=== 2003-04 Ottawa Senators Preview ===

By Shawn Clarke, Contributing NHL Writer

(My Sportsbook) - Led by young stars Marian Hossa, Daniel Alfredsson and Patrick Lalime, the Ottawa Senators are set to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Ottawa had the best regular-season record in the NHL last year, but lost in seven games to the eventual champion New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Senators stressed team unity and togetherness this offseason in order to get over the hump in 2003-04. The team headed to a resort outside of Quebec City for a three-day getaway during the preseason to work on its Cup quest.

The Sens can also breath a sigh of relief after Eugene Melnyk, the billionaire owner of Capital Sports & Entertainment, finalized his purchase of the team in August. The NHL's Board of Governors had unanimously approved Melnyk's bid to buy the club and the Corel Centre in June.

Melnyk, who also owns Toronto's St. Michael's Majors of the Ontario Hockey League, came forward to buy the club after previous owner Rod Bryden's offer to repurchase the team feel through.

The Senators, more than $160 million in debt, declared bankruptcy on January 9. A court-appointed monitor representing the creditors recommended in May that Melnyk's $71.8 million offer be approved.

However, on a sad note, the team must cope with the death of assistant coach Roger Neilson. Neilson died in the offseason at his Peterborough, Ontario home after a lengthy battle with both bone marrow and skin cancer.

A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Neilson coached Toronto, Buffalo, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Florida, the New York Rangers and Philadelphia during his 25-year career. He had spent the past three seasons behind the pine in Ottawa.

"Roger was one that brought so much excitement to the rink every day, so much enthusiasm, new ideas," coach Jacques Martin said. "I can't think of somebody that had an impact, not just on coaches but on a lot of players. A lot of the players that he coached always stayed close with him."

Ottawa has been drawing closer and closer to its goal in each of the last three seasons. The team has gone one step further since being bounced from the 2001 Eastern Conference quarterfinals. A trip to the Cup Finals is all that's at stake.

AT THE HELM - Martin returns for his eighth season with Ottawa. He has helped the franchise go from one of the worst in the NHL to one of the elite. There is no question he is a wonderful teacher and very good at getting his players to buy into his system, but can he take this team all the way?

The Sens have been a dominant team in the regular season, topping the 40-win mark in four of the last five seasons. However, the team has come up short in the playoffs. Martin is entering the last year of his contract and this could possibly be his last chance to show what he can do. Anything less than a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals could result in some changes.

ON THE ATTACK - Ottawa is expecting Hossa can continue his development into a superstar. His career-high 45 goals last campaign, along with Alfredsson's playmaking skills and leadership make Ottawa the best in the East. Hossa, 24, played more on the power play than in previous seasons last year, and notched 14 of his 45 goals and 19 of his 35 assists a man up.

The Slovakian struggled early in his career but has steadily improved his all- around game each season. Hossa certainly has the potential to be a 50-goal and 100-point scorer, and he could contend for the Hart Trophy.

Alfredsson won the Calder Trophy in 1995-96 and has played in three All-Star Games. The 30-year-old captain is entering the prime of his career and will be relied on to be a constant scoring threat.

Alfredsson is just three points shy of tying Alexei Yashin's team record for career points (491). He is second on the franchise's all- time list in games played (552), second in goals (187) and first in assists (301). The Swede set career-highs with 27 goals and 51 assists last season.

Another contributor to the Presidents' Trophy winners was center Todd White. He ranked third on the team in scoring with a career high 60 points (25g, 35a).

Jason Spezza, the second overall pick in 2001, will play a larger role this season. The 20-year-old put himself on the map with a solid performance in the Eastern Conference finals against New Jersey. He had seven goals and 14 helpers in 2003 after tearing it up in the AHL.

Spezza prepared himself well for the upcoming season by spending the summer at home in Ontario to work out with a personal trainer. The Senators are going to give Spezza every opportunity to win a spot in the middle of one of the top two lines. Spezza, who has great ice vision, will push White and veteran Radek Bonk for playing time.

Meanwhile, the Senators lost forward Magnus Arvedson, who signed a one-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks. Arvedson had played his first six NHL seasons with Ottawa. The 31-year-old agitator had 16 goals and 21 assists with a plus-13 rating in 80 games last year.

The Sens remain at an impasse with forward Martin Havlat, who rejected a one-year offer. He's prepared to sit out the whole season if that's what it takes to get a deal he believes is fair for both sides.

Center Bryan Smolinski, who signed a four-year contract extension, will be counted on to provide experience and leadership to Ottawa's offense.

ON DEFENSE - Zdeno Chara led the Senators for the second straight season with plus-29 rating. The All-Star blueliner was plus-30 in 2001-02. Chara scored nine goals and set career highs in assists (30), points (39) and average ice time per contest (24:57) last season. His looming 6-foot-9 frame strikes fear among opponents.

Wade Redden re-signed in the offseason to a multi-year deal. The 26-year-old finished tied for 11th in points among NHL defensemen last season, posting 10 goals and adding 35 assists in 76 games. Redden, who has slowly emerged as one of the league's elite rearguards, has played all seven seasons of his career with the Senators. He has totaled 61 goals and 182 assists with 338 penalty minutes during his tenure.

Melnyk continued to dish out more cash among defensemen as Shane Hnidy re- signed with the club. The 27-year-old Hnidy, who inked a one-year contract, played in 67 games last season for Ottawa. He assisted on eight goals and racked up 130 penalty minutes. Hnidy, a Neepawa, Manitoba native, has played in 152 career NHL games with four goals, 11 assists and 271 penalty minutes through parts of three seasons.

Steady veterans Curtis Leschyshyn, Chris Phillips and Karel Rachunek are joined in the top six by heavy-hitting Russian Anton Volchenkov, who surprised as a rookie last year.

Ottawa's defense posted a streak of 24 straight games with three or fewer goals against. The streak lasted from November 21 to January 6 and was the longest since the 1955 Montreal Canadiens held their opponents to three or fewer goals in 25 consecutive contests. The Habs did it from October 29 to December 24, 1955.

IN THE CREASE - Lalime has become one of the steadiest goaltenders in the league and his first 40-win campaign is within reach. Last season, the Montreal native appeared in 67 games and posted a 39-20-7 mark. Lalime finished fifth in the NHL with a 2.16 goals against average and notched eight shutouts. During last season's playoff run, Lalime appeared in 18 games with an 11-7-0 record, one shutout and a 1.82 GAA. Since beginning his NHL career with Pittsburgh in 1996-96, he has registered 28 shutouts in 265 career games.

Martin Prusek serves as an able backup, but he will only get a handful of stints between the pipes. Prusek, who signed a one-year contract in the offseason, registered a 12-2-1 record with a 2.37 goals-against average and .911 save percentage in 18 regular season games last season. He then served as Lalime's backup for all 18 playoff tilts. Before coming to North America, Prusek played six seasons with Vitkovice of the Czech First Division.

X-FACTOR - Can the Senators duplicate last season's success? Will the nucleus of the team help capture another Presidents' Trophy? That will be the guideline for the 2003-04 squad. Can Hossa wreak havoc on the league's goaltending again? Fourteen of Hossa's 45 goals and 19 of his 35 assists came with the man advantage, making him one of the most opportunistic players in the league. Is this the season Lalime backstops his way to Vezina glory?

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - The Senators have everything in place to easily stride past the other contenders in the East. Ottawa and the New Jersey Devils should finish at the top and no team in the league has fewer holes than the Senators heading into their opener. Anything less than a trip to the Finals will be a disappointment in Canada's capital region.