ennis
To Ottawa Senators
5th-round pick in 2021
[34]

Free agents[]

Date Player Team Contract term Source
June 25, 2019 (2019-06-25) Stefan Elliott to Dinamo Minsk (KHL) 1-year [35]
July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) Ron Hainsey from Toronto Maple Leafs 1-year [36]
July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) Tyler Ennis from Toronto Maple Leafs 1-year [37]
July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) Jordan Szwarz from Boston Bruins 1-year [38]
July 4, 2019 (2019-07-04) Brian Gibbons to Carolina Hurricanes 1-year [39]
July 8, 2019 (2019-07-08) Darren Archibald to Toronto Marlies (AHL) 1-year [40]
July 11, 2019 (2019-07-11) Erik Burgdoerfer to Hershey Bears (AHL) 1-year [41]
September 27, 2019 (2019-09-27) Scott Sabourin from Stockton Heat (AHL) 1-year [42]
April 11, 2020 (2020-04-11) Jonathan Aspirot from Belleville Senators (AHL) 3-year [43]
May 1, 2020 (2020-05-01) Artyom Zub from SKA Saint Petersburg (KHL) 1-year [44]

Waivers[]

Date Player Team Ref
February 17, 2020 (2020-02-17) Jayce Hawryluk from Florida Panthers [45]
February 21, 2020 (2020-02-21) Cody Goloubef to Detroit Red Wings [46]

Contract terminations[]

Date Player Via Source

Retirement[]

Date Player Source

Signings[]

Date Player Contract term Source
June 25, 2019 (2019-06-25) Cody Goloubef 1-year [47]
June 27, 2019 (2019-06-27) Jack Rodewald 1-year [48]
July 2, 2019 (2019-07-02) Nick Paul 1-year [49]
July 4, 2019 (2019-07-04) Christian Wolanin 2-year [50]
July 15, 2019 (2019-07-15) Michael Carcone 2-year [51]
July 15, 2019 (2019-07-15) Lassi Thomson 3-year [52]
August 21, 2019 (2019-08-21) Colin White 6-year [53]
September 19, 2019 (2019-09-19) Thomas Chabot 8-year [54]
April 9, 2020 (2020-04-09) Mark Kastelic 3-year [55]
April 13, 2020 (2020-04-13) Kevin Mandolese 3-year [56]

Draft picks[]

See also: List of Ottawa Senators draft picks

Below are the Ottawa Senators' selections at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on June 21 and 22, 2019, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Round Overall Player Position Nationality Club team
1 191 Lassi Thomson D  Finland Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
2 32 Shane Pinto C  United States Tri-City Storm (USHL)
2 372 Mads Sogaard G  Denmark Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
4 94 Viktor Lodin C  Sweden Örebro (SHL)
5 125 Mark Kastelic C  United States Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
7 187 Maxence Guenette D  Canada Val-d'Or Foreurs (QMJHL)

Notes:

  1. The Columbus Blue Jackets' first-round pick went to the Ottawa Senators as the result of a trade on February 22, 2019, that sent Matt Duchene and Julius Bergman to Columbus in exchange for Vitalii Abramov, Jonathan Davidsson, a conditional first-round pick in 2020 and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade).[57]
  2. The New York Rangers' second-round pick went to the Ottawa Senators as the result of a trade on June 22, 2019, that sent Florida's second-round pick and Pittsburgh's third-round pick both in 2019 (44th and 83rd overall) to Carolina in exchange for this pick.[58]

References[]

