NHL Preview 2024-25 91 SportsForecaster.com

Forwards

Michael Amadio [LW/RW]

  • Age: 28
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 199
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
VGK 73 14 13 27 4 16 0.37
Career 469 74 76 150 4 99 0.32
Forecast 76 15 14 29 - - 0.38

Sens fans may remember Amadio from back in 2020-21, when he made five appearances for Ottawa after being acquired from LA. Now, the Ontario native is back to provide secondary scoring and overall depth up front. Amadio is coming off back-to-back 27-point seasons with Vegas; he stands a chance to set career highs at age 28 in 2024-25.

Drake Batherson [RW]

  • Age: 26
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 200
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Ott 82 28 38 66 -9 42 0.80
Career 416 126 191 317 -78 174 0.76
Forecast 82 30 40 70 - - 0.85

The 26-year-old winger is coming off career highs in both goals and points–despite seeing fewer minutes on the power play. He also improved his plus/minus rating from minus-35 in 2022-23 to minus-9 last campaign and generally made strides defensively. His five-on-five offensive numbers also improved markedly (21 even-strength goals).

Nick Cousins [LW/RW]

  • Age: 31
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 186
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Fla 69 7 8 15 1 64 0.22
Career 669 81 121 202 -18 384 0.30
Forecast 71 8 6 14 - - 0.20

Few players are better at getting under opponents' skin than Cousins, who is regarded around the NHL as a pain to play against. He brings speed and energy, does not shy away from traffic and finishes his checks. However, his offensive numbers dropped off last season and he dressed for just one of seven games in the Stanley Cup Final.

Claude Giroux [RW/LW]

  • Age: 36
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 188
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Ott 82 21 43 64 -14 26 0.78
Career 1291 369 764 1133 20 504 0.88
Forecast 82 22 42 64 - - 0.78

At 36, Giroux remains productive offensively, but his goals, points and plus/minus rating all dipped last season–even though he averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time for the first time since 2018-19. The longtime center is now a permanent winger in the NHL, but he is still among the league's best face-off men (58.0% last season).

Noah Gregor [LW/RW]

  • Age: 26
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 201
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Tor 63 6 6 12 -7 17 0.19
Career 307 36 35 71 -83 120 0.23
Forecast 70 7 5 12 - - 0.17

The speedster appeared in 63 games with Ottawa's provincial rivals in Toronto last season, producing six goals and 12 points. Gregor is a versatile player; he is a natural center who can also line up on either wing at the National Hockey League level. Any offense he provides is a bonus, but he kills penalties well and is industrious.

Ridly Greig [W/C]

  • Age: 22
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 188
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Ott 72 13 13 26 10 66 0.36
Career 193 30 47 77 -3 160 0.40
Forecast 77 18 21 39 - - 0.51

The son of retired NHL forward Mark Greig takes after dad with a style that mixes skill, elusiveness and pugnacity. He will take the puck to the front of the net, sacrifice his body to block shots and win more than his share of puck battles. His junior and AHL numbers suggest he should provide enough offense to play up in the lineup.

Josh Norris [C]

  • Age: 25
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 196
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Ott 50 16 14 30 -6 22 0.60
Career 243 93 70 163 -34 101 0.67
Forecast 58 20 19 39 - - 0.67

A big-shooting center who was a 35-goal scorer in 2021-22, Norris is trying to come back from a shoulder injury for the second straight season. Even before 2023-24 came to an end in late February, the 25-year-old's offensive statistics had fallen sharply. Norris still receives loads of power-play ice time (3:09 PP TOI/GP in 2023-24).

Zack Ostapchuk [C/LW]

  • Age: 21
  • Ht: 6-4
  • Wt: 212
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Ott 7 0 0 0 -1 0 0.00
Career 73 1 3 4 -12 47 0.05
Forecast 75 11 13 24 - - 0.32

The 21-year-old drives hard to the net, wins lots of races and has a good wrist shot. His size (6'3'', 205 pounds), speed, physicality and motor may make him a good depth forward who will make life miserable for opposing D-men on the forecheck. He goes into the corners and gets to the front of the net but may not become a big scorer.

David Perron [LW/RW]

  • Age: 36
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 198
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Det 76 17 30 47 -12 55 0.62
Career 1202 322 475 797 -6 845 0.66
Forecast 78 16 28 44 - - 0.56

Few NHLers are better in their 30s than they were in their 20s, but Perron looks like an exception to the rule. Although his point production dropped a bit in '23-24, his leadership and experience showed up down the stretch. He is versatile enough to slide up and down the lineup, contributes on the power play and thrives on pressure.

Shane Pinto [C]

  • Age: 23
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 204
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Ott 41 9 18 27 9 14 0.66
Career 237 63 62 125 8 86 0.53
Forecast 82 25 25 50 - - 0.61

After the NHL suspended him for violating the league's gambling policies, Pinto put up points at the best pace of his career in 2023-24–despite being limited to 41 games. He showed no rust after his return, earned some top-six forward minutes and averaged a career-high 18:07 of ice time. Pinto will only improve with more game action.

