The Senators have missed the playoffs in 2 of the last 3 seasons, and have only won 1 playoff series in the 9 years since their last appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007.
They haven’t missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons since they missed the postseason each of their first 4 seasons of existence from 1992-1996. They don’t want to start a new trend of ineptness next season.
Brassard is a top line center that makes them better immediately. He’s a solid teammate, and although he struggles with some confidence issues, he possesses a fantastic shot.