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NHL division previews: 2017-18 Atlantic Division

By Nic Hendrickson

DETROIT, MI - APRIL 08: Montreal Canadiens center Alex Galchenyuk (27) gets congratulated on his game winning goal in overtime during the NHL hockey game between the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings on April 8, 2017, at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Steven King/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - APRIL 08: Montreal Canadiens center Alex Galchenyuk (27) gets congratulated on his game winning goal in overtime during the NHL hockey game between the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings on April 8, 2017, at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Steven King/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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SUMMERSIDE, PE – SEPTEMBER 25: The Ottawa Senators locker room prior to facing the New Jersey Devils during Kraft Hockeyville Canada on September 25, 2017 at Credit Union Place in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
SUMMERSIDE, PE – SEPTEMBER 25: The Ottawa Senators locker room prior to facing the New Jersey Devils during Kraft Hockeyville Canada on September 25, 2017 at Credit Union Place in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images) /

5th in 2017-18 Atlantic Division – Ottawa Senators

Many are going to be surprised, and possibly angered, by the decision to have the Senators sitting in 5th place. Despite them making it to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, there is little reason to believe they can replicate their 2nd place finish in the division for a second straight season. They are the textbook definition of a bubble team.

The primary reason for having the Senators here is due to the recent injury update on defenseman Erik Karlsson. With Karlsson, the defense is going to be very suspect, to say the least. The hope is that young defenseman Thomas Chabot breaks through and lives up to the hype he has on him to somewhat fill the void until the return of the elite defenseman that is Karlsson.

Other than Chabot, the Senators will be relying on Johnny Oduya, Dion Phaneuf and Cody Ceci. This leaves little room for optimism for the first part of the season. If the reports that Karlsson could be back by December are true, a healthy Karlsson could help them in a second half of the season playoff push that could propel them a spot or two higher in the division. But as for now, they look to be the fifth best team in the Atlantic Division.

The one thing that can offset the sadness that is losing Karlsson is that the Senators will have goaltender Craig Anderson from the get-go. Anderson is a solid starting goaltender, and replicating his career numbers of 2.70 goals-against-average with a .916 save percentage is possibly even below expectations, but entirely realistic as a minimum expectation.

The forward corps remains much the same, and scoring shouldn’t be a massive issue for Ottawa. However, finding a way to score on the man advantage without Karlsson is going to be the issue at hand. If they can do that, they could survive well enough without their superstar defenseman.

Player to watch in 2017-18: Thomas Chabot. Chabot has a very, very high ceiling. Many believe he could develop into an elite defenseman, and he’s already projecting to be a long-term first pairing defenseman. If he can fill the massive skates of Karlsson, even for a short period of time, he could have himself a fantastic season and help his team push for the playoffs.