Ottawa Senators News

Anderson had a tough year off of the ice due to his wife’s health concerns, but played exceptionally well when he was with the Senators in 2016-17. However, year-to-year consistency has routinely been something that has escaped Anderson as he enters his seventh full-season with the Senators. His first test of the season will come against a Capitals team that ranked third in the NHL in scoring last year and figure to be close to as powerful this season.

After missing the majority of the preseason while rehabbing his surgically repaired shoulder, Brassard is ready to go for Thursday. Brassard had a disappointing debut season in Ottawa, picking up just 39 points (14G / 25A) in 81 games. He was a lot strong in the playoffs, so look for him to get back to his 20-goal, 30-40 assist pace from his Ranger days.

Anderson was entering the final year of a three-year deal but is now signed through the 2019-20 season. Anderson is coming off of a tough off-the-ice season, but played spectacularly in his 40 starts, going 25-11-4 with a 2.28 GAA, .926 SV% and five shutouts. As long as everything goes well, Anderson should get back to 50-plus starts and could approach 30 wins, making him a solid No.2 fantasy option.

This summer the Flyers drafted Nolan Patrick at No.2 overall, creating a logjam down the middle in Philadelphia. With Nolan expected to make the roster out of training camp, the Flyers gave Giroux a look on the left side of Sean Couturier with Jakub Voracek on the wing. Couturier and Patrick would likely serve as the No.1 and No.2 centres with the likes of Valtteri Filppula and Jori Lehtera likely being the No.3 and No.4 pivots. The centre depth will allow the Flyers to get creative and putting Giroux on the wing with Couturier and Voracek could give them a dominant first line without sacrificing depth. It’s only been one day of practice, but Giroux would definitely see an uptick in fantasy value if he were to gain dual position eligibility (C/LW).

Brassard continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery and while he’s not expected to be sidelined for much longer, it doesn’t look like he’ll be ready for Ottawa’s season opener (Oct.5). Rookie Colin White was hoping to fill-in for Brassard and make the team out of camp, but broke his wrist in their preseason game on Monday, which opens the door for fellow rookies Logan Brown and Filip Chlapik to potentially crack the roster.

Del Zotto is not the best defenseman in his own end, but posts solid offensive totals. The 27-year-old had six goals and 12 assists (18 points) in 51 games last season and missed a total of 79 games due to injury over three years in Philadelphia. Del Zotto has had a hard time staying healthy, but can be a useful Fantasy piece when he’s on the ice.

Forsberg was acquired from Columbus as a part of the Panarin-Saad trade last week and was a restricted free agent. The 24-year-old was 27-17-2 with a 2.28 GAA, .926 SV% and four shutouts in 51 games with Cleveland (AHL) last season. With Scott Darling now in Carolina, Forsberg is expected to be Corey Crawford’s backup this season. However, the Swedish netminder has an ugly 4.02 GAA and .879 SV% in just 10 career NHL games.

Hamonic’s name has been swirling on trade fronts for over a year, but the Islanders finally pulled the trigger on the draft floor on Saturday. Hamonic dealt with some injuries in 2016-17, but posted 14 points (3G / 11A) in the 49 games he was able to dress for. Hamonic has good size (6-foot-2/205lbs) and is a solid two-way defenseman who is both physical in his own end while possessing a big point shot at the other. The Flames are following the Predators’ model by stacking their blueline as Hamonic joins Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton and TJ Brodie as the Flames’ big-4.

Cousins, 23, was a third round pick of the Flyers in 2011 and he amassed 27 points (12G / 15A) in 107 career NHL games. Cousins was been a near point per game player the AHL level, posting 34 goals and 60 assists (94 points) in 102 games in 2015 and 2016. He has the scoring ability, but just needs to elevate his NHL game to be more productive.