January 6, 2013

Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson. (QMI Agency/Files)

OTTAWA - Finally, your 2012-13 Ottawa Senators -- the way this hockey writer sees them, anyway.

1. THE COACH

How long will it take second-year bench boss Paul MacLean to get his team playing the “200-foot game” it did in getting to the playoffs last spring, then taking the Rangers to the limit in a coin-flip, first-round series? How long will it take him to use the “200-foot game” reference again?

GM Bryan Murray hit a home run on his fourth strike (John Paddock, Craig Hartsburg, Cory Clouston) at hiring a coach since he himself led the Senators to the finals. MacLean was the team’s MVP (most valuable person) in 2011-12.