Breaking: Curtis Lazar has apparently been dealt to the Calgary Flames. They dealt Lazar and minor league defenseman Mike Kostka for a 2nd round pick and defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka. Jokipakka was available for nothing on waivers yesterday and cleared.
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Pierre Dorion made 3 moves over the last two days, to solidify their depth and address certain concerns.
The latest was Viktor Stalberg, acquired for a third round pick from the Hurricanes yesterday afternoon.
While still lacking a true elite level player to bolster the offense, Dorion is doing what he can. Whether the players he has brought in (Alex Burrows, Stalberg, Chris DiDomenico) prove to be enough of an upgrade over what was already in the lineup (when all are healthy) remains to be seen, but right now the additions should fill in spots where players might have been playing out of their depth and move them to more proper spots where the will not only fit better but excel.
When completely healthy the forward units might look something like (as of 9:00 this morning):
Dzingel - Brassard - Stone Ryan- Turris - Hoffman Burrows - Smith - Stalberg Kelly/Neil/Wingels/DiDomenico/Lazar (at least as of 9:30am)- Pageau - Pyatt
with the potential to also add Colin White to the mix late in the season if his college season ends earlier than he would like, but the NCAA frozen four is April 8th, which is the latest he could play, and then he has the decision to make whether to go pro or stay in college, the latter decision of which would send a lot of red flags about his future and desire to play in the Senators' organization.
Ryan is the key, as he certainly hasn't played up to his potential or expectation this season in almost any area of his game. If he can find some compete level when he comes back from his broken finger, that would be a great addition heading into the playoffs. He can either solidify a decent if not overpowering top 9 or leave a gaping $7.5M hole.
I will update as the day goes along if the Senators do anything at all, or even if they can find an upgrade on the blue line, which Dorion doesn't seem to be focusing on but maybe should. Perhaps a Kyle Quincey, Mark Streit or someone like that to shore up the depth would be a decent idea.