Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

What to Look Out for This Off-Season

April 24, 2019, 2:37 AM ET [12 Comments]
Trevor Shackles
Ottawa Senators Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
You can follow me on Twitter @ShackTS

The entire off-season stretches before us. At least we have the playoffs still going on, and the first round has been fantastic, so I can’t complain too much. But once mid-June comes around, it will feel like a long time since Ottawa has played a game, and I’m sure fans will be eager to get the 2019-20 season started, even with very low expectations. The summer is going to feel like a long one, and there could be plenty of noteworthy stories to happen regarding the Senators.

Here are some things to look out for from now until training camp in September:

New head coach

We still have yet to hear any specific names that the Senators have officially brought in for an interview, although there are names that would make a lot of sense. People such as Marc Crawford, Troy Mann, Jacques Martin, Mike Yeo, Brad Shaw, and Sheldon Keefe have been mentioned, plus I’m sure there are others who I have either missed or I am completely unaware of. Ottawa doesn’t have to rush to hire a new head coach because it’s not as important as a GM or a POHO, as a coach doesn’t really need to do much in the off-season.

Guy Boucher was hired on May 8th, 2016, so they still have a few more weeks if they want to follow a similar timeline. I would expect an announcement at some time in May, although I’m a bit surprised that we haven’t heard any official news about interviews. One thing is certain: their new coach will not be very expensive, so they aren’t getting a high-profile name. However, I’m still not sure which way they are leaning.

POHO hired

About a month ago, we heard about Ottawa’s search for a President of Hockey Operations, but recently it has been extremely quiet on that front. We know that a ton of people turned down either an interview or an offer with the team, and the list of options right now is incredibly thin. I have no idea who it will end up being, but I’m sure we will hear about a hiring sometime in May so that he can help before the draft and free agency.

Columbus’ draft pick

As of now, Ottawa will be picking 19th overall in the draft via Columbus’ pick, although that will move down into the 28-31 range if the Blue Jackets make it to the Conference Finals. That would obviously be less than ideal, although at least they do have a first round pick. The good news is that their 19th overall pick has the potential to move up as many as two spots if the Blue Jackets lose and both the Avalanche and Stars win.

So Ottawa could be picking anywhere between 17th-19th or 28th-31st, which is quite the big range. No matter what though, there will be some interesting TV to watch on June 21st in Vancouver.

Trading for a cap anchor

Ottawa currently has just under $38M in cap space heading into next season (with a higher ceiling of $83M), with RFAs Colin White, Cody Ceci, Christian Wolanin, and Anthony Duclair to re-sign, plus some of Oscar Lindberg, Magnus Paajarvi, Brian Gibbons, and Anders Nilsson might be re-signed as well. Even if all of those players are re-signed, they should still have under $25M in cap space leftover, meaning they would be slightly under the cap floor. Reaching the floor still won’t be an issue, but they will have tons of money left to bring in expensive veterans via trade in order to also acquire a draft pick or a prospect.

They certainly don’t have to go this route for financial purposes, but it would be smart for Dorion to exploit another team’s cap problems. Look at what Carolina did with Chicago by acquiring Teuvo Teravainen alongside Bryan Bickell for just a 2nd and 3rd round pick---that is the type of deal that helps out in the long run, even though Carolina had to take on Bickell’s contract. Some anchors out there that could be moved include Milan Lucic, Loui Eriksson, Brent Seabrook, Ryan Kesler, David Backes, Ryan Callahan, and I’m sure there are others. It’s not about the players themselves---but if Ottawa can get even a B level prospect or a first or second round draft pick just by taking on a contract, that will be a great trade for them. And with hardly any money being spent anyway, Melnyk can’t say that don’t have the money to do this.

RFAs/UFAs

As previously mentioned, Ottawa has 4 RFAs (Colin White, Cody Ceci, Anthony Duclair, Christian Wolanin) and 4 UFAs (Oscar Lindberg, Brian Gibbons, Magnus Paajarvi, Anders Nilsson) this summer. I think all four RFAs will be re-signed, Nilsson might leave as a free agent, and one or two out of Lindberg/Gibbons/Paajarvi will stay. The Senators have a ton of forwards vying for spots next season, and I can’t imagine them keeping everybody in anticipation of prospects making the team out of training camp.

