2009–10 Ottawa Senators season

The 2009–10 Ottawa Senators season was the 17th season in the modern Senators' history. After missing the post-season in 2008–09 for the first time since the 1995-96 season, the team qualified for the playoffs with four games to play with a win against the Carolina Hurricanes on April 1, 2010. The Senators drew the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round and lost the series 4–2.
== Off-season ==
In early June, left winger Dany Heatley notified GM Bryan Murray that he wanted a trade out of Ottawa. According to reports, Heatley was dissatisfied with his role and ice time under new coach Cory Clouston.
On June 15, it was announced that team president Roy Mlakar's contract would not be renewed. Cyril Leeder, one of the principals in the 'Bring Back The Sens' drive in 1990 was named as team president. He had previously been president and chief operating officer of Scotiabank Place and the related Senators Sports and Entertainment Corporation.
The team announced its first-ever exhibition game in Regina, Saskatchewan to be held on September 21 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It will be the first NHL game in Regina in 19 years.
At the NHL Entry Draft, the team chose defenceman Jared Cowen as their first-round pick, ninth over-all. Cowan had been projected as a top-five pick, but had suffered a knee injury during the 2008–09 season. Cowen is tall and is expected to play a 'shut-down' role in the future with the Senators.
In the days leading up to the July 1 free agency period, a prospective trade emerged for Dany Heatley with the Edmonton Oilers. Reportedly, the Oilers offered Andrew Cogliano, Dustin Penner and Ladislav Smid. Heatley met with the Edmonton management and turned down the trade using a 'no-movement' clause in his contract. On July 1, the Senators were required to make a $4 million payment in advance of Heatley's 2009-10 salary, and the Senators had hoped to move Heatley before the payment. According to Slam! Sports, the Oilers were not on a list of teams acceptable to Heatley, the list of teams including the Rangers, Bruins, Canucks, Sharks, Kings, Red Wings, Flames and Blackhawks. According to GM Murray, teams were "sour" on Heatley and there were few offers.
The Senators made a major free-agent signing on July 6 when they signed former Montreal Canadiens forward Alexei Kovalev to a two-year contract. Kovalev's salary put the Senators at the salary cap limit. The Senators partially addressed this by trading goaltender Alex Auld to the Dallas Stars for a draft pick. By the date of Kovalev's formal introduction press conference on July 21, Heatley had not yet been traded and Kovalev expressed the wish that Heatley would return.
By the opening of training camp on September 12, Heatley had not been traded. Heatley reported and participated in camp activities. Heatley met with Clouston and Murray who hoped to persuade Heatley to drop his trade demand, which he did not. After the meeting, Murray became convinced that Heatley could not stay and had to be moved immediately. Heatley was traded later that day to the San Jose Sharks for wingers Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo and an exchange of draft picks. On November 3, it was confirmed that Senators owner Eugene Melnyk filed a grievance to demand that Heatley return a $4 million dollar bonus the Senators paid Heatley on July 1, part of his contract.
== Pre-season ==
2009 Pre-season game log: 2–4–0 (Home: 1–1–0 ; Road: 0–2–0)	2009 Pre-season game log: 2–4–0 (Home: 1–1–0 ; Road: 0–2–0)	2009 Pre-season game log: 2–4–0 (Home: 1–1–0 ; Road: 0–2–0)	2009 Pre-season game log: 2–4–0 (Home: 1–1–0 ; Road: 0–2–0)	2009 Pre-season game log: 2–4–0 (Home: 1–1–0 ; Road: 0–2–0)	2009 Pre-season game log: 2–4–0 (Home: 1–1–0 ; Road: 0–2–0)	2009 Pre-season game log: 2–4–0 (Home: 1–1–0 ; Road: 0–2–0)	2009 Pre-season game log: 2–4–0 (Home: 1–1–0 ; Road: 0–2–0)	2009 Pre-season game log: 2–4–0 (Home: 1–1–0 ; Road: 0–2–0)	2009 Pre-season game log: 2–4–0 (Home: 1–1–0 ; Road: 0–2–0)	2009 Pre-season game log: 2–4–0 (Home: 1–1–0 ; Road: 0–2–0)
# 	Date 	Visitor 	Score 	Home 	OT 	Decision 	Record 	Recap 	 	
1 	September 15 (in Halifax, NS) 	Ottawa Senators 	1-3 	Florida Panthers 	 	Leclaire 	0-1-0 	 	 	
2 	September 16 	Florida Panthers 	2-1 	Ottawa Senators 	 	Brodeur 	0-2-0 	 	 	
3 	September 18 	Ottawa Senators 	1-2 	Montreal Canadiens 	 	Lehner 	0-3-0 	 	 	
4 	September 19 	Montreal Canadiens 	1-6 	Ottawa Senators 	 	Leclaire 	1-3-0 	 	 	
5 	September 21 (in Regina, SK) 	Ottawa Senators 	3-1 	Tampa Bay Lightning 	 	Elliott 	2-3-0 	 	 	
6 	September 25 	Boston Bruins 	2-1 	Ottawa Senators 	 	Leclaire 	2-4-0 	 	 	
== Regular season ==
The Senators started the season with several changes from the previous season. Heatley was traded, Christoph Schubert was demoted to Binghamton and eventually waived to Atlanta; Brian Lee who had played most of the previous season with Ottawa, was also demoted. Newcomers included Michalek and Cheechoo from the Heatley trade, Kovalev, a free agent signing, and Matt Carkner and Erik Karlsson made the team on defence. Before the end of October, Karlsson was demoted to Binghamton and Lee promoted to Ottawa. First round pick Jared Cowen was returned to junior. Ilya Zubov failed to make the team and was demoted to Binghamton. Zubov first demanded a trade, then accepted a contract reassignment to Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The Senators retain his NHL rights.
