Sterling Predictions: Rookies

It’s that time of year, time to predict the Ottawa Senators’ season! Over the next couple weeks we’ll have 10 of these, predicting how the Sens’ season will go. Today, we ask what will happen with the rookies.

Melnyk was on the record saying as many as 10 rookies could make the roster. How many rookies do you think will find their way into at least one game this year? How many will pass the 10 game threshold?

Spencer: I’d love to see a large infusion of rookies this year but, realistically, I think there will be 4, maybe 5, that will play more than 10 games for the Senators this year. I can see White, Chlapik, Brown and Wolanin breaking that threshold. The “maybe 5” would be if one of Formenton or Tkachuk don’t get sent to London, which is entirely possible.

Ary: I’ll go with 10, just for fun. Those with big roles include Chlapik, White, and Wolanin, who I think will start opening day with the team. I also think that Formenton will get a couple games in October, Brown and Batherson will be the recipients of a couple games, Gabriel Gagné will make an appearance after a strong year last year. I can see defencemen Andreas Englund and Christian Jaros as injury fill-ins. The last player, Filip Gustavsson, may get a couple April starts after the team is long out of it.

B_T: I’ll go with 15 rookies seeing at least one game this season, 6 of which will hit the 10 game mark.

NKB: Hard to really guess how many rookies will appear in at least one game, but I’d bet it’s a bunch. Maybe as many as 10. As for those who will stick around for at least a ten game stint:, I’ve got six: Tkachuk, White, Chlapik, Wolanin, Batherson, Brown,

Colin: Assuming the team struggles out of the gate, we could very well see a lot of veteran players shipped out closer to the trade deadline, which should open up plenty of spots for rookie tryouts. I’ll say that six will surpass the ten game threshold (White, Wolanin, Tkachuk, Brown, Chlapik, Jaros), while an additional eight will play between one and nine games (Englund, Gustavsson, Luchuk, Formenton, Gagne, Batherson, Sieloff, Balcers).

Beata: I think at least 10 rookies will get one game, though I doubt they’ll be given much ice time. I think the only ones to get more than 10 games will be Tkachuk, Chlapik, White, Wolanin and Brown.

Brandon: I have a hard time believing we’ll see 10 rookies on the roster, at least right away. I think Brown, White, Jaros, Wolanin, Tkachuk, and MAYBE Formenton will see time with the big club. So 5 or 6.

Nada: It’ll be fun to see more of the prospects this season but I think 10 is a stretch, I have 7 to get more than 10 games Tkachuk, White, Chlapik, Wolanin, Batherson, Brown, Formenton...but about 5 to stay long term (the above minus Batherson and Formenton)

Ross: In the aftermath of the Erik Karlsson trade, we have two more potential rookies with the team (though I doubt Josh Norris is joining the team this year). I think with the gongshow the Sens will be, we’ll see 16 rookies play at least one game with the team. The number that will hit the 10-game mark though will be small: Colin White, Filip Chlapik, Christian Wolanin, Rudolfs Balcers, and Logan Brown. So yeah, five will play 10 or more games.

How many rookies will hit the 10-game mark this season?