Ryan Hartman was well aware of Gary Bettman’s track record and how rare it is for the NHL Commissioner to shorten suspensions. But that’s exactly what Bettman did Monday, trimming Hartman’s 10-game suspension for roughing Ottawa’s Tim Stützle to eight games to make the forward eligible to return next Tuesday at Seattle.

If the Ottawa Senators were ever going to take a marked step forward in their rebuild, the improvements would have to come from within.