Senators season preview: Anderson, Chabot keys to success

The 2018-19 NHL season begins Oct. 3. With training camps open, NHL.com is taking a look at the five keys, the inside scoop on roster questions, and the projected lines for all 31 teams. Today, the Ottawa Senators.

RELATED: [2018-19 Season Preview coverage\]
Coach: Guy Boucher (third season)
Last season: 28-43-11; seventh place Atlantic Division

5 KEYS

1. Anderson must be better

The Senators need goalie Craig Anderson to revert to his 2016-17 form, when he was 25-11-4 with a 2.28 goals-against average and .926 save percentage in 40 games, and then helped the Senators reach the Eastern Conference Final by going 11-8 with a 2.34 GAA and .922 save percentage. He went 23-25-6 with a 3.32 GAA and .898 save percentage in 58 games last season. Anderson needs to be better, especially playing behind a younger, less experienced team.

2. Sophomore success

The trade of defenseman Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks on Sept. 13 means the spotlight will be on Thomas Chabot, who started last season with Belleville in the American Hockey League but stuck in Ottawa after being recalled Nov. 27. The 21-year-old defenseman had 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists), 44 hits, 64 blocked shots and 27 takeaways in 63 games with the Senators, and he was fourth among their defensemen with an average of 17:31 of ice time per game. His ice time likely will be even higher this season with a spot on the top defense pair.

3. Goals needed

The Senators traded away 31 goals and 118 points from last season with Karlsson (nine goals, 62 points) and forward Mike Hoffman (22 goals, 56 points), who was traded to the Sharks on June 19 before being sent to the Florida Panthers about two hours later. Ottawa was 25th in the NHL with 219 goals and will need others to step up.
Forward Mikkel Boedker, acquired from the Sharks in the Hoffman trade, scored 15 goals in 74 games. Forward Chris Tierney, acquired from San Jose in the Karlsson trade, had NHL career highs in goals (17), assists (23) and points (40) in 82 games.
Ottawa also needs forward Bobby Ryan, a six-time 20-goal scorer, to improve on the 11 he scored in 62 games.

4. Look forward, not back

Dwelling on the departure of Karlsson and Hoffman serves no purpose for the Senators, who need to move forward behind veterans Matt Duchene, Mark Stone, Boedker and Anderson.
"We're focused on the players that are here, and that's the only focus we have," Boucher said. "The minute that it happened, the next day you go with the players that you have."

5. Sign Duchene, Stone

Duchene and Stone each can become an unrestricted free agent July 1. Re-signing the forwards as soon as possible would send a positive message to the fan base and inside the dressing room. Any rebuild requires veteran leaders, and Ottawa already has a couple with Duchene, 27, and Stone, 26. The two combined for 43 goals last season (Duchene 23, Stone 20) and will be heavily counted on inside and outside the locker room.

ROSTER RUNDOWN

Making the cut

There are four young players vying for the sixth and seventh defenseman spots, with the competition likely between Christian Wolanin, 23, Ben Harpur, 23, Christian Jaros, 22, and Max Lajoie, 20. What could sway things for Harpur is his contract. He signed a two-year, one-way contract Feb. 9 and would need to clear waivers to be sent to the AHL. Harpur also has the most NHL experience, with 52 games the past three seasons. Wolanin's 10 games in the NHL came last season, as did Jaros' two games. Lajoie has yet to play in the NHL.

Most intriguing addition

The Senators chose forward Brady Tkachuk with the No. 4 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. General manager Pierre Dorion said he feels Tkachuk's feisty character will help heal a locker room he called "broken" after the 2017-18 season. The 19-year-old's play during training camp has impressed Boucher.
"I just see a kid that has got a lot of enthusiasm," Dorion said. "He's not just physically strong, he's extremely open first of all and very coachable. That's fun for a coach. The minute you ask him something, he does it right away."

Biggest potential surprise

Forward Alex Formenton, a second-round pick (No. 47) in the 2017 NHL Draft, has drawn plenty of attention during camp with his natural speed. The belief heading into camp was that Formenton, 19, and Drake Batherson, 20 would battle for a forward spot. But Batherson was sent to Belleville on Sunday, opening the door for Formenton to skate his way into the opening night lineup. With 48 points (29 goals, 19 assists) in 48 games with London of the Ontario Hockey League last season, he could provide some offense for a team in need of it.

Ready to break through

Colin White, 21, got a taste of the NHL last season with six points (two goals, four assists) in 21 games. He's expected to be a full-time NHL player this season. Where he fits in the lineup remains to be seen. When center Jean-Gabriel Pageau tore his right Achilles tendon Sept. 13, White was moved from the wing to Pageau's spot at center. White, picked No. 21 in the 2015 NHL Draft, had 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in 47 games for Belleville last season.

PROJECTED LINEUP

Ryan Dzingel -- Matt Duchene -- Mikkel Boedker
Brady Tkachuk -- Chris Tierney -- Mark Stone
Zack Smith -- Filip Chlapik -- Bobby Ryan
Magnus Paajarvi -- Colin White -- Tom Pyatt
Thomas Chabot -- Cody Ceci
Ben Harpur -- Dylan DeMelo
Mark Borowiecki -- Chris Wideman
Craig Anderson
Mike Condon