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Latest On Tyler Motte

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Yesterday, we covered how Ottawa Senators netminder Cam Talbot could be a name in play around the trade deadline. Today, The Fourth Period has added Senators forward Tyler Motte’s name to the mix, reporting that Senators GM Pierre Dorion has “started to get engaged in trade discussions” involving players such as Motte.

The Senators have been long-rumored to be seeking a blueline upgrade, and perhaps dealing Motte is one way they can reach that goal. Motte, who will turn 28 in March, signed with the Senators this past summer on a one-year, $1.35MM deal. He’s a well-regarded bottom-sixer who was dealt as a rental last year, helping the New York Rangers make a run to the Eastern Conference Final. Perhaps he’ll find himself in a similar situation this year.

Cam Talbot Less Likely To Re-Sign With Senators?

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It’s not shaping up to be a particularly strong trade market for veteran goaltenders but Postmedia’s Ken Warren posits that Senators netminder Cam Talbot could be in play, suggesting the possibility of the veteran re-signing seems less likely now than just a few weeks ago.  The 35-year-old – who has already been ruled out of the next two games – has a 2.90 GAA and a .905 SV% in 28 games with Ottawa this season, numbers that are close to league average.  While it would likely take some retention on his $3.667MM AAV, the pending unrestricted free agent could certainly serve as an upgrade on the second-string option for several contenders and essentially keep Talbot in the role that he was acquired to fill for the Sens this season.

Ottawa Senators Recall Jacob Larsson

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The Ottawa Senators have announced the recall of defenseman Jacob Larsson from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. The move adds a seventh defenseman to the Senators’ roster and leaves the team with a full active 23-man unit.

Larsson, 25, heads to the Senators’ roster with a chance to play in some more NHL games. He’s gotten three games in Ottawa so far this season, averaged just under 13 minutes of ice time in those games. The 2015 first-round pick arrived in Ottawa over the summer, signing a one-year, two-way league minimum deal with a relatively hefty $300K AHL salary.

Larsson’s play in the AHL has been somewhat uneven. While he’s managed to contribute on both special teams, he hasn’t been able to have the top-of-the-lineup impact many would hope he’d have at this stage of his career in the AHL. He’s scored nine points in 33 games this season, and as can be seen here is often playing on Belleville’s bottom pairing.

In Ottawa, the Senators are hoping to put together a quality run of games to get them into the playoff hunt so they can play meaningful hockey in the spring. While this recall of Larsson adds a seventh defenseman to their roster which gives them some valuable reinforcement, the team is likely better off if Larsson remains depth rather than a counted-on contributor to coach D.J. Smith’s blueline equation.

For Larsson, this recall presents an opportunity. While his AHL performance isn’t going to wow people, strong performance on an NHL stage could go a long way toward earning him his next contract. As things currently stand, the Senators will have a chance to retain Larsson beyond this season as he’ll be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent.

Ottawa Senators Recall Kevin Mandolese

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The Ottawa Senators lost Cam Talbot partway through last night’s game, and according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, the veteran netminder will be out at least through the All-Star break. Unfortunately, he isn’t the only goaltender in the Senators organization dealing with an injury.

Both Antoine Bibeau and Mads Sogaard are hurt, meaning the only recall option was Kevin Mandolese. Garrioch reports that Anton Forsberg is expected to make both starts of the upcoming back-to-back in Toronto and Ottawa.

Mandolese, 22, hasn’t appeared in the NHL yet, and is barely even holding onto an AHL spot. Through 12 games with the Belleville Senators, he has posted an .886 save percentage. That performance has earned him some extra time in the ECHL, where he has a .927 in six games.

In short, he’s not who the Senators need in the crease right now as they continue to try and compete in the Atlantic Division. Forsberg will have to try and take down the Maple Leafs and Canadiens on his own, and the club will have to hope that Talbot can return soon after the break.

Cam Talbot Suffers A Lower-Body Injury

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It has been a tough season on the injury front for the Senators who have had several key players banged up at times.  They lost another key piece on Wednesday night as the team announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Cam Talbot sustained a lower-body injury against the Islanders.  He exited the game in the second period and did not return.

Ottawa acquired the 35-year-old in an effort to build a quality tandem between the pipes with Anton Forsberg.  However, things haven’t gone according to plan as the team entered play tonight a little below league average in goals allowed with both netminders taking a step back relative to their play from a year ago.  Talbot had just a .903 SV% heading into Wednesday’s contest, the second-lowest of his career while Forsberg’s SV% has dipped 18 points from a year ago.  Between that and a surprising lack of improvement offensively, the Sens are battling to avoid being last in the Atlantic Division.

Notably, it’s a contract year for Talbot who is set to hit the open market this summer.  Suffering a second injury (he missed nine games with a rib issue earlier this season) on top of him struggling a bit more certainly isn’t helping his market as he looks to get a raise on his $3.67MM AAV.  While it’s unknown how long he’ll be out at this point, an extended absence could take a potential trade deadline swap off the table as well.

It’s also worth mentioning that Mads Sogaard, Ottawa’s top goalie prospect with AHL Belleville, is injured at the moment and hasn’t played in the last week and a half.  That means their recall options will be veteran Antoine Bibeau or Kevin Mandolese who has split the last two seasons between the AHL and ECHL and is still looking for his first NHL appearance despite three recalls already in 2022-23.

