Children stole the senators’ spotlight on Saturday

It has long been argued that long-term success is about becoming competitive primarily through local talent, the path senators are taking.

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After all the darkness of the past month, a joyous pre-Christmas children’s show arrived at the Canadian Tire Center on Saturday.

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The day began with Senators head coach DJ Smith noting that the remainder of the season will focus on preparing the wave of former National Hockey League club first-round picks on defense.

Then came the celebration of 22-year-old captain Brady Tkachuk and the first hat trick of his career in a 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The bottom line came from goalkeeper Anton Forsberg and his two-year-old son, Ben. As sharp as Forsberg was in posting the first shutout of his career, two-year-old son Ben stole the scene when he joined his father for the postgame press conference. Ben spent his time biting the table and hitting the Senators backdrop before looking up as his father discussed the 25-save shutout against two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning.

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As his son, Ben, steals the scene, Senators goalkeeper Anton Forsberg speaks to the media following his team's 4-0 win over the Lightning on Saturday.
As his son, Ben, steals the scene, Senators goalkeeper Anton Forsberg speaks to the media following his team’s 4-0 win over the Lightning on Saturday. Photo by Bruce Garrioch /Postmedia

That meant eight wins in 25 games for the Senators, but, for at least one day, the promise of a better tomorrow was in the air.

As Tkachuk’s dynamic trio of 23-year-old Drake Batherson and 22-year-old Josh Norris combined for seven points, Smith went so far as to suggest it was a line that could potentially last a decade.

On the subject of hope, does anyone dare to dream that the Senators will one day be in the same high place as the Lightning? – Perhaps in the future the next wave of young Senators defenders can do for the blue line what the Kid Line has done for the offense.

With 57 games remaining in the 2020-21 season, the Senators are turning the page on any hope of making the Stanley Cup playoffs and again beginning the process of trying to deal with struggling veterans.

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The variety of headaches on the list includes figuring out what’s next for defender Michael Del Zotto, who went through the waivers on Saturday. Del Zotto is making $ 1.75 million this season and has another $ 2.25 million on his contract for the 2022-23 season. It could end up in the American Hockey League’s Belleville, where goalie Matt Murray is trying to revive his career.

That brings us to the upcoming trial for Jacob (Bernard-Docker) and Jake (Sanderson), first-round picks in 2018 and 2020, respectively.

Like 2019 first-round player Lassi Thomson, who took a look at the NHL last month before returning to Belleville, Bernard-Docker will be able to show himself at least for the next several weeks. Sanderson’s moment will come after his season with North Dakota of the NCAA ends.

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It’s the right move right now for an organization trying to get back on track after being taken down in October and November.

Interestingly, as the Senators step back on defense with the goal of moving forward, it’s also intriguing to see how the Lightning built their Stanley Cup championship blue line.

Not all models are or can be built the same, of course, but the Lightning take the cake in building franchises, positioned to become the first team to win three consecutive titles since the New York Islanders of the early 2000s. the 1980s.

It has long been argued that long-term success is about becoming competitive primarily through local talent, the path senators are taking.

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However, keep in mind that situations can change.

For the Lightning, the march to the top has not focused on nurturing all the kids they recruited on defense and staying with them until they become full-time NHL players.

Consider this: Victor Hedman, selected second overall to John Tavares in 2009, is the only Lightning-selected defender to have played for the club during their 2019 and 2020 playoff races.

Ryan McDonagh came from the New York Rangers in a 2018 trade. Mikail Sergachev was acquired from Montreal in 2017 in the trade for Jonathan Drouin. Erik Cernik was also a trade change, from the Los Angeles Kings, also in 2017.

Like the Vegas Golden Knights, the Lightning, under former general manager Steve Yzerman and current boss Julien BriseBois, have not been afraid to pass on their own top defense picks.

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Slater Koekkoek, a 2012 first-round player, went to Chicago. Tony DeAngelo, the 19th pick in 2014, went to Arizona for a 37th overall pick in 2016.

There are many other factors, including the fact that the Lightning have been masters at dancing around the limits of the salary cap to keep a group of veterans together.

The Senators, meanwhile, are at the other end of that spectrum, with a young team and a low payroll, currently No. 30 in the NHL.

There are big questions ahead, many of them financial, that give rise to endless speculation about the state of the property.

On the other hand, sometimes the mood can change, at least for a moment, when a 22-year-old and a two-year-old take the stage.

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Twitter.com/Citizenkwarren

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