When Claude Giroux agreed to a free-agent contract with the Ottawa Senators in the summer of 2022, he was extremely honest about what to anticipate from his new team.
“Will we be the Cup winners the next year? I’m not sure. Most likely not. Girioux stated on July 13, 2022, “I’m not saying we won’t; I’m just saying probably not.” However, we have an entire year to improve it in order to sharpen our skills and forge an identity. And I believe that’s when things start to get hazardous.
Six hundred days later, Giroux is seated in the Honda Center’s visitors dressing room in Anaheim. His squad is rapidly approaching missing the playoffs as it is stuck in a four-game losing streak. Giroux most definitely did not envision his second campaign unfolding in Ottawa in this manner. And when asked to sum up his thoughts on a season that has fallen apart for the Senators, the seasoned forward brings up the word “identity” once more in a lengthy interview with The Athletic.
“The situation we’re in right now is obviously very frustrating,” Giroux remarks. “We need to continue figuring out our identity and how we want to play as a team.”
This iteration of the Senators has found it challenging to define their identity.
They are not the meticulous and accountable team that was successful in the early 2000s under Jacques Martin’s first bench stint.
They lack the self-assurance and swagger of the Bryan Murray-led “Pizza Line” team that made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.
The “Pesky Sens” under Paul MacLean were typified by their ability to punch above their weight.
Erik Karlsson’s genius and Guy Boucher’s methodical approach brought the team dangerously close to making it back to the Stanley Cup Final.
Even D.J. Smith’s first few seasons in the bench were marked by an odd slogan, “The Kids Are Alright,” which allowed for youthful energy and errors.
The Senators’ jerseys have always been marked with a label that is easy to recognize.
However, this version right now?
Their frustrating inconsistent nature could be the best way to describe them. And that’s more of a character flaw than it is an identity. The same squad that defeated the Vegas Golden Knights and the Dallas Stars, two Stanley Cup contenders, in quick succession after falling to the Chicago Blackhawks and the Anaheim Ducks. And what irritates Giroux are those absurd highs and lows, which are frequently felt in close quarters.
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