Fantasy Outlook: The Jets were 15th in goals scored in 2013-14, they were 15th in 2012-13…and in 2011-12 the Jets were 14th. You can probably make a reasonable prediction as to where they will finish in 2014-15, but I get the feeling that things will improve slightly. Mark Scheifele was just starting show that he’s now a star in this league when he went down with injury. Trouba is also going to take a big step forward. Assuming they can upgrade Jokinen and Setoguchi, this could be a Top 13 or Top 12 team in terms of offense. Goaltending is still an Achilles heel and the pipeline isn’t as flush as it used to be. Fantasy Grade: C+ (last year was B-)

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Ottawa Senators

Pending UFAs  – Ales Hemsky, Milan Michalek, Matt Kassian, Joe Corvo, Jim O’Brien

Pending RFAs – Stephane Da Costa, Robin Lehner, Mike Hoffman

Looking to add – Ottawa could use another winger or two, but otherwise as far as skaters are concerned, this team could very well just go with what they got and build from within. At least, from a free-agent-market standpoint. From a trade standpoint, that’s another matter. If the rumors come to fruition and Jason Spezza is traded, it’s a completely different scenario obviously.

Last season, the goaltending was suspect. But my belief is that Craig Anderson follows up a bad year with a good one. He’s done that for five or six years now (go ahead, look it up) and I consider him a “buy low” candidate in keeper leagues.

Ready for full-time – Mark Stone showed down the stretch that he is ready for NHL duty full time. Durability has been an issue since he turned pro, as he played in just 110 games the last two seasons combined. But he’s dominated offensively at the American League level for Binghamton, and more than held his own in the Ottawa lineup. He’ll make the team as part of the third line and don’t be surprised if he’s worked his way up the depth chart by Christmas.

Mike Hoffman is coming off of a season in which he scored 67 points in 51 games for Binghamton. Clearly there is nothing more for him there. Despite the big points in the AHL and QMJHL, Hoffman projects as a third-line checker with some scoring pop. Then again, I remember pundits saying the same thing about Patrick Sharp once upon a time. Just tuck Hoffman away in the back of your mind and in a couple of years you could very well be gunning for him on the waiver wire.

J-G Pageau has already shown that he can play at the NHL level, but the numbers game kept him in the AHL last season. It could very well keep him there again this campaign, although a Spezza trade would certainly open things up. However, Pageau is in a tough spot in that Curtis Lazar is a season away from making the jump – at most.

Lazar’s path to the NHL could be a short one if the team moves Spezza. Considered one of the best prospects in hockey for not only his offensive pop, but his two-way ability, Lazar will get a long look in training camp. There is nothing for him to learn in junior hockey so the Sens will have a tough decision to make regardless. He is too young to quality for the AHL.

Mark Borowiecki is a tough, physical defenseman who finally has a one-way NHL contract for the coming season. He should make the team as a result and he is a dark horse for 150 penalty minutes.

Fantasy Outlook – The Sens were 21st in total offense last season and 26th the year prior. The future is pretty bright with the likes of Stone, Lazar, Matt Puempel and others on the way, not to mention the tremendous progress of future stud defenseman Cody Ceci. There were several players who had ‘off’ years in 2013-14 so there is every reason to believe that things will be better. Fantasy Grade: B (last year was B)