Sens poised to surpass expectations: The Hockey News

According to THN.com blogger Rory Boylen, the Senators' could be one of a few teams poised to surprise a few people this season by performing better than expected. (In my opinion, it can't be too hard to surpass the expectations that have been set after last season, but that's another post.) From Boylen's blog:

They [the Sens] shed the character that was quite often pointed to as the reason for the decline in Ray Emery and a defenseman who many felt had worn out his welcome and usefulness on the Ottawa blueline in Wade Redden. After all that, they still have one of the best lines in the game, a blueline that makes up for a lack of recognizable names with tough, effective shutdown play and a goalie in Martin Gerber who gets no respect, despite having a career full of respectable numbers.

--THN.com

Now, he also picked Florida and Columbus to surpass expectations, but one out of three isn't too bad. Say what you will about pitting the blame on Emery, the fact that Ottawa's for the CASH line intact, a very defensive-minded defence-by-committee, and an influx of grittiness with Jason Smith and Jarkko Ruutu, it's still a solid roster on paper. And I maintain that Gerber is a bona fide starting goaltender in this league, even if Ben and a number of other pundits disagree with me.