For most hockey fans, the month of August is always the longest of the year.

There is next to nothing in the way of hockey news and the days seem to slow down to a snail's pace as we wait for the start of a new NHL season.  In just two short days the month of September will be upon us and the stretch run will officially begin on the NHL's off season.

After nearly a month of competition and a number of excellent articles, the readers have spoken and selected the new contributor here on SensChirp.

He will be posting articles throughout the season based on topics he and I come up with.  Really looking forward to seeing what he can bring to the site next season.  So without further ado, I introduce...Tom.

With the 2011-2012 NHL season quickly approaching, the minds behind a few of the best Ottawa Senators Blogs on the internet have come together to answer the five major questions going into this season.

Last week, we took a look at the future of Daniel Alfredsson in the Ottawa Senators organization. This week, we take a look at the future of a few current Sens.

On a team that could struggle to score goals this season, Jason Spezza will be relied on heavily to provide offence.

Spezza showed signs of becoming a more complete player last season and I think we'll see that progression to continue next season.  Here is how I see the season going for Spezza.

With the Sens set to celebrate their 20th season, there will be plenty for fans to look forward to this year.

One thing we have known about for some time is that the club will wear a Heritage jersey as part of the festivities.  Last night, the blog Icethetics has released an image of the jersey fans can look forward to next season.

This will almost certainly be the most difficult "Looking Ahead" to write.

Based on his first couple years in the NHL, it's tough to know what Filatov will bring to the line up next season but it's safe to say that he will be a key part of any success the team has in the 2011/2012 season.

With training camp now just about a month away, the issue of a crowded blueline continues to be a hot button topic among fans of the Senators.  Although for Sens GM Bryan Murray, the situation isn't as urgent as some are making it out to be.

The Sens would like to make space for a couple of young guys but it appears as though the plan is to make them earn it rather than just hand them the spot.

Beginning today, and for the next five weeks, we will feature a Roundtable that will include a collection of answers from Sens Bloggers from across the internet. As a group, we'll try to touch on some of the key topics heading into the 2011/2012 season.

We begin the roundtable with a discussion on Daniel Alfredsson.  Alfie skated for the first time since off-season surgery at the SensPlex on Tuesday and today we discuss the future of Sens Captain.

Yesterday we took a look at veteran Sergei Gonchar. Today we shift the focus to one of the young stars in Erik Karlsson.  Coming off an All Star season where he racked up an impressive 13 goals and 32 assists in 75 games, Karlsson figures to be a key player on the Sens back end next year.

Here is what I expect from EK in 2011/2012.