In December, the Senators started to run into a streak of injuries. By the end of the month, the entire top line of Michalek, Spezza and Alfredsson was out with injuries.
On January 13, 2010, the Senators fired their goaltending coach Eli Wilson. In the weeks prior to his firing, both Pascal Leclaire and Brian Elliott had poor outings. After the firing, the Senators went on a franchise and all-time team record win streak. The previous record of the current NHL franchise was eight games, set in 2007–08. The Senators passed that on January 30, with a win over the Canadiens. The Senators then passed their all-time record of ten consecutive wins (set twice — in 1908–09 and 1910) with a win over the Vancouver Canucks on February 4. The streak ended on February 6 with a loss to the Maple Leafs.
On February 12, the Senators made two moves. The club extended Bryan Murray's contract by a year and the club traded for Matt Cullen from the Carolina Hurricanes for Alexandre R. Picard and a second-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Following the trade, Jonathan Cheechoo was assigned to Binghamton after clearing NHL waivers.
===Standings===
=== Game log ===
2009–10 game log	2009–10 game log	 	 	 	 	
October: 6–4–2 (Home: 3-2-2; Road: 3-2-0)
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable"	 	 	 	 	 	
Game 	Date 	Opponent 	Score 	Location/attendance 	Record	Recap
1 	October 3 	@ New York Rangers 	2 – 5 	Madison Square Garden (18,200)	0–1–0 	
2 	October 6 	@ Toronto Maple Leafs	2 – 1 	Air Canada Centre (18,830) 	1–1–0 	
3 	October 8 	New York Islanders 	3 – 2 (OT)	Scotiabank Place (18,075) 	2-1-0 	
4 	October 10 	Atlanta Thrashers 	4 – 2 	Scotiabank Place (19,360) 	3-1-0 	
5 	October 12 	Pittsburgh Penguins 	1 – 4 	Scotiabank Place (17,014) 	3–2–0 	
6 	October 15 	Tampa Bay Lightning 	7 – 1 	Scotiabank Place (17,732) 	4–2–0 	
7 	October 17 	@ Montreal Canadiens 	3 – 1 	Bell Centre (21,273) 	5–2–0 	
8 	October 22 	Nashville Predators 	5 – 6 (OT)	Scotiabank Place (18,970) 	5–2–1 	
9 	October 24 	Boston Bruins 	3 – 4 (SO)	Scotiabank Place (20,154) 	5–2–2 	
10 	October 28 	@ Florida Panthers 	4 – 3 	BankAtlantic Center (12,596) 	6–2–2 	
11 	October 29 	@ Tampa Bay Lightning	2 – 5 	St. Pete Times Forum (13,213) 	6–3–2 	
12 	October 31 	Atlanta Thrashers 	1 – 3 	Scotiabank Place (17,297) 	6–4–2 	
== Playoffs ==
The Senators return to the playoffs after failing to qualify in 2008-2009. Media predictions of where the Senators would end up ranged from fourth in the conference to out of the playoffs. The Hockey News placed the Senators ninth in the conference, while ESPN's John Buccigross predicted the Senators would end up in eleventh. Las Vegas odds put the odds of the Senators winning the Cup at 35–1. On April 1, 2010, while in fifth place in the division, the Senators qualified for the playoffs with a 4-3 shootout win at home against the Carolina Hurricanes. 