Rourke Chartier, Nikita Zaitsev Activated From Injured Reserve

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It’s been an up-and-down (mostly down) day for the Ottawa Senators. First they recalled prospect Ridly Greig, but then followed it up with news that Josh Norris would be out for the rest of the season. Now, the team has activated two other players from injured reserve.

Rourke Chartier and Nikita Zaitsev are both active again, though the former was sent immediately to the minor leagues.

The return of Zaitsev gives the team six healthy defensemen again, after yesterday’s demotion of Jacob Bernard-Docker. The veteran was skating next to Erik Brannstrom on the third pairing today, and is expected to return to action on Wednesday. Zaitsev hasn’t played since December and has been rather ineffective when in the lineup. Through 19 appearances he has just three points (all assists) and is averaging fewer than 17 minutes a night.

For Chartier, it’s been even longer since he appeared in a game with Ottawa, last playing on December 22. The 26-year-old minor leaguer has six games under his belt this season but is still looking for his first point of the year. His previous 13 NHL appearances, all with the San Jose Sharks in 2018-19, resulted in one goal.

Josh Norris To Undergo Surgery; Out For Season

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Excitement for Ridly Greig’s recall quickly turned to sadness for Ottawa Senators fans, as the team announced Josh Norris’s season is over. He will be going for shoulder surgery in the near future. It is the same injury as earlier this season. Norris has been moved to injured reserve.

After scoring 35 goals in 66 games last season, life was good for Norris. He signed a new eight-year, $63.6MM contract that entrenched him as one of the league’s young stars, and was ready to leverage the team’s improved forward depth for an even better year.

Then he suffered a serious shoulder injury in October after just five games. Weeks went by with Norris consulting five different doctors and two specialists before it was determined that he wouldn’t need surgery.

Senators general manager Pierre Dorion told Claire Hanna of TSN that Norris “felt a subluxation” over the weekend, leading to this decision. He had returned just three games ago, meaning he’ll finish this season appearing in only eight. His two goals and three points are a far cry from what was expected, especially with a new $7.95MM cap hit in hand.

Now he faces another lengthy rehab, while the Senators try to salvage anything this season. The club is slipping down the standings, and has completely shuffled its lines around at practice today in an attempt to get things back on track.

Without Norris, the Ottawa center depth looks mighty thin, with Greig inserted into the second line between Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux before ever playing a game at the NHL level.

Ottawa Senators Recall Ridly Greig

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The Ottawa Senators have some more excitement in store for fans, recalling prospect Ridly Greig from the minor leagues today. This is the first call-up of Greig’s career.

Selected 28th overall in 2020, the 20-year-old Greig has been excellent with the Belleville Senators this year in his first full season of professional hockey. The former Brandon Wheat Kings star has 12 goals and 23 points in 28 AHL games, and has quickly pushed for a chance at the higher level.

If you have ever watched a game that Greig was in, you’ve certainly noticed him. There’s no blending into the background for the young forward, who never stops skating and is always involved in the play. In terms of adding energy to a lineup that has seemed rather lethargic lately, there’s no better option.

Whether his production can follow him to the NHL remains to be seen, but Greig will find a way to make an impact one way or another for Ottawa.

Another move should be coming for the Senators soon, as they currently only have five defenseman on the active roster after sending Jacob Bernard-Docker down yesterday.

Pierre Dorion Has Recently Scouted A Pair Of Kings Games

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  • There has been a belief that the Senators are shopping for help on the back end and NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis notes (Twitter link) that Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion is watching the Kings for the second time in four days. Los Angeles has four right-shot defenders on their roster plus promising prospect Jordan Spence in the minors so their surplus could certainly be of interest to the Sens.  Notably, none of those blueliners are on expiring contracts so Dorion would be taking on a two-year commitment if he finds a trade he likes to improve their defense corps.

Ottawa Senators Re-Assign Jacob Bernard-Docker

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An up-and-down season for Ottawa Senators defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker continued this morning, as the team announced he has been re-assigned to the AHL’s Belleville Senators.

A cursory look at Ottawa’s roster might make this move seem puzzling. Sending Bernard-Docker to the minors leaves Ottawa with no extra skaters on the active roster and just five defensemen. However, Ottawa is entering somewhat of a lengthy break between games. After suffering a 5-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets last night, the Senators don’t play again until Wednesday.

Returning Bernard-Docker (still waiver-exempt) to Belleville doesn’t give him more playing time, though, as Belleville’s schedule mirrors that of their parent club. For Ottawa, having an NHL salary off the books for a few days is a cost-saving measure.

In a less likely scenario, the move could indicate that one (or both) of Artem Zub and Nikita Zaitsev could be ready to go for Wednesday’s game against the Islanders. Both defensemen are currently on injured reserve, but neither has a specific timetable for a return.

Ottawa’s 26th overall selection in 2018, Bernard-Docker has one assist in 13 games with the big club this season. He’d spent the past week on Ottawa’s roster, recalled after Zub exited the lineup with a lower-body injury. In four games since the January 15 recall, Bernard-Docker was held off the scoresheet, had a -4 rating, and averaged 17:15 per game in a more limited role than his earlier call-ups.

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