Perhaps the Ottawa Senators didn't need a particularly active offseason, coming off their best postseason since advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in 2007.
After all, reaching the second overtime of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins suggests the Senators are on the right track, and deviating from that might not be prudent.
The Senators had better hope that's the case, because it does not appear their roster will look much different when training camp starts in September than it did when their season ended May 25.
The biggest change is the departure of defenseman Marc Methot, who was Erik Karlsson's primary defense partner the past five seasons.
Otherwise, basically nothing has changed.
The Senators did take care of some internal business, re-signing goaltender Mike Condon and forwards Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Tom Pyatt and Ryan Dzingel.
The bright side of the lack of new faces is it leaves room for some of Ottawa's prospects, led by defenseman Thomas Chabot and center Colin White, to make the opening night roster. The downside is several of the Senators' Eastern Conference rivals made significant additions in the offseason.
Here is what the Senators look like today:
Key arrival
Nate Thompson, F: The 32-year-old signed a two-year, $3.3 million contract July 1. Thompson was one of the top faceoff men for the Anaheim Ducks over the past three seasons, winning 922 of 1,752 draws (52.6 percent), and can play on the penalty kill, but that's about it. He had 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 159 games and was one of the worst possession players on the Ducks in his three seasons with them.
Key departures
Marc Methot, D: Since Methot joined the Senators in a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets on July 1, 2012, no one played more minutes with Karlsson. Methot was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL Expansion Draft on June 21 and then traded to the Dallas Stars five days later. He played 19:49 per game last season, fourth on the Senators behind defensemen Karlsson (26:50), Cody Ceci (23:12) and Dion Phaneuf (23:02), and was on the second penalty-kill unit. … Chris Neil, F: The Senators decided to not offer a contract to Neil, whose 1,026 games are third on Ottawa's all-time list behind Chris Phillips (1,179) and Alfredsson (1,178). He had four points (one goal, three assists) and averaged 7:34 of ice time in 53 games last season, and played in two of 19 games in the playoffs. … Viktor Stalberg, F: Acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 28, the day before the NHL Trade Deadline, Stalberg played on both special teams and had two goals and two assists in 18 games for the Senators. He signed a two-year contract with EV Zug of the National League in Switzerland. … Tommy Wingels, F: Acquired in a trade from the San Jose Sharks on Jan. 24, Wingels had two goals and two assists in 36 games for the Senators. He signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 1.
On the cusp
Thomas Chabot, D: It would be shocking if Chabot is not in the opening night lineup. Selected in the first round (No. 18) of the 2015 NHL Draft, he played one game for Ottawa last season before being sent back to Saint John of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He had 45 points (10 goals, 35 assists) in 34 regular-season games for Saint John and 23 points (five goals, 18 assists) in 18 playoff games. He also was Canada's best defenseman at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship. … Colin White, F: After getting a taste of the NHL last season, White is poised to make the jump full-time, especially with center Derick Brassard expected to miss the start of the season after having offseason shoulder surgery. Selected with the 21st pick of the 2015 draft, White, 20, had 33 points (16 goals, 17 assists) in 35 games for Boston College last season and eight points (seven goals, one assist) in seven games to help the United States win gold at World Juniors. He had two goals and one assist in three games for Binghamton of the American Hockey League, and was held scoreless in two regular-season games and one playoff game for the Senators.
What they still need
Scoring help. The Senators scored 206 goals last season (22nd in the NHL), so adding a proven scorer should be high on general manager Pierre Dorion's wish list. It would be fair to expect Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone and even Dzingel to improve on their numbers from last season because each is on the upswing of his career arc, and based on how Bobby Ryan performed in the playoffs (six goals, nine assists in 19 games), perhaps he will bounce back from his 13-goal output last season, the lowest of his NHL career in a full season. But the Senators need to add at least one more scorer, if not two, to become a real threat.
Pete Jensen's fantasy focus
Karlsson had surgery to repair torn tendons in his left foot June 14 and was expected to need four months to recover. If he misses the start of the regular season after the Senators lost Methot in the expansion draft, goaltender Craig Anderson could start slow and regress fantasy-wise this season. Anderson finished among the top 10 fantasy players at his position last season and helped Ottawa to Game 7 of the conference final, but he is 36 years old and has not put together back-to-back strong seasons since joining the Senators in 2010-11.
Projected lineup
Clarke MacArthur -- Kyle Turris -- Mark Stone
Mike Hoffman -- Derick Brassard -- Bobby Ryan
Zack Smith -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Colin White
Ryan Dzingel -- Nate Thompson -- Tom Pyatt
Fredrik Claesson -- Erik Karlsson
Dion Phaneuf -- Cody Ceci
Thomas Chabot -- Chris Wideman
Craig Anderson
Mike Condon
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