The Senators drew the defending champion Penguins as first-round opponents for the third time in the past four years. After the Senators won the first game in Pittsburgh, the Penguins took the next three to take a commanding 3–1 lead in the series. The Senators won the fifth game in overtime to force a sixth game in Ottawa. In the sixth game, the Senators took a 3–0 lead before the Penguins rallied to win the deciding game 4–3 in overtime to end the Senators season.
Senators vs. Penguins 
Game	Date 	Score 	Location (attendance) 	Record	Recap
1 	April 14	5 – 4 	Mellon Arena (17,132) 	1–0 	
2 	April 16	1 – 2 	Mellon Arena (17,132) 	1–1 	
3 	April 18	2 – 4 	Scotiabank Place (20,119)	1–2 	
4 	April 20	4 – 7 	Scotiabank Place (20,014)	1–3 	
5 	April 22	4 – 3 (3OT)	Mellon Arena (17,132) 	2–3 	
6 	April 24	3 – 4 (1OT)	Scotiabank Place (20,122)	2–4 	
==Player stats==
===Skaters===
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes
Regular season	 	 	 	 	 	
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable sortable" width="100%"	 	 	 	 	 	
Player 	GP	G 	A 	Pts	+/−	PIM
 	70	20	51	71 	8 	22
 	60	23	34	57 	-1 	20
 	79	25	28	53 	1 	59
 	77	18	31	49 	-8 	54
 	66	22	12	34 	-12	18
 	81	15	17	32 	-7 	38
 	75	13	16	29 	10 	20
 	53	3 	25	28 	-5 	28
 	82	12	14	26 	-2 	121
 	61	9 	17	26 	6 	53
 	60	5 	21	26 	-5 	24
 	82	8 	16	24 	8 	45
 	68	10	12	22 	-1 	175
 	67	4 	14	18 	-3 	16
 	66	5 	11	16 	-12	20
 	45	4 	11	15 	-2 	20
 	61	5 	9 	14 	-13	20
 	64	4 	10	14 	2 	38
 	52	2 	11	13 	-1 	22
 	81	2 	9 	11 	0 	190
 	21	4 	4 	8 	-7 	8
 	30	2 	3 	5 	-4 	40
 	23	2 	1 	3 	-5 	12
 	15	2 	1 	3 	2 	14
 	18	1 	0 	1 	-7 	34
 	3 	0 	0 	0 	-2 	0
 	4 	0 	0 	0 	-1 	0
 	6 	0 	0 	0 	-1 	0
 	1 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	2 	0 	0 	0 	-4 	0
 	1 	0 	0 	0 	0 	2
 	2 	0 	0 	0 	-1 	0
Playoffs	 	 	 	 	 	
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable sortable" width="100%"	 	 	 	 	 	
Player 	GP	G	A	Pts	+/−	PIM
 	6 	3	5	8 	-3 	0
 	6 	2	6	8 	-2 	2
 	6 	1	6	7 	-3 	4
 	6 	1	5	6 	1 	2
 	6 	1	5	6 	-4 	4
 	6 	2	3	5 	-2 	6
 	6 	3	1	4 	1 	20
 	6 	3	1	4 	-1 	6
 	6 	2	1	3 	2 	34
 	6 	0	2	2 	-2 	4
 	6 	0	2	2 	1 	4
 	6 	1	0	1 	0 	12
 	6 	0	1	1 	-1 	2
 	1 	0	0	0 	0 	0
 	1 	0	0	0 	0 	0
 	2 	0	0	0 	0 	0
 	6 	0	0	0 	-2 	4
 	6 	0	0	0 	-2 	8
 	6 	0	0	0 	-4 	5
 	6 	0	0	0 	-3 	0
 	2 	0	0	0 	-1 	0
===Goaltenders===
Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime Losses; GA = Goals Against; GAA= Goals Against Average; SA= Shots Against; SV= Saves; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO= Shutouts
Regular season	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable sortable" width="100%"	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Player 	GP	TOI 	W 	L 	OT	GA 	GAA 	SA 	Sv% 	SO	G	A	PIM
 	55	3038	29	18	4 	130	2.57	1424	.909	5 	0	1	0
 	34	1745	12	14	2 	93 	3.20	822 	.887	0 	0	0	2
 	3 	180 	3 	0 	0 	3 	1.00	87 	.966	1 	0	0	0
Playoffs	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable sortable" width="100%"	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Player 	GP	TOI	W	L	GA	GAA 	SA 	Sv% 	SO	G	A	PIM
 	3 	211	1	2	10	2.84	125	.920	0 	0	0	0
 	4 	203	1	2	14	4.14	95 	.853	0 	0	0	0
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Senators. Stats reflect time with Senators only.
