You know when you get home from vacation and need a vacation to recover from your vacation? Well that is what I am going through right now, hence the lack of regular posting over the past couple of weeks.

But I am back now, and will get more regular as training camp approaches and there is more to talk about.

So how about we talk about the summer of Pierre.


New Sens GM had a few tasks on his plate after being named the Senators GM shortly after the season ended.

First off, was the decision on whether or not to keep Dave Cameron and his staff around or to replace them. It didn't take long for that decision to be made as Cameron et. al. were gone within 48 hours. Given that Cameron was the 5th head coach in the Murray GM era to get fired, there was pressure on Dorion to do something that Murray wasn't able to do - find a medium to long-term solution behind the bench.

After about a month of searching and interviewing, the decision was made. A day or so after Bruce Boudreau appeared to be the one that got away, Guy Boucher was hired as head coach (and shortly thereafter Marc Crawford as his Associate coach). Boucher came in and said all the right things, impressed management with his interview and his vision of the Senators and time will tell if Boucher can be the first Senators bench boss since Jacques Martin to last into a 3rd full season behind the bench.

So with things behind the bench largely settled, it came time for Dorion to continue building the team. He got the guy he wanted at the draft, even (some would suggest foolishly) giving up a 3rd round pick to move up 1 spot in the draft to nab big centre Logan Brown.

Then along came free agency, and while the Senators remained pretty quiet on the signing front, they did get something for Alex Chiasson and allowed Patrick Wiercioch to walk without a qualifying offer. Dorion did dip his toe into the free agent pool and signed former Senator Chris Kelly to a 1 year deal, if for nothing else than to give Boucher options on the penalty kill, which was absolutely dreadful for much of the season.

The move of the summer was avoiding arbitration and getting Mike Hoffman's name on a 4 year deal at a number that works for both sides. The negotiations were apparently pretty tense but the deal got worked out in the end and they didn't have to go through with the scheduled hearing.

The big trade of the summer was dealing Mika Zibanejad and a 2nd round pick to the Rangers for Derick Brassard. This one took some balls as Zibanejad is younger and might eventually have a higher ceiling, but Dorion opted for the experience and current production and hopefully better playmaking ability that the local guy brings to make those around him better and more productive (see: Bobby Ryan).

Last but not least, Dorion got Cody Ceci signed to a 2 year bridge deal last week that took care of the final piece of business before training camp.

So, Dorion had a relatively busy summer, and in my eyes the Senators are a better organization today than they were in April with the additions, and the addition by subtractions.

One area that he didn't address, was the top 6 depth forward that has been missing. The top 6 as it stands is ok, but as soon as one of those players goes down, and it is inevitable, then the next man up provides a significant gap in skill (unless you think Zack Smith can pot 20 again this season). Guys like Sam Gagner and Brandon Pirri signed bargain deals late in the summer, and those types of players could be key in filling certain roles. They could still invite one of more free agents to camp on a tryout basis but those names are getting pretty thin (Steve Downie, Cody Hodgson, Max Talbot, Eric Nystrom) and whether or not they could step into top 6 roles if needed is a big question mark.

So if there was any downside to the summer of Pierre, it would be that lack of skilled depth. That is essentially what derailed a playoff berth last season and is a dark cloud looming ahead for this season as well.

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