Senators miss playoffs again, but trades could accelerate rebuild

The Ottawa Senators failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight season and fourth time in six seasons.
The Senators (23-40-6) were eliminated from playoff contention Saturday when they lost 3-2 to the Boston Bruins.
Here is a look at what happened in the 2018-19 season for the Senators and why things could be better next season:

The Skinny

Potential UFAs: Oscar Lindberg, LW; Brian Gibbons, LW; Magnus Paajarvi, LW; Anders Nilsson, G
Potential RFAs: Colin White, C; Anthony Duclair, LW; Cody Ceci, D; Christian Wolanin, D
Potential 2019 NHL Draft picks: 7

What went wrong

Pending UFAs traded: Defenseman Erik Karlsson was traded to the San Jose Sharks on Sept. 13, and center Matt Duchene (to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Feb. 22), center Ryan Dzingel (to the Blue Jackets on Feb. 23) and forward Mark Stone (to the Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 25) were traded during the season; each can become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
Duchene, Dzingel and Stone remain three of Ottawa's top four scorers this season. Forward Mike Hoffman, who scored at least 22 goals in each of his past four seasons with the Senators, was traded to the Sharks on June 19, then to the Florida Panthers later that day.
Defensive breakdown: The Senators rank last in the NHL in goals allowed (257) and 30th in goals allowed per game (3.72). Most of that has to do with the fact they allow the most shots against per game (36.0). Ottawa used five goalies this season, who have combined for a .901 save percentage.
Road woes: The Senators have nine wins in 35 road games (9-24-2), including a minus-52 goal differential. They are 14-16-4 with a minus-2 goal differential at home.

Reasons for optimism

Young defensemen on rise: Thomas Chabot had a breakout season and ranks in the top 10 in scoring among defensemen, even though the 22-year-old missed three weeks with an upper-body injury. Prospect Erik Brannstrom, a 19-year-old who was the No. 15 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Vegas Golden Knights and was acquired in the trade for Stone, is having a great season in the American Hockey League and could make the jump to the Senators next season.

Coaching candidates: If Marc Crawford, who replaced Guy Boucher as coach on March 1, does not return for Ottawa next season, there will be plenty of big-name candidates it can reach out to. Stanley Cup winners Joel Quenneville and Randy Carlyle, along with Todd McLellan, John Stevens, Mike Yeo and Dave Hakstol, could be looking for work after being fired this season.
Surplus of draft picks: The Senators don't own their first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft but have 12 picks in the 2020 NHL Draft, including two in the first round and seven in the first three rounds. That should help the Senators restock with talent to speed up the rebuild.