‡Traded mid-season.
== Awards and records ==
===Milestones===
Date 	Player 	Milestone
October 3, 2009 	Erik Karlsson 	First NHL gameFirst NHL assistFirst NHL point
October 8, 2009 	Matt Carkner 	First NHL goal
October 8, 2009 	Jarkko Ruutu 	500th NHL game
October 12, 2009 	Chris Neil 	1,300th NHL PIM
October 15, 2009 	Milan Michalek 	First NHL career hat trick
November 5, 2009 	Pascal Leclaire 	50th NHL win
November 7, 2009 	Jarkko Ruutu 	900th NHL PIM
November 7, 2009 	Chris Campoli 	100th NHL point
November 7, 2009 	Jarkko Ruutu 	900th NHL PIM
November 19, 2009	Milan Michalek 	100th NHL goal
November 19, 2009	Chris Phillips 	800th NHL game
November 19, 2009	Alexandre Picard 	50th NHL point50th NHL PIM
November 21, 2009	Chris Kelly 	50th NHL goal
November 25, 2009	Ryan Keller 	First NHL game
November 26, 2009	Chris Kelly 	200th NHL PIM
November 28, 2009	Nick Foligno 	50th NHL point
December 3, 2009 	Chris Phillips 	600th NHL PIM
December 12, 2009	Alex Kovalev 	400th NHL goal
December 14, 2009	Filip Kuba 	200th NHL assist
December 14, 2009	Brian Elliott 	50th NHL game
December 19, 2009	Mike Fisher 	300th NHL point
December 19, 2009	Jonathan Cheechoo	300th NHL point
December 19, 2009	Jarkko Ruutu 	50th NHL goal
December 19, 2009	Erik Karlsson 	First NHL goal
December 19, 2009	Mike Brodeur 	First NHL gameFirst NHL startFirst NHL win
January 5, 2010 	Milan Michalek 	200th NHL PIM
January 12, 2010 	Shean Donovan 	700th NHL PIM
January 14, 2010 	Mike Brodeur 	First NHL shutout
January 26, 2010 	Chris Campoli 	300th NHL game
February 9, 2010 	Jonathan Cheechoo	500th NHL game
February 11, 2010	Mike Fisher 	600th NHL game
February 13, 2010	Derek Smith 	First NHL game
March 4, 2010 	Daniel Alfredsson	600th NHL assist
March 27, 2010 	Chris Kelly 	400th NHL game
April 1, 2010 	Bobby Butler 	First NHL game
April 6, 2010 	Daniel Alfredsson	1,000th NHL game
Date 	Coach 	Milestone
March 6, 2010 	Cory Clouston 	100th NHL game
Date 	Team 	Milestone
November 17, 2009	Ottawa Senators 	1,300th NHL game
===Awards===
Regular season	Regular season 	Regular season 	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season
Player 	Award 	Date 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Mike Fisher 	NHL Third Star of the Week 	November 23, 2009	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Brian Elliott 	NHL First Star of the Week 	January 25, 2010 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Brian Elliott 	NHL Second Star of the Week	February 1, 2010 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Brian Elliott 	NHL First Star of the Week 	March 29, 2010 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
===Records===
* January 14, 2010 - February 4, 2010: Eleven-game win streak, modern franchise record.
* April 22, 2010: Senators defeat Penguins in triple overtime on a goal by Matt Carkner at 7' 9", ending the longest game in modern franchise history.
== Roster ==
Updated April 16, 2010.
 
|}
== Transactions ==
The Senators have been involved in the following transactions during the 2009–10 season.
