The Ottawa Senators are 8-4, but two of the low-cost Swedish additions they were counting on have not given them much early help.
Andre Burakovsky was brought in to help cover some of the offensive loss after Brady Tkachuk’s departure. Samuel Ersson was supposed to steady things behind Linus Ullmark as the backup in net. Instead, both players are still searching for traction in Ottawa.
Burakovsky said the adjustment has not come easily.
"I think it's been a little bit harder than I expected, to adjust to the way we want to play," Burakovsky said. "I think as of now, I'm trying to focus so much on doing the right thing in our system that my instincts are maybe slipping a little bit.
"But I'm trying to find a way to contribute both ways, do the things I'm good at, and then also do what we're supposed to system-wise: forechecking, hunting, and making good plays."
It is still early enough in the season that no one is sounding alarms, but the signs have not been great. Burakovsky’s ice time has been limited, and he was a healthy scratch on Wednesday night. That tells you Travis Green already has some concerns.
Ersson’s situation has been just as rough. When Ullmark was injured on Wednesday, Ersson got the call for only one start, a 6-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks.
With no workload issue to manage, Green went right to Johansson, the third-string goalie from Belleville, on Saturday. Ersson is 0-3 in five appearances with a 4.59 goals against and an .835 save percentage.
After that loss, Ersson spoke with reporters and made it clear he knows the results have not been anywhere close to good enough.
"You want to play, but I've obviously got to play a whole lot better. It's not been good, not nearly good enough.
So yeah, it sucks. I mean, the guys are fighting like crazy, so you want to play for them and try to help the team.
So I've just got to be better."
Johansson delivered the first win by a Senators backup all season, which opens the door to the possibility that he gets another look Tuesday to begin a five-game road trip out West.
At the end of last season, Staios said one of his regrets was not giving Ullmark more support behind him. Ullmark has opened this season in excellent form, but simply hoping he stays healthy is not a workable plan.
Ottawa did not acquire Ersson because of the numbers he put up in Philadelphia, and Burakovsky did not arrive because his recent production screamed certainty. The Senators’ pro scouts believed both players were better than the stats suggested.
It is way too soon to declare that call a failure. But when two players can be had for the price of a fifth-rounder and a sixth-rounder, there is usually a reason the market has cooled on them.
Staios chose that path anyway, and the only real answer now is time.
As Jerry Seinfeld once said, "Sometimes the road less travelled is less travelled for a reason."
In Other News...
Senators Face A Bigger Test Than Beating The Rangers
A win over the Rangers gave Ottawa a needed lift, and it also offered an early look at how the crease might hold up while the Senators wait for Linus Ullmark to get back. Backup Jonas Johansson stepped into his Senators debut and handled the moment well enough to help push the club to a 7-4 result, the kind of performance that can calm things down for at least one night.
The bigger question now comes on the road trip ahead, where Ullmark is on injured reserve and is expected to miss at least a couple of games. For a team trying to stack points, the challenge is no longer just beating a marquee opponent at home, but finding a way to keep the goaltending steady until the lineup is whole again. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Suddenly Face A Goalie Problem They Didnt Need
Ottawas goaltending picture got a little murkier just as the schedule was setting up to matter, with Linus Ullmark now out of the mix because of a lower-body injury. The Senators will have to lean on Samuel Ersson and Jonas Johansson while he recovers, a less-than-ideal turn for a team that was hoping to keep some continuity in net as it heads into the next stretch.
There is at least one bit of good news on the horizon, with captain Thomas Chabot expected back for the upcoming road trip after missing time with an upper-body injury. Even so, the timing of Ullmarks absence leaves Ottawa facing an uncomfortable balancing act, especially with depth pieces being asked to absorb bigger minutes and every point starting to carry a little more weight. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Exposed A Rangers Problem That Should Worry New York Fans
The Senators wasted no time showing the Rangers a familiar issue they have not solved away from home. Ottawa jumped in front early and kept the pressure on from there, with Drake Batherson, Tim Stutzle and others supplying the offense while New York spent much of the night chasing the game. The Rangers did get answers from Will Cuylle, J.T. Miller and Alexis Lafreniere, but the margin never really felt stable once Ottawa had grabbed control.
For New York, the loss fit a troubling road pattern that keeps dragging down an otherwise talented roster. The Rangers are still searching for the kind of consistent structure that travels, and Ottawa exposed how quickly things can tilt when they are forced to play from behind. A home date with the Los Angeles Kings is next, but the bigger concern is whether this group can find a fix before more road losses pile up. [Read more 🡒]