The Ottawa Senators aren't the same pesky club they proved to be last season, Jim Hughson says.

The Hockey Night in Canada play-by-play man says in his weekly video blog that the Senators showed an unexpected resilience when key players went down with injuries last season, but aren't producing the same results this season with the roster fully intact.

Hughson says the absence of former captain Daniel Alfredsson and lofty expectations could be factors in the Senators' slow start.

Ottawa is 5-6-4 for sixth place in the Atlantic Division heading into Thursday night's home game against the Montreal Canadiens (CBC, CBCSports.ca at 7 p.m. ET).

Watch the full video above for more. What do you think?