===Trades===
Date 	Details 	Details
June 27, 2009 	To Edmonton Oilers 6th-round pick in 2010 	To Ottawa Senators 7th-round pick (Michael Sdao - #191 overall) in 2009
July 8, 2009 	To Dallas Stars Alex Auld 	To Ottawa Senators 6th-round pick in 2010
September 4, 2009 	To Anaheim DucksShawn Weller 	To Ottawa SenatorsJason Bailey
September 12, 2009	To San Jose SharksDany Heatley5th-round pick in 2010 	To Ottawa SenatorsJonathan CheechooMilan Michalek2nd-round pick in 2010
February 12, 2010 	To Carolina HurricanesAlexandre R. Picard2nd-round pick in 2010	To Ottawa SenatorsMatt Cullen
March 2, 2010 	To New York Islanders2nd-round pick in 2010 	To Ottawa SenatorsAndy Sutton
|}
=== Free agents acquired ===
Player 	Former team 	Contract terms
Craig Schira 	Vancouver Giants 	3 year, 2-way contract
Ryan KellerBulletin: Senators sign forward Ryan Keller 	Espoo Blues 	1 year, 2-way contract
Martin St. PierreBulletin: Senators sign centre Martin St. Pierre 	Boston Bruins 	1 year, 2-way contract
Mike BrodeurBulletin: Senators sign goaltender Mike Brodeur to one-year contract	Rochester Americans 	1 year, 2-way contract
Alexei KovalevKovalev 'special' addition for Senators 	Montreal Canadiens 	2 years, $10 million
Geoff KinradeBulletin: Senators sign defenceman Geoff Kinrade 	Tampa Bay Lightning 	1 year, 2-way contract
Drew BannisterBulletin: Senators sign Bannister to a one-year contract 	Kassel Huskies 	1 year, 2-way contract
Andy ChiodoBulletin: Senators sign goaltender Andy Chiodo to a one-year contract	Dynamo Minsk 	1 year, 2-way contract
Bobby ButlerBulletin: Senators sign forward Bobby Butler to a two-year contract 	University of New Hampshire	2 year entry-level contract
David DziurzynskiBulletin: Senators sign CJHL forward David Dziurzynski 	Alberni Valley Bulldogs 	3 year entry-level contract
=== Free agents lost ===
Player 	New team 	Contract terms
Brendan BellBlues Sign Defenseman Brendan Bell	St. Louis Blues 	undisclosed
Mike ComrieOilers sign Comrie 	Edmonton Oilers 	1 year, $1.125 million
Drew FataB's Sign Fata and Sabourin 	Boston Bruins 	undisclosed
Jeff Glass(Russian) 	Barys Astana (KHL) 	-
Jim McKenzie 	Johnstown Chiefs (ECHL)	-
===Claimed via Waivers===
Player	Former team	Date claimed off waivers
=== Lost via waivers ===
Player 	New team 	Date claimed off waivers
Christoph SchubertThrashers Claim Defenseman Christoph Schubert Off Waivers from Ottawa	Atlanta Thrashers	October 2, 2009
=== Lost via retirement ===
Player
Jason SmithBulletin: Jason Smith retires after 1,008 games
=== Player signings ===
Player 	Contract terms
Erik CondraBulletin: Senators sign Erik Condra to entry-level contract 	undisclosed
Erik KarlssonBulletin: Senators sign Erik Karlsson 	three years
Chris NeilBulletin: Senators and Neil agree to 4-year deal 	four years, $8 million
Derek SmithBulletin: Senators sign defenceman Derek Smith and forward Jeremy Yablonski	one year, two-way contract
Jeremy Yablonski 	one year, two-way contract
Brian ElliottBulletin: Senators sign Elliott to a two-year contract 	two years, $1.7 million
Matt CarknerBulletin: Senators Sign Matt Carkner to a Two-year Contract Extension 	two years, $1.4 million contract extension
Jared CowenBulletin: Senators sign Jared Cowen to entry-level contract 	entry level contract
Ryan Shannon 	one year, $625,000 contract extension
Brian Lee 	two years, $1.75 million contract extension
Robin Lehner 	3 year entry-level contract
Eric Gryba 	2 year entry-level contract
Patrick Wiercioch 	3 year entry-level contract
== Draft picks ==
The 2009 NHL Entry Draft was held in Montreal, Quebec on June 26–27, 2009. Ottawa made the following picks:
Round	Overall pick 	Player 	Position	Nationality	College/junior/club team (League)
1 	9 	Jared Cowen 	D 	 	Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
2 	39 	Jakob Silfverberg	RW/LW 	 	Brynas IF Gavle (Sweden Junior)
2 	46 (from Columbus) 	Robin Lehner 	G 	 	Frolunda HC Gothenburg (Sweden Junior)
4 	100 	Chris Wideman 	D 	 	Miami University (CCHA)
5 	130 	Mike Hoffman 	C/LW 	 	Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)
5 	146 (from Boston via Phoenix)	Jeff Costello 	LW 	 	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
6 	160 	Corey Cowick 	LW 	 	Ottawa 67's (OHL)
7 	190 	Brad Peltz 	LW 	 	Avon Old Farms (HS-CT)
7 	191 (from Edmonton) 	Michael Sdao 	D 	 	Lincoln Stars (USHL)
== Farm teams ==
* Binghamton Senators (American Hockey League)Don Nachbaur was hired as the new head coach of Binghamton on July 17.
* Elmira Jackals (East Coast Hockey League)
== See also ==
* 2009–10 NHL season
== References ==
2009-10
Category:2009 in hockey
Category:2010 in hockey