Alfredsson

New general manager John Muckler has a better cast than he ever had as coach on Broadway, including captain Daniel Alfredsson, left wing Marian Hossa, a big, tough, young defense and talented goalie Patrick Lalime playing behind coach Jacques Martin's trapaholics. Muck's goal: make this team tougher so it's a pain in the butt to play in the postseason. Martin's goal: convince management it was right to extend his contract.

	The Big Question
	Q: Definitely playoff bound, but can they get past the second round? The Senators have so many ingredients that are so good: depth, size, youth and talent. They've got some good young players, with Jason Spezza coming in. Martin Havlat and Marian Hossa are approaching stardom. Radek Bonk is coming off a great year. So with a lot of good things going on in Ottawa, it's certainly not enough for them just to make the playoffs. They should challenge in the East and go deep in the playoffs. If the Senators are not playing in the Eastern Conference finals, then they've had a disappointing year. These guys have been in the NHL for enough years now. It's time to put up or shut up in Ottawa. -- Barry Melrose
	Good: It's Martin Havlat's third season, and this Czech might be ready to cash in on some major numbers. His pedestrian goal numbers should go up and a regular appearance on the top line with better playmakers won't hurt either. He might approach Hossa numbers. Bad: Unless you think plus-minus is a category that can easily be duplicated, Magnus Arvedson shouldn't be one of your core players. OK, he shouldn't be no matter what. Of course in real life he's a great two-way player, but he doesn't score or shoot enough for fantasy. -- Eric Karabell
	Top Prospect
	Alexandre Giroux, C A versatile forward who can move to the wing if necessary, Giroux added some much-needed muscle as he finished his junior career, but could also stand to add some grit.
	Minors Outlook
	Binghamton Senators Binghamton doesn't figure to suffer any first-season blues, with legendary AHL coach John Paddock coming over from Hartford. Parent Ottawa shipped in several players that helped Grand Rapids win a division title last year, too. -- Bill Ballou

Forwards Unlike Buffalo, the Senators' promising young players are actually fulfilling their potential. Beyond Radek Bonk, the Senators don't have as much quality as they do depth down the middle with Todd White, Mike Fischer and possibly Jason Spezza. They've got a fair share of top-tier right wingers in captain Daniel Alfredsson, Marian Hossa and Martin Havlat, who likely will switch sides and join Magnus Arvedson on the left to compensate for the dearth of scoring. This combination of speed, playmaking ability and scoring touch is why anything but a deep run into the playoffs will be disappointing. Eastern Conference Position Ranking: 2nd Defensemen Trading Sami Salo to Vancouver for right winger Peter Schaefer barely made a dent in the Senators' defensive stability. Zdeno Chara, Wade Redden and Chris Phillips are each better-than-average combination of size and mobility, as does Karel Rachunek, who is entering his third full season. Curtis Leschyshyn provides stay-at-home depth. Eastern Conference Position Ranking: 2nd Goalies Patrick Lalime's playoff performance deflected doubters' questions toward his teammates, but the fifth-year vet will have to work harder this season with the improvement of the Capitals and Rangers. The Senators' goaltending depth is reflected in the fact GM John Muckler is shopping both Jani Hurme and Martin Prusek so they aren't lost for nothing in the waiver draft. Eastern Conference Position Ranking: T9th

Rankings: 2nd Overall
Forwards | Defensemen | Goalies

RECORD: 39-27-9-7, 94 points Rank: T13th overall 6th East 3rd Northeast Playoffs: Lost to TOR in East semis Home: 21-13-3-4 Road: 18-14-6-3 2001-02 results 2001-02 statistics 2002-03 schedule 2002-03 roster OFFENSE DEFENSE GOALS FOR/AVG. Overall: 243/2.96 (5th) Home: 114/2.78 (13th) Road: 129/3.15 (1st) POWER PLAY Overall: 16.6/55-331 (10th) Home: 14.5/25-172 (22nd) Road: 18.9/30-159 (4th) GOALS AGAINST/AVG. Overall: 208/2.54 (14th) Home: 98/2.39 (14th) Road: 110/2.68 (13th) PENALTY KILL Overall: 84.4/48-307 (17th) Home: 84.7/23-150 (17th) Road: 84.1/25-157 (15th) STATS LEADERS GOALS Daniel Alfredsson (37) Marian Hossa (31) Radek Bonk (25) ASSISTS Bonk (45) Hossa (35) Alfredsson (34) POINTS Alfredsson (71) Bonk (70) Hossa (66) PENALTY MINUTES Chris Neil (231) Zdeno Chara (156) PLUS/MINUS Chara (+30) Magnus Arvedson (+27) Wade Redden (+22) GAA (MIN. 20 GP) Jani Hurme (2.48) Patrick Lalime (2.48) SAVE PERCENTAGE Hurme (.907) * - no longer with team