The dog days of summer are upon us. With a few months to go before any meaningful hockey activities resume, we hockey crazed fans have nothing but time. Nothing to do but wait...and endlessly speculate about the upcoming season.

With the Free Agency madness behind us and the excitement of the Draft wearing off, most Sens fans will start to let their minds wander. Did we draft the right guy? Did we do enough to solidify our team? How will the lines shake out for next season? IS ALFIE COMING BACK?

(UPDATE 1:31 PM)- The Ottawa Senators have added another goalie to the organization this afternoon signing Nathan Lawson to a one year, two way contract. Lawson spent last season with the Hamilton of the AHL and appeared in 44 games, posting a 2.57 GAA and a .914 %.

For those that were on the site earlier this week, you'll know I gave readers an opportunity to send in their submissions for Chirp of the Week.

There were plenty of good submissions but I've selected this entry from SensChirp regular, Tibor.  Tibor has an interesting take from the recently completed Development Camp with a focus on the Sens blueline of the future.

The Senators system is full of prospects that look like they’re close to becoming NHL regulars in the very near future.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing prospects in the system right now, and a guy that is rarely talked about much these days, is Swedish forward Andre Petersson.  Exactly where he fits in with this team moving forward remains a bit of a question mark.

(UPDATE 9:27 AM)- The Ottawa Senators made it official this morning, signing Chris Neil to a three year extension.  Courtesy of the Sens official Twitter feed, here is a picture of the Sens tough guy putting pen to paper on the new contract.

(UPDATE 3:20 PM)- The Ottawa Senators announced a move today, signing defenceman Tyler Eckford to a two year, two way contract.  Eckford should provide some additional depth for the team in Bingo next season. The Vancouver native racked up 25 points with the Portland Pirates last year.

(UPDATE 9:44 AM)- Sens forward Kaspars Daugavins has filed for salary arbitration.  Daugavins is a restricted free agent and hoping to land a one way contract through the arbitration process. The Latvian posted 11 points in 65 games with the Senators last season.

In the days and weeks leading up to July 1 and the start of free agency, there was plenty of talk surrounding the Ottawa Senators.

They were frontrunners in the Rick Nash sweepstakes. They were right in the mix when it came to landing NCAA star Justin Schultz.  Yet here we sit on July 5 and the changes to the Senators roster have been fairly limited.  And while you cannot completely judge an off season in early July, you have to think Bryan Murray and his staff are a little disappointed.

(UPDATE 10:17 PM)- For those that missed the news earlier, the Sens have signed former first round pick Hugh Jessiman to a one year deal.  Jessiman should provide some solid depth down in Binghamton.  Meanwhile, Rob Klinkhammer has signed a contract with the Phoenix Coyotes.

As the dust settles on day one of free agency, the Ottawa Senators have seen some signifcant changes to their line up.

Gone are Carkner, Konopka, Kuba and Foligno. All quality players that were a big part of this team's identity last season. Meanwhile the Sens added Guillaume Latendresse, Mike Lundin and defenceman Marc Methot.