The Syracuse Crunch are still searching for their footing, and four games into the season, the record says it all: 1-3-0. Their latest setback came Oct. 10, a brutal 3-2 loss to the Belleville Senators that was decided when Belleville scored with 25 seconds left. Between lineup shuffling and goaltending issues, it has not been the kind of opening stretch Syracuse wanted.
Even with the team’s rough start, there are a few prospect stories worth watching closely.
Dominic James is one of them. He barely spent any time with Syracuse in the 2025-26 season, but the numbers from that short stay jumped off the page: three goals and five points in four games.
That was enough to put him on Tampa Bay’s radar, and after a couple of weeks in the American Hockey League, he was called up and made an impact with the Lightning. In 43 games, he finished with 15 points and proved he could be a useful piece.
James is now working his way back after breaking his hand in a freak workout accident about three weeks ago, an injury that was expected to keep him out for the first two weeks of the NHL season. He remains day-to-day and is on track to return. Because he missed preseason, he was sent back to the AHL to get some reps, and Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said he will be back up soon.
He played in Syracuse on Oct. 9 and 10 and did not record a point, but the early read is positive. He looks sharp and is getting back into the rhythm of full 60-minute hockey after his time away.
Head coach and general manager Joel Bouchard said that he “loves the kid” and added that the NHL is different from the AHL. Bouchard also noted that everyone looked good in practice, but chemistry in games is another matter.
Jakob Pelletier has also been a key name in the early going. Last season, he led the AHL with 77 points in 63 games, and his path to Syracuse has already taken him through Calgary, Philadelphia, and eventually a three-year contract with the Lightning organization in 2025. At 25, he seems to be settling in with the Crunch and beginning to open up.
Through four games, Pelletier has two assists, including one on the play that tied the game against Belleville at 2-2. He spotted Nick Abruzzese streaking through the middle with the Senators’ defense split, and Abruzzese finished the chance on a partial break.
Pelletier’s vision and playmaking are still the core of his game, even if he can finish chances himself. If Syracuse is going to keep creating offense, that connection with Abruzzese could be a useful one.
Goaltending has been a different story depending on who is in net. Syracuse brought in Mads Sogaard and Olivier Rodrigue for the 2026-27 season, and they’ve split the first four starts.
Rodrigue got the opening nod on Oct. 9 and was on the wrong end of a 7-1 loss. Through two starts, he has a 6.69 goals-against average and a .784 save percentage.
Sogaard, on the other hand, has given the Crunch a steadier look. The defense appears more settled in front of him, and he made life harder for Belleville in that 3-2 game despite a couple of third-period breakdowns. He came through with several desperation saves and was one of the main reasons the game stayed within reach until the final seconds.
If Andrei Vasilevskiy or Denis Hildeby go down, Sogaard is next in line, and so far he’s handling his side of the job well enough. At 25 years old, he’s a name worth keeping on the radar for Syracuse.
The Crunch are back in action on Oct. 17 against the Rochester Americans.
In Other News...
Senators Lineup Shuffle Puts Pressure On Ottawas Patchwork Defense
A day before facing the New Jersey Devils, the Senators are already tinkering with a lineup that has little room for error. Ottawa recalled defenceman Jorian Donovan from Belleville and put Cam Crotty on the injured list, another sign of how thin the blue line has become as the club tries to stay afloat through injuries and absences. Travis Green also shuffled his forwards, with William Eklund out and Linus Ullmark lined up to start after another strong stretch in net.
The changes leave Ottawa asking more of its depth than it probably planned this early in the season. Donovans arrival gives the staff another option on defence, but the bigger picture is still about patching together a roster that keeps shifting from night to night. Greens top-six adjustments are meant to keep the attack moving, yet the real pressure may be on how well the Senators can survive a game that already feels like a test of their lineup flexibility. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Injury Trouble Could Change The Trade Market Fast
A strong start to the season has suddenly given the Senators a tougher question to answer, after winger Tim Eklund was lost to injury and Ottawa began sorting through how to replace a top-six forward. The timing matters because this group has been building momentum, and now the pressure shifts to the rest of the lineup to keep the offense moving without one of its key pieces.
Management does not have an easy fix sitting there, and the internal options are already being tested by the demands of the schedule. Andre Burakovsky has only just made his Senators debut after missing four games with an undisclosed preseason injury, which only adds to the sense that Ottawa may have to get creative if it wants to avoid letting a good opening month drift off course. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Fast Start Faces A Bigger Test Amid Key Injury Concerns
Ottawas early-season momentum gets a tougher read this week in Newark, where a 4-1-0 start will be tested against a Devils club that has already shown it can put together a sharp night at Prudential Center. The Senators have been one of the NHLs better surprises out of the gate, but the schedule is starting to ask more of them, and the trip to New Jersey comes with the kind of lineup uncertainty that can quickly change how a fast start looks on the ice.
The injury situation is at the center of it, with Jake Sanderson, William Eklund and Artem Zub all part of the conversation as Ottawa tries to keep its footing. On top of that, the Senators are working through lineup adjustments that may reshape their forward groups in real time, a reminder that early October wins can be fragile when key pieces are unavailable and the margin for error starts to shrink. [Read more 🡒]