Senators leave Hockeyville having turned page on Karlsson era

LUCAN, Ontario -- The Ottawa Senators have their eyes set on the present and future, not their past with Erik Karlsson.

Even before the preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Kraft Hockeyville Canada on Tuesday, the Senators' first since Karlsson was traded to the San Jose Sharks on Sept. 13, they began life without the 28-year-old defenseman, turning the page to put together a team they hope rebounds from finishing 30th in the NHL last season (28-43-11).
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"I didn't think about it," coach Guy Boucher said after Ottawa's 4-1 loss at Lucan Community Memorial Centre. "We're focused on the players that are here, and that's the only focus we have. The minute that it happened, the next day you go with the players that you have."
The Senators have no choice but to look to within for answers. There will be an adjustment period, but they must move on and compete without their departed captain.
And they know it.

"We can hem and haw all we want," said defenseman Mark Borowiecki, named one of three alternate captains (Bobby Ryan, Matt Duchene) against the Maple Leafs. "I get it when star players are traded it definitely hurts for our fan base. But we're going to play hard for the fans.
"We have some good players here. We're going to rally together and hopefully do some good things."
One of Karlsson's replacements who played against the Maple Leafs was London, Ontario, native Dylan DeMelo, who was acquired by the Senators in the Karlsson trade. The 25-year-old defenseman has been paired with Christian Wolanin, 23, and could be counted on to play a top-four role with the Senators after he had an NHL career-high 20 assists and averaged 14:12 of ice time per game last season.
"Erik Karlsson is an extraordinary player, a once-in-a-generation player," DeMelo said. "I'm not going to sit here and tell you I'm going to be the next Erik Karlsson, because that'd be a lie, but I'm going to do my best to help build a foundation for Ottawa.
"We have a good team. I think a lot of people are writing us off because of the trade, but we have some good skill up front and good speed. There's a lot of skill. It will just be how quickly we can come together and how quickly we can execute within our system."

The post-Karlsson Senators impressed Boucher with their attitude, work ethic and discipline throughout the game, their first of the preseason. But an 82-game regular season will test the mettle of the young, rebuilding team, and they'll have to pass it without Karlsson, a two-time Norris Trophy winner (2012, 2015). One way to do it is using the tunnel vision they preached at the end of Kraft Hockeyville Canada 2018.
"You don't have time to look at anything in the past," forward Ryan Dzingel said. "You get paid for the future, you get paid for every shift. It's a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately type of world and the type of business we're in.
"Obviously he's a great player. He's a world-class talent and a big part of our organization. We have no choice but other to rally with the group of guys we have here, and everyone believes in each other. You have to find a way to do it."