Mathieu Joseph looking to take next step alongside emerging Senators

TORONTO — Amid an off-season that’s seen Pierre Dorion reel in some elite names for his up-and-coming squad, the sentiment among the Ottawa Senators faithful has been downright giddy. For those set to throw on the Sens sweater next season, the feeling’s much the same.

Just ask Mathieu Joseph, who couldn’t help but crack a smile when asked about that influx of talent on Wednesday. The Senators winger was back in Ontario this week for Smashfest, the annual charity event organized by former NHLer Dominic Moore, raising funds for concussion and rare cancer research — a night that, by chance, wound up offering Joseph his first opportunity to connect with one of those new teammates.

“I met Cam Talbot for the first time today,” Joseph said with a laugh Wednesday. “We’re definitely excited to have him. Obviously the addition of (Alex) DeBrincat and (Claude) Giroux is huge — two really good righties, very talented, and with speed too. I think it’s going to be a good addition to our team. Obviously elite players, so I’m very excited.”

Just as it is for the Senators as a whole, the 2022-23 season figures to be an important step forward for Joseph himself, too.

After making his name as a tenacious penalty killer with the Tampa Bay Lightning, proving his worth as a depth piece during the Bolts’ 2021 title run, the 25-year-old now has a chance to show what he can do in a bigger role after a trade brought him to Ottawa. He offered a glimpse of that greater potential during his brief spin with his new club last season, putting up 12 points through 11 games — fourth-most on the team in that span — while getting the most ice-time he’s ever had in the big leagues.

The situation’s much the same for his younger brother, Pierre-Olivier. Granted a few handfuls of games with Pittsburgh over the past couple seasons, the younger Joseph looks set to be a greater part of the Penguins' plans in 2022-23, with GM Ron Hextall retooling his blue line and potentially moving out another veteran left-side defender for cap reasons.

And as both stare down an important season for their young careers, they’re preparing to meet the moment together, as they always have.

“We live together and we work out together during the summers,” Mathieu said, adding that the pair are a couple weeks into their off-season training. “Growing up, we were always pushing each other, in the gym, on the ice. We can talk to each other. He’s a defenceman, I’m a forward — we can learn a little bit from each other. 

“Being with each other a lot helps us in our careers, and it helps us in life in general.”

“Most people think we’re twins, we get along so well,” added Pierre-Olivier, similarly in town Wednesday for Smashfest. “I mean, he’s my older brother, he’s my role model. … We have fun together, and we can push each other’s limits, so it’s fun to be able to have a brother like that to compete with.”

While Pierre-Olivier is hoping for his first extended stay at the NHL level this season after inking a one-way, two-year extension with Pittsburgh, his brother — an RFA, with an arbitration hearing set for Aug. 1 — already has plenty of veteran experience under his belt from his days with the ever-contending Lightning.

Now, the hope is that the only Senator on the roster with a Cup to his name can impart some of that wisdom on the rest of the group, after seeing firsthand what it takes to embark on that championship grind and finish with banners and rings.

“I think it takes a lot of commitment from the guys,” Mathieu said of what he learned about that journey from watching the Bolts’ three-straight Cup Final runs, having been part of the organization for the first two. “You know, it’s three Finals in two-and-a-half years, not even. On the body, it’s really demanding. 

“To see these guys battle, and knowing what they had — it’s hard to win. And people don’t realize how hard it is until they do it.”

His Senators still have leaps and bounds to make before they get close to that championship conversation. But after an off-season that’s seen the team shore up its goaltending and add two legitimate top-end offensive threats, the club’s surely taken a step forward.

Even so, the path ahead remains daunting, the club still forced to navigate a division that features heavyweights like Florida, Tampa Bay, Toronto and Boston — all of whom hit the century mark last season.

“It’s hard to make playoffs in general. Nothing against the other divisions, it’s hard to make the playoffs anywhere, [but] I think our division last year was excellent,” Mathieu said. “It’s 100 points to make playoffs now, almost. So, we’re going to have to find consistency in our game, show up every game, and hopefully we can do that with the group we have.”