You would have to call it a success. Ottawa has a good young core. With a few adjustments this team will be a dangerous. Getting a top 5 pick would really help support their core and make them a problem for years to come.

Of course, a top 5 pick comes as a shocker, considering how good this team was on paper to start the year, but any team getting a top 5 pick is in the success category.

depends what we do with the pick

The season is a failure because the goal was to make the playoffs. However, adding a top five pick to the team would be really good.

I mean, the season is a failure in the standings for sure. They SHOULD have been competitive and they weren't. But on the other hand, Dorion is gone, Smith is gone, Martin is doing a good job getting this team to unlearn DJ Smith hockey.

Putting aside Dorion punting a 1st, which there's no way to spin as a positive, I think they'll be better in the end for having the season bottom out and for them to clean house, than for Ottawa to have been "in it" and finish 5 points out of the wildcard. The team was spared another 6 months of Dorion being in control of making any decisions, which is objectively good for the team, and having Jacques laying the foundation for what kind of hockey this team needs to play is only gonna benefit the Sens, because now the next head coach isn't starting from zero next season trying to break all the bad habits learned under the previous coach.

That said, I'm honestly not expecting Ottawa be drafting top 5. My money is on the 8-12 range. So from that perspective, having another season punted by December, and not ending up with a top pick is gonna blow. Good year to have multiple 1st though, and Ottawa could easily have 3 if they move Tarasenko.

The playoff experience would have been nice, but let's be real they would have gotten smacked by whoever they played. Need to go through that to learn how to win, but with the Top 15 picks we moved in 22 and 23 along with the waste of 10th overall in 2021, we really need another top-end prospect who will be able to contribute for cheap when this team is really ready to contend in 2-3 years (hopefully lol)

Echoing other comments here but the season would be a failure given the expectations, but it'd be hard to call the year anything but a success if they (1) managed to remove the DJ Smith stink that had begun to fester and poison the team, (2) build new habits and systems that suggest better potential for the future, and (3) walk away with a high draft pick in a strong draft to build what is a depleted prospect pool after Dorion squandered several valuable assets.

The Sens under Dorion tried to rush the rebuild by trading high picks for win-now players that didn't fit the team's needs, but the Sens under Staios took too long to respond and left DJ in for too long. The approach they're taking now is the right level of patience, so while the season is a failure because they should have been in the mix at the very least, it's encouraging to know they're back on track.

If this same conversation is being held at this time next year, the rebuild has no choice but to be considered a complete failure.

Well said guys.

Best summed up as "growing pains"

They'll be better moving forward because of this season. I still really wanted to waive the towels and enjoy Sens Mile though. Soon.

If you asked me a couple months ago how I felt I would say it’s a disappointment. However with the team being freed from the old regime there is hope the new management will take necessary actions to improve the team rather than piss away draft picks and make questionable trades. It’s sad that competence is exciting lol