Since Guy Boucher became the head coach of the Ottawa Senators, the club has dipped into the Swiss market twice, bringing in Tom Pyatt last summer and then late in the season adding Chris DiDomenico. Now, the pipeline is going the other way
On Friday, GM Pierre Dorion expected a decision from Viktor Stalberg on the weekend whether he was going to accept the offer the Senators had on the table.
Apparently that offer wasn't good enough, and the veteran depth winger has signed for 2 years with EV Zug. Where Stalberg would have fit in the depth chart of a healthy Senators team, I am not sure, but he was a valuable fit after coming over from the Hurricanes. He was a player who could fill in at any spot in the lineup, at the top end in a pinch for a short term, or more suitably in a third line role over the long haul.
Its not a huge loss, but having Stalberg back on a team friendly contract would have kept some depth as insurance against injuries or stunted development of prospects that the team is hoping are NHL-ready.