“The Senators are terrible, and they only have one player coming through”

The Senators have been rebuilding for several years now. Three years ago, Pierre Dorion stated that the rebuilding was complete.

And let’s just say he wasn’t exactly right… which may well have cost him his job.

Three years later, the Senators are still stagnating, but that hasn’t stopped some people (like Corey Pronman, who ranked the team second in his best rebuilding rankings) from believing in the capital club’s direction.

On the other hand, there are those who have serious doubts about what’s going on in Ottawa… and among them is Brian Wilde, who took advantage of his appearance on Tony Marinaro’s Sick Podcast to take a shot at the Sens:

The Senators are terrible, and they’ve only got one other player coming up. – Brian Wilde

Habs Ranked #9… Is This A Joke?! | The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro September 10 2024 https://t.co/Jmf8pNEyAE

– The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) September 11, 2024

The player in question is Carter Yakemchuk, whom the club has just selected in the first round. That said, as for the rest of the core, Wilde gets the impression that the guys already in town have pretty much all already reached their ceiling.

That doesn’t mean they’re bad or that they’ll regress… but it does mean there may not be much room left for them to progress.

And in reality, if the Senators have already (almost) reached their ceiling, it will be difficult for them to stand out in the Atlantic. The arrival of Linus Ullmark may help, but we’re talking about a team that accumulated just 78 points last year (and was 13 points out of a playoff spot).

By way of comparison, the Habs (who aren’t as far along in the process) finished the year with… 76 points.

Obviously, injuries have hurt the Senators in the past, and Ullmark will probably improve the club. That said, if the Sens have another tough year, there won’t be many excuses left for the Ottawa outfit.

And when you consider that Yakemchuk is the only big prospect in the organization’s bank, it’ll be hard to keep telling yourself that the good times are coming.

Overtime

– Macklin Celebrini can’t wait to play.

“Just Excited To Start Playing Again. “#SJSharks Macklin Celebrini is done with summer. He’s ready to play in a real game, which he gets to do on Friday. Read more about what the No. 1 pick said after day 1 of today’s rookie camp on @TheHockeyNews.https://t.co/UJekuomW2I

– Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) September 11, 2024

– Nice read on Cole Perfetti.

The unsigned Cole Perfetti is serving as the rep for the Winnipeg Jets at the NHL’s annual Player Media Tour in Las Vegas.

It’s a sign that negotiations are speeding toward an amicable conclusion.(@lukefoxjukebox) https://t.co/yD533WTAJs

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 11, 2024