Tim Stutzle [C/LW]

  • Age: 22
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 192
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Ott 75 18 52 70 -17 28 0.93
Career 395 126 224 350 -65 195 0.89
Forecast 80 38 54 92 - - 1.15

Greater health will hopefully help Stutzle bring his offensive totals back to what they were in 2022-23, when he placed 19th in NHL scoring with 90 points. A wonky wrist hindered him in '23-24, and a late-season shoulder problem did not help. He is the highest scorer from the 2020 draft but must stay healthy to get to the next level.

Brady Tkachuk [LW]

  • Age: 25
  • Ht: 6-4
  • Wt: 225
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Ott 81 37 37 74 1 134 0.91
Career 520 192 219 411 -59 756 0.79
Forecast 82 40 42 82 - - 1.00

Few players offer the mix of skill, physicality and feistiness that the younger Tkachuk brother does. He set a career high in goals for the third straight season in 2023-24 (his 37 led Ottawa) and scored more goals than anyone in NHL history with at least 290 hits. Tkachuk also topped the club in penalty minutes (134) and hits (294).

Defensemen

Goaltenders

Jacob Bernard-Docker

  • Age: 24
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 198
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Ott 72 4 10 14 -7 25 0.19
Career 160 6 19 25 -1 59 0.16
Forecast 78 5 14 19 - - 0.24

It took six seasons for the 2018 first-round pick to grow into a regular gig in the NHL. He led Ottawa with 156 blocks while averaging 15:42 of ice time in '23-24, and his offense was limited by spending a total of 4:13 on the power play. The 24-year-old is learning to deal with the pace of the NHL and the grind of an 82-game season.

Thomas Chabot

  • Age: 27
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 203
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Ott 51 9 21 30 -3 22 0.59
Career 530 73 241 314 -54 258 0.59
Forecast 72 10 32 42 - - 0.58

Chabot's health has hampered his play for the past three seasons. Various injuries cost him 31 games in 2023-24, and he underwent off-season surgery to fix a wrist issue that has bothered him for two years. At his best, he is a top-tier defender who skates extremely well, moves the puck effectively and could play 25 minutes per game.

Nick Jensen

  • Age: 34
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 196
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Wsh 78 1 13 14 -9 10 0.18
Career 661 23 138 161 28 148 0.24
Forecast 79 1 10 11 - - 0.14

The defense-first D-man is utilized mostly at even strength and on the penalty kill, although he struggled badly with the latter last season. Jensen's offensive numbers dropped by more than half from 2022-23, but he blocks shots (123 in '23-24) and can keep up with skilled forwards because he skates well. Jensen is not very physical.

Tyler Kleven

  • Age: 22
  • Ht: 6-5
  • Wt: 221
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Ott 9 0 1 1 -1 2 0.11
Career 122 4 13 17 -22 40 0.14
Forecast 70 2 12 14 - - 0.20

The 6'4'' D-man has played a bit with the Senators in each of the last two seasons, displaying an intriguing mix of athleticism and physicality–as well as a big shot. He must make sure to keep his feet moving or lose some of the benefits of his size. Most of his value comes from his defense, though his shot will produce some offense.

Jake Sanderson

  • Age: 22
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 204
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Ott 79 10 28 38 8 23 0.48
Career 264 31 119 150 -13 49 0.57
Forecast 81 12 33 45 - - 0.56

The No. 5 pick in 2020 built on his impressive rookie season, reaching double figures in goals in 2023-24. He also spent much of his ice time defending against top-level attackers and did a good job suppressing shots. His puckhandling, skating and on-ice vision are good, and his anticipation should get better as his confidence grows.

Artem Zub

  • Age: 29
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 203
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Ott 69 5 20 25 5 32 0.36
Career 333 22 73 95 19 205 0.29
Forecast 80 2 18 20 - - 0.25

The undrafted Russian is the kind of defenseman every team needs–a complementary player who allows his more offensive partner to jump into the attack. Zub has grown into an effective shutdown rearguard who can play tough minutes. Though Zub will never become a big scorer, he is coming off career highs in assists and points in '23-24.

Anton Forsberg

  • Age: 31
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 198
'23-24 GP W L OT SO GAA Sv%
Ott 30 15 12 0 2 3.21 0.89
Career 198 78 83 16 9 3.02 0.904
Forecast 31 14 - - 1 3.24 0.888

At least the 31-year-old Swede stayed healthy last season, after tearing the MCLs in both knees in February 2023. He matched his career best with two shutouts in 2023-24. However, his goals-against average stayed well above 3.00, and his save percentage was .890. He was the No. 2 netminder on one of the NHL's weakest defensive teams.

Linus Ullmark

  • Age: 31
  • Ht: 6-4
  • Wt: 215
'23-24 GP W L OT SO GAA Sv%
Bos 40 22 10 7 2 2.57 0.915
Career 312 173 94 30 12 2.58 0.915
Forecast 51 26 - - 2 2.68 0.916

The '22-23 Vezina Trophy winner hopes to rebound after his numbers dropped off last campaign, one that ended with Ullmark making just two playoff appearances. He spent most of the regular season in a strict rotation, and while his statistics were good by NHL standards, they were not nearly as impressive as his award-winning campaign.