Next up in the 2023 Fantasy Hockey Sleeper series is the Ottawa Senators. This team has definitely made the right moves in order to make themselves competitive and dangerous. It seems like the Atlantic Division is much more open for the taking this season. With the new additions and young players, the Senators are going to be a very exciting team to watch.
The Senators will have more players relevant for fantasy hockey than most. While some players will get lots of attention, and rightfully so, there will be those who slip through the cracks. This is what we’re here to dive deeper into. Let’s take a look at some of the sleepers for Ottawa this season in fantasy hockey.
Ottawa Senators Sleepers for 2023-24 Fantasy Hockey
Ridly Greig
The Senators might have a very good top-six now, but their third line is also impressive. This line will surely be one of the best in the league with Shane Pinto, Dominik Kubalik, and Ridly Greig. As far as third lines go, that is a lot of offensive talent. I’m not worried about Pinto playing the majority of the games this season. If he does, Greig will be on the wing. If Pinto misses time, Greig will move over to center. Either way, the rookie is going to play a big role on the third line and he is set to impress.
The 21-year-old made his NHL debut last season and put up two goals and nine points in 20 games. In a full season with the talent around him, 40 points is well within reach. The Senators will score lots of goals and he should get some power play time on the second unit. He may very well be worth a last-round pick. That is where a lot of the steals in drafts are found. It’s never a bad idea to take a chance on a young player.
Jake Sanderson
Last season Jake Sanderson came right into the NHL after finishing up in the NCAA. He opened a lot of eyes and earned himself a long-term extension already. He is only 21 years old, but he already has a major impact on the Senators. Last season he logged the second-most average time on ice per game behind Thomas Chabot, and Chabot missed 14 games.
Sanderson showed an impressive ability all over the ice. He scored four goals and 32 points and will once again get lots of ice time. With such a good-looking forward group, assists should come even easier this season. He was slept on last season in fantasy hockey, and for good reason. He hadn’t proved himself. Attention will likely be taken away from him again as Chabot and Jakob Chychrun are drafted ahead of him. I would recommend adding Sanderson in the later rounds as he is set for another strong season.
Joonas Korpisalo
The Senators finally believe they have found their goalie, 29-year-old Joonas Korpisalo. They are tired of waiting for the young talent in their system to take big steps. Korpisalo will be starting the first of a five-year contract and is coming off an impressive season. He started with the Columbus Blue Jackets who gave him no help, but still managed a .911 save percentage and a .615 quality start percentage. Once he got a stronger defensive group in front of him, he finished the regular season with a .921 SV% on the Los Angeles Kings.
The Senators have a pretty impressive defensive group if they stay healthy. Korpisalo has worked with much less. He might not be valued very high among goaltenders, but he should be picked fairly high. Korpisalo will get wins, face a good deal of shots, and be able to shut the door a lot of the time. As I noted, the Atlantic Division is wide open and the Senators would surprise some. The Senators’ starter will be a big part of that.
Ottawa has a lot to give fantasy hockey owners this season. With all of the talent on the team, some players will get lost in the shuffle. Be sure that you take advantage of this and it should pay off nicely. The next team in the 2023 Fantasy Hockey Sleepers series is the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Make sure to check out all of the sleepers and breakouts of the 2023 fantasy hockey season!
Looking for more great fantasy hockey analysis? Check out our 2023 Fantasy Hockey Draft Kit for team previews, rankings, and all the sleepers you can shake a stick at.