  1. Senators won't name captain this season. NHL. Retrieved on 23 August 2019.
  2. NHL statement on coronavirus (March 12, 2020). Retrieved on March 12, 2020.
  3. Coronavirus live updates: NHL suspends season; MLB to halt spring training; NCAA conference tourneys canceled (March 12, 2020). Retrieved on March 12, 2020.
  4. NHL plans to return with 24 teams competing for Stanley Cup (May 26, 2020). Retrieved on May 27, 2020.
  5. The Canadian Press (February 18, 2020). Sens sink Sabres on night of Chris Phillips' jersey retirement ceremony. CBC Sports.
  6. Garrioch, Bruce. BIG JOB AHEAD: The Ottawa Senators have named Jim Little as their new CEO. Ottawa Sun.
  7. Canadian Press (March 3, 2020). Senators dismiss CEO Jim Little less than two months after hiring. Rogers Sportsnet.
  8. Ottawa Senators name D. J. Smith as head coach. NHL.com (May 23, 2019). Retrieved on May 23, 2019.
  9. (July 5, 2019). Ottawa's new coaching team brings depth of experience and enthusiasm. Press release. Retrieved on July 5, 2019.
  10. "Matthews scores twice, Maple Leafs beat Senators in opener", Yahoo Sports, October 3, 2019. Retrieved on October 3, 2019. 
  11. Sens' Ryan on leave to enter assistance program (en) (2019-11-20).
  12. Ottawa Senators' Bobby Ryan 'doing great' in recovering from alcohol problem (en).
  13. Senators' Bobby Ryan scores emotional hat trick in first home game since rejoining team (en).
  14. Ottawa Senators. Retrieved on February 28, 2020.
  15. NHL to pause season due to coronavirus (March 12, 2020). Retrieved on March 12, 2020.
  16. Ottawa Senators player tests positive for COVID-19 (en).
  17. (March 21, 2020). A second Sens player tests positive for COVID-19. Press release. Retrieved on March 23, 2020.
  18. (June 18, 2019). Ottawa Senators announce six-game 2019-20 pre-season schedule. Press release.
  19. Ottawa Senators announce 2019-20 regular-season schedule (June 25, 2019). Retrieved on September 4, 2019.
  20. Ottawa Senators Stats - 2019-2020 - Regular season. Retrieved on March 12, 2020.
  21. NHL.com - Stats - Ottawa Senators Skaters - Regular season. Retrieved on March 12, 2020.
  22. NHL.com - Stats - Ottawa Senators Goalies - Regular season. Retrieved on March 12, 2020.
  23. (July 1, 2019). Senators acquire Zaitsev, Brown from Toronto in six-player deal. Press release. Retrieved on July 1, 2019.
  24. Senators acquire centre Artem Anisimov from the Chicago Blackhawks (July 16, 2019). Retrieved on October 8, 2019.
  25. Senators acquire Ryan Callahan from Tampa Bay in exchange for Mike Condon. Ottawa Senators (July 30, 2019). Retrieved on July 30, 2019.
  26. Senators acquire forward Vladislav Namestnikov from the N.Y. Rangers (October 7, 2019). Retrieved on October 8, 2019.
  27. Senators acquire forward Chris Wilkie from the Florida Panthers (October 26, 2019). Retrieved on October 26, 2019.
  28. Ottawa Senators acquire defenceman Mike Reilly from Montreal (January 2, 2020). Retrieved on January 2, 2020.
  29. DeMelo acquired by Jets in trade with Senators (February 18, 2020). Retrieved on February 19, 2020.
  30. Maple Leafs trade Luchuk, draft pick to Senators for Veronneau (February 19, 2020). Retrieved on February 19, 2020.
  31. Pageau traded to Islanders by Senators, agrees to six-year contract (February 24, 2020). Retrieved on February 24, 2020.
  32. Namestnikov traded to Avalanche by Senators (February 24, 2020). Retrieved on February 24, 2020.
  33. Canadiens acquire Aaron Luchuk, pick from Senators for Matthew Peca (February 24, 2020). Retrieved on May 20, 2020.
  34. Sens ship Ennis to Oilers for 5th-rounder (February 24, 2020). Retrieved on May 20, 2020.
  35. (June 25, 2019). Стефан Эллиотт — в ХК "Динамо-Минск"! (in ru-BY). Press release. Retrieved on June 28, 2019.
  36. (July 1, 2019). Senators signed defenceman Ron Hainsey to a one-year contract. Press release. Retrieved on July 1, 2019.
  37. (July 1, 2019). Senators signed forward Tyler Ennis to a one-year contract. Press release. Retrieved on July 1, 2019.
  38. (July 1, 2019). Senators signed forward Jordan Szwarz to a one-year, two-way contract. Press release. Retrieved on July 1, 2019.
  39. (July 4, 2019). Canes signed Brian Gibbons to a one-year, two-way deal. Press release. Retrieved on July 4, 2019.
  40. (July 8, 2019). Marlies sign Darren Archibald. Press release. Retrieved on July 8, 2019.
  41. (July 11, 2019). Erik Burgdoerfer Returns to Bears on AHL Contract. Press release. Retrieved on July 15, 2019.
  42. (September 27, 2019). Senators signed forward Scott Sabourin to a one-year, two-way contract. Press release. Retrieved on September 27, 2019.
  43. (April 11, 2020). Senators sign defenceman Jonathan Aspirot to entry-level contract. Press release. Retrieved on April 11, 2020.
  44. (May 1, 2020). Senators sign defenceman Artem Zub to a one-year, entry-level contract. Press release. Retrieved on May 1, 2020.
  45. Hawryluk claimed by Senators on waivers from Panthers (February 17, 2020). Retrieved on May 3, 2020.
  46. Kujawa, Kyle (February 21, 2020). Detroit claims Cody Goloubef off waivers. Retrieved on February 21, 2020.
  47. (June 25, 2019). Senators sign Cody Goloubef to a one-year, two-way contract extension. Press release. Retrieved on June 26, 2019.
  48. (June 27, 2019). Senators sign forward Jack Rodewald to a one-year, two-way contract. Press release. Retrieved on June 28, 2019.
  49. (July 2, 2019). Senators sign forward Nick Paul to a one-year, two-way contract. Press release. Retrieved on July 3, 2019.
  50. (July 2, 2019). Senators sign defenceman Christian Wolanin to a two-year contract. Press release. Retrieved on July 3, 2019.
  51. (July 15, 2019). Senators sign forward Michael Carcone to a two-year, two-way contract. Press release. Retrieved on July 15, 2019.
  52. (July 15, 2019). Senators sign defenceman Lassi Thomson to entry-level contract. Press release. Retrieved on July 15, 2019.
  53. (August 21, 2019). Ottawa Senators sign Colin White to a six-year contract. Press release. Retrieved on August 22, 2019.
  54. Ottawa Senators (September 19, 2019). Ottawa Senators sign Thomas Chabot to an eight-year contract extension. Press release.
  55. (April 9, 2020). Senators sign forward Mark Kastelic to a three year, entry-level contract. Press release. Retrieved on April 9, 2020.
  56. (April 13, 2020). Senators sign goaltender Kevin Mandolese to entry-level contract. Press release. Retrieved on April 13, 2020.
  57. Going all-in? Blue Jackets acquire Duchene from Senators (February 22, 2019). Retrieved on June 29, 2019.
  58. Canes Select 11 Players on Second Day of Draft (June 22, 2019). Retrieved on June 29, 2019.
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