Weekly Question: What is your greatest offseason wish?

Offseason Plans

For the Ottawa Senators, the offseason is well underway - although we wouldn’t know much about that based on the radio silence coming out of the organization on their contract negotiations with key RFAs and what, if any, splashes they plan to make in free agency.

If you look at the final 10-15 games of the season, you might be inclined to do very little. After all, the young Sens ran through most of their North Division opponents down the stretch, pulling themselves out of the basement and having many people wondering what might have been, had they played at this level all year rather than just at the end.

But, we know that there isn’t a General Manager in the NHL who would go into the offseason after finishing 20th in the league and do nothing.

So, let’s play a game.

You get one wish, just one. It’s the only thing that will happen in the offseason. So, if you choose to bring in a right handed defender, you don’t also get to add a centre. If you choose to boost the top six forwards, you have to go into next year with the exact blueline Ottawa has today.

For the purposes of this exercise, you don’t have to wish for a Brady Tkachuk extension or for particular RFAs to be locked up. Those things are going to happen.

Your one wish is for one addition - be specific and be reasonable. Connor McDavid ain’t comin’ to Ottawa, let’s leave it at that.

Question: What is your one offseason wish?

A fire crackling, chestnuts being roasted, Pierre Claus sitting in his big, comfy, red chair, making his list and checking it twice.

You, a young child, excited for Christmas, have so many things on your list. A new captain, perhaps a top flight defender or just some additional depth to build on the success this team saw towards the end of last season.

The problem is, Pierre Claus is a busy man. He has to fly all over the world and give gifts to billions of children, just like you. As such, you can ask for anything and everything but, realistically, you’re not going to get it all. In fact, Pierre Claus has sent his elves around the world to let the children looking forward to Christmas know that they only get one present under the tree.

So, you have to look over your list and check it more than twice. You’ve probably been naughty but let’s pretend you’ve been nice.

What are you hoping to see under the tree?