Last Think Tank of the regular season for 2018-19:
Important markers for Tkachuk and White
The 4-1 win over the New York Rangers last night was very impressive. Two of the Senators best forwards were once again their best performers---Brady Tkachuk and Colin White. Tkachuk hit 45 points last night, which is quite the solid total for a 19-year-old on a last place team. Furthermore, 45 points in 69 games puts him on pace for 53 points in a full season. After scoring 22 goals so far this season, I see no reason why he can’t put up 30 next year by getting stronger and finishing on more of his golden opportunities.
White also had two assists, putting him past the 40-point threshold as he now sits at 41 in 69 games. Over a full season, that is on pace for 49 points, which means this season was a great step for him as a young player. He sits 64th amongst centres in points per game, so I’m hesitant to call him a 2C just yet, although it’s possible that he takes another step forward and reaches that 50-60 point range next season. Just like Chabot getting 50 points a few games ago, it was pleasing to see Tkachuk hit 45 and White hit 40 simply because it looks nicer on a stats page.
I don’t think either of them are done in their development though, especially Brady. Also, seeing him do these sorts of shenanigans makes it so easy for Senators fans to love him already:
Last stop in New York this season for Brady Tkachuk's friendship tour pic.twitter.com/qctSaqVUHT
— Sens Prospects (@SensProspects) April 4, 2019
Nobody wants the job
Well, the Senators will be hiring somebody for the POHO position, but the list seems like it is narrowing down extremely fast---and not in a good way. The search has not exactly gone to plan so far, with frustration seemingly setting in for the organization:
Doug MacLean says he suspects there is a little frustration going on with the Sens in how their search is going.
— NHL Prospects Watcher (@Prospects_Watch) April 4, 2019
I can’t ever recall somebody from another organization helping out with the process of hiring somebody on a different team, but hey that’s what happens when there is essentially nobody in the Senators front office. In terms of some names for the job, these are some that came up:
Per Sportsnet, #Sens have approached Ron Francis, Trevor Linden, Dean Lombardi, Joe Nieuwendyk, Steve Yzerman in their search for the pres. of hockey ops position. Brian Burke chimed in stating an asst. to a senior exec of a NHL club is assisting with the search.
— Murray Pam (@Pammerhockey) April 4, 2019
The thing is, we already know that Linden, Lombardi, and Nieuwendyk are not interested, plus I can’t imagine any scenario where Yzerman would want to come to such a dysfunctional organization. So that leaves Francis as a potential option, but who knows if he even wants to come to Ottawa. After that, it’s unclear who they could be targeting. But it’s not looking good for the Senators because nobody wants to work with them...or more specifically, him.
Since they’ve already announced that they will be hiring someone for this position, they essentially have to pick somebody now. The only thing is, this person is almost certainly not going to be who they envisioned with all the right qualifications. I just hope that whoever they bring in, it is a forward thinker who can bring in some new ideas and fresh perspectives. Having said that, I don’t expect that to happen at all. It will be incredibly interesting to see who they can force to work for them.
Jonathan Gruden signed to an ELC
In an unexpected move, the Senators signed 2018 4th round pick Jonathan Gruden to an entry-level contract:
News Release: #Sens sign forward Jonathan Gruden to three-year, entry-level contract: https://t.co/YLbDbDIha9
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) April 3, 2019
Communiqué : Les Sénateurs accordent un contrat d’entrée à l’attaquant Jonathan Gruden, pour trois ans : https://t.co/DYuaVY8VHt
The Miami University left winger had just 15 points in 38 games, albeit on a bad team that had its leading point scorer have 26. It was surprising to see him signed so soon, but as others have pointed out, it’s not about his readiness for the NHL, it’s about where he is going to play next season.
For starters, he will actually finish the season in Belleville trying to help their playoff push:
Jonathan Gruden has signed an amateur try-out agreement with the Belleville Senators for the remainder of the 2018-19 season.
— Joel Vanderlaan (@Joelvanderlaan) April 3, 2019
But as for next season, he could be in either the NHL (not happening), AHL (unlikely), or the OHL with London (most likely). The Knights obviously have a fantastic development program, and the Senators probably wanted him to play with a successful team next season rather than be stuck on a poor NCAA team. The competition for him won’t be as strong, but then again it might help his development by being one of the better players in the league (hopefully). Unless he plays in the AHL/NHL, his contract will not count towards the maximum 50 that the Senators can have next season, so there is no issue in that regard.
It was a bit weird to see him get a contract before everybody else in that draft class besides Brady Tkachuk, but their motivation for it makes sense. Point totals since the deadline
Yesterday before the game against the Rangers, Paul on Twitter pointing out something pretty interesting:
Can't believe nobody noticed my poor math skills.
— Paul (@Sens_Army_) April 3, 2019
*Correction :
Dzingel 3G-8A-11P
[Total: 10G-21A-31P]
Brian Gibbons also added another goal to that total, giving the trio 34 points. Nobody is saying that Gibbons, Duclair, and Lindberg are even in the same stratosphere as Stone, Duchene, and Dzingel, but it is funny how things can work out in small sample sizes. It also might be harder for Stone, Duchene, and Dzingel to do as well as they did in Ottawa just because they aren’t necessarily going to always be the best options available, meaning opportunities are going to be spread out more due to surrounding talent. If Duclair is able to get his career back on track, he could make a legitimate case for being as good (or close to as good) as Dzingel moving forward, although obviously Gibbons and Lindberg are fourth line players.
Belleville’s chances aren’t looking good
All of a sudden, the B-Sens are in trouble. With a devastating 1-0 loss to the Syracuse Crunch last night where Marcus Hogberg stood on his head, combined with a Cleveland Monsters win, Belleville is now one point out of a playoff spot. They have five games to play, but the Monsters have six, meaning Belleville will probably have to win at least four of those games. The good news is that the two of them face off against each other on Saturday, which is obviously a must-win.
Just a few weeks ago it seemed like they were in pretty good shape but Cleveland has been red-hot lately, going 6-0-2 in their last eight. They also beat the B-Sens in back-to-back games earlier in March, which could be the difference between making the playoffs or not. It would be a damn shame if after all of this effort to get them into the playoffs, they fail to make it there. They probably wouldn’t go far no matter what, but this organization needs something to cheer for so badly. I hope they can pull off a miracle, but they will need some help from other teams as well.