Have the Sens got back to the big time?

The Ottawa Senators have always been there, or thereabouts, in terms of being a fairly decent NHL outfit on the ice (with a few exceptions in recent seasons), but it's fair to say that they have not been really serious contenders to bring home the biggest prize in hockey: the Stanley Cup.

Having previously reached the Stanley Cup only to be defeated and humiliated by the Ducks, the Senators have been involved in a pretty tough rebuilding job ever since, both in terms of their personnel and self-belief and those who bet on hockey have generally steered clear. This has been made much harder by the fact that the Sens have lost players such as Emery and Heatley, who were seen as big players for the future of the Senators, but both players let the franchise down.

That said, this season things are looking pretty good, the Sens managing to recover after a sticky start to put together a run of results that have started to impress even their harshest critics, finding themselves one of the most unlikely NHL betting tips.

If the Senators continue to hit top form and secure a decent spot in the play-offs, an event that several players such as Chris Neil deserve to take part in, then they will not only have managed to enjoy a decent regular season that has shocked everyone, but will also have blooded some youngsters in the best possible way.

With experience a key part of being a top hockey player, and with several members of the team looking like they want to etch out a successful career in Ottawa, the present and the future could be even better than Sens fans could have dreamed of when they were at the top of the hockey power rankings.