They also have a bunch of decisions to make in the minors, with 6 RFAs (Marcus Hogberg, Nick Paul, Andreas Englund, Adam Tambellini, Morgan Klimchuk, Jack Rodewald) and 7 UFAs (Darren Archibald, Chase Balisy, Jim O’Brien, Erik Burgdoerfer, Justin Falk, Stefan Elliott, and Cody Goloubef). The only players that really matter for Ottawa are Hogberg, Paul, and perhaps Rodewald, so the free agents in the minors aren’t too important. However, it’ll be interesting to see if Hogberg gets a one-way deal or if he stays at all, plus there’s a chance that Paul gets moved, but I would be quite opposed to that. Even with Stone, Duchene, and Dzingel all dealt with, there are still some names to watch amongst their free agent group.

New captain?

It was no surprise that Ottawa went captain-less this season after Erik Karlsson left. Mark Stone would have been the captain if he stayed, but there was no point in giving him the C and then trading him midway through the season. I doubt they will give anybody the captaincy just yet, but you can’t totally rule it out. In the immediate future, players such as JG Pageau, Mark Borowiecki, and Zack Smith would be the most likely to get it, although Thomas Chabot or Brady Tkachuk would be better choices in the future. If they had to make a choice this season, I’d go with Pageau, although there’s no need to rush things, especially if he isn’t going to be captain for very long.

Veteran free agents

Dorion has talked about potentially signing veteran free agents this summer, which will be vastly different from almost every other free agent period where Ottawa signed essentially nobody. They won’t be dipping into the top class, although it’s not as if there are many game-changers available anyway. As for who they could target, players such as Brian Boyle, Adam McQuaid, Ben Lovejoy, Pierre Edouard-Bellemare, Roman Polak, and Jordie Benn stand out as potential options. I don’t think all of those players would make the team better, although this is the tier of players that I expect the Senators to go after. Don’t expect any of these signings to cost more than $3M per season, and they won’t be very exciting.

Thomas Chabot extension

Chabot isn’t an RFA until the end of next season, although he will be eligible to sign an extension on July 1st, and the sooner they can get a deal done, the better. He cemented himself as a top pairing defenseman this past season, and I think he is only going to get better over the next few seasons. Therefore, if Ottawa waits until a year from now to get a deal done, Chabot might be asking for a lot more. I have no idea what kind of cap hit he will be getting, although I’m sure it will be for 8 years. If it’s that long, I’m sure it will be well over $6M per year, with potentially even more. The Senators need to show the fanbase that they are committed to keeping this next core of young players together, and it would be a great sign to see Chabot locked up throughout his prime.

Possible trade options

I wouldn’t say it’s likely to see players on the roster be traded in the summer, but there are a few who could at least be talked about. I would say that Mikkel Boedker, Zack Smith, Chris Tierney, Cody Ceci, Ben Harpur, and Craig Anderson are all options. In reality, I doubt any of them are actually traded, but it would make sense for each one of them individually to be traded. Considering they will be close to the cap floor, they might not be inclined to move some of their bigger contracts, although someone such as Harpur is making only $725k. He hasn’t been mentioned in trade rumours, but by looking at how many defensemen they have for next season, I just don’t see how he fits in alongside Chabot, DeMelo, Ceci, Wolanin, Lajoie, Jaros, Borowiecki, and Brannstrom.

Compared to the late great Bryan Murray, Dorion hasn’t actually been afraid to make trades, so don’t be surprised if he does make some moves.
Join the Discussion: » 12 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Trevor Shackles
» Goodbye For Now
» Very Early NHL Standings Predictions
» Bold Predictions for 2019-20
» The Worst-Case Scenario for 2019-20
» Sens Sign Colin White to 6-Year Contract