2008–09 Ottawa Senators season

NHLTeamSeason
Season=2008–09
Team=Ottawa Senators
Conference= Eastern
ConferenceRank= 2nd (As of October 5th, 2008)
Division= Northeast
DivisionRank=1st (As of October 5th, 2008)
Record= 1-0-1
HomeRecord= 0-0-1
RoadRecord= 1-0-0
GoalsFor= 6
GoalsAgainst= 5
GeneralManager= Bryan Murray
Coach= Craig Hartsburg
Captain= Daniel Alfredsson
AltCaptain= Dany Heatley
Chris Phillips
Arena=Scotiabank Place
Attendance= TBD
GoalsLeader= Dany Heatley, 3 (As of October 5th, 2008)
AssistsLeader= Filip Kuba, 3 (As of October 5th, 2008)
PointsLeader= 3 Tied (Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, Filip Kuba)
PlusMinusLeader= TBD
PIMLeader= TBD
WinsLeader= Alex Auld (1-0-0)
GAALeader= Alex Auld, 1.00

The 2008–09 Ottawa Senators season will be the 16th season of the franchise. The Senators regular season will start in Europe. The Ottawa Senators and the Pittsburgh Penguins will play each other twice in Stockholm, Sweden on October 4 and October 5.cite web |url=http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=351323&page=NewsPage&service=page |title=Four NHL teams to open the 2008-09 regular season in Europe Oct. 4-5 |publisher=NHL.com |date=January 26, 2008 |accessdate=2008-04-24]

Off-season

On June 5, it was reported that Wade Redden would not sign a $3.5 million per year contract with the Senators. He instead became an Unrestricted Free Agent on July 1 and signed a six-year, $39M contract with the New York Rangers. [cite news |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Ottawa/2008/06/06/5792821-sun.html |accessdate=2008-06-09 |title=Redden to go on market |last=Garrioch |first=Bruce |publisher=Slam! Sports] On Friday, June 13, 2008, the Senators named Craig Hartsburg, coach of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, the new head coach after interviewing Bob Hartley and Peter DeBoer as candidates. Hartsburg signed a three-year agreement with the Senators. [cite web |url=http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=240543&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_main |title=HARTSBURG INTRODUCED AS NEW HEAD COACH IN OTTAWA |date=2008-06-13 |accessdate=2008-06-13 |publisher=TSN.ca]

On June 20, the day of the NHL Entry Draft, the Senators placed Ray Emery on waivers and re-signed Chris Kelly to a 4-year, $8.5-million contract. [cite web |url=http://senators.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=366569 |title=Kelly Staying with Senators |date=2008-06-20 |accessdate=2008-06-23] At the draft, the Senators selected Erik Karlsson with their first-round pick (15th overall) and proceeded to select Patrick Wiercioch (42 overall), Zack Smith (79 overall), Andre Petersson (109 overall), Derek Grant (119 overall), Mark Borowiecki (139 overall), and Emil Sandin (199 overall).

On July 1, the Ottawa Senators announced that they have signed goaltender Alex Auld to a two-year contract worth $1 million per season. Auld is expected to serve as a backup to Martin Gerber for the '08-'09 season.

On July 2, the Ottawa Senators announced that they have re-signed forward Shean Donovan to a two-year contract at $625,000 per season. The Sens also announced that they have signed forward Jarkko Ruutu to a 3-year contract worth $1.3 million per season.

On July 5, the Ottawa Senators announced that Antoine Vermette had elected to take the club to salary arbitration. The Senators and Vermette would agree to a two-year deal on July 31.

On July 8, the Senators announced that they had signed defenceman Jason Smith to a two-year, $5.2M contract. [cite web |url=http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=242839&lid=sublink09&lpos=headlines_nhl |title=Senators sign free agent defenceman Smith |date=2008-07-08 |accessdate=2008-07-09 |publisher=TSN.ca]

On July 16, the Senators announced that they will host the Detroit Red Wings in their official home-opener on October 11th.

On July 17, the Ottawa Senators and CHUM Radio announced that the club and The Team 1200 have signed a multi-year extension to their agreement to broadcast Senators' games. The original 10-year contract expired at the end of the '07-'08 season.

On July 31, the Ottawa Senators and Antoine Vermette avoided going to arbitration by agreeing to terms on a new 2-year contract worth $5.525-million(US). Vermette will make $2.525-million for the '08-'09 season, and $3-million in the '09-'10 season.

On August 29, in a deal similar to the Alexei Yashin trade in 2001, former first round pick Andrej Meszaros was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Filip Kuba, Alexandre R. Picard, and a first round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft (obtained by Tampa Bay in an earlier deal with the San Jose Sharks).cite web |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Ottawa/2008/08/31/6623611-sun.html |title=Mes Wanted to Stay |publisher=Slam Sports |accessdate=2008-09-05] Meszaros was a restricted free agent demanding $1 million more per season than the Senators were willing to pay. After Tampa threatened to offer Meszaros an offer sheet with picks as compensation on August 28, the Senators decided to make a deal with Tampa. [cite web |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Ottawa/2008/08/29/6606541-sun.html |title=Bolting to Sunshine State? |accessdate=2008-09-05 |publisher=Slam Sports] Meszaros signed a six year, $24 million dollar contract on August 30 with the Lightning.

On September 2, the Senators made a deal with the Vancouver Canucks, and traded their defenseman Lawrence Nycholat for a center/right wing Ryan Shannon. On the same day, they signed another former-Canucks player, Brad Isbister, who was a unrestricted free agent. On September 27, a veteran defenseman Luke Richardson re-signed a 1 year, two-way with the Ottawa Senators for a second season.

Pre-season

On October 2, the Senators played their first-ever game in Europe, a pre-season exhibition game in Gothenburg, Sweden against the Frolunda HC team which Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson played for before joining the NHL and during the lockout. This will be the Senators' first-ever game in Europe.
The Senators finished the 2008 pre-season with a record of 4-2-0-0.