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Erik Gudbranson Traded To Nashville Predators

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The Ottawa Senators have flipped another depth defenseman, trading Erik Gudbranson to the Nashville Predators for a 2023 seventh-round pick and minor league defenseman Brandon Fortunato according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

It wouldn’t have been a trade deadline if Gudbranson didn’t move. The 29-year-old defender has now been dealt for the fifth time, including four times since his current contract began at the start of the 2018-19 season. With that deal about to expire, it was all but certain that the Senators would move Gudbranson before the deadline, the second such time he has been moved on the last day to do so.

Unfortunately, Gudbranson’s play this season didn’t warrant much of a return. Gudbranson has just three points and is a -13 so far this season, looking slow and ineffective on the ice. While he started to show signs of slowing down last season in Anaheim, it was very apparent in Ottawa this season. As a result, a player who was traded straight up for Tanner Pearson just two years ago and cost a fifth-round pick for Ottawa to acquire this summer, the Senators were only able to land a seventh-rounder and an unheralded prospect for a short stretch of Gudbranson. Fortunato, 24, has done little in the pros since signing with Nashville in 2019 and does not appear to be a legitimate NHL prospect.

Perhaps the low cost is why the Predators took a shot at the veteran. Nashville was expected to be a major seller not long ago and even after climbing back into the Central Division playoff picture, they were not thought to be a buyer. However, adding some depth and experience on the blue line for next to nothing is not a bad move for GM David Poile and company if they do indeed qualify for the postseason.

Senators Claim Victor Mete Off Waivers

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The Senators have added some extra depth to their back end off the waiver wire as Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link) that Ottawa has claimed Victor Mete off waivers from Montreal.  This move comes off the heels of them trading Mike Reilly and Braydon Coburn late last night.

Mete has played a very limited role with the Canadiens this season, suiting up in just 14 games this season, picking up three assists while averaging a career-low 14:09 per game.  It’s a sharp contrast from the beginning of his career when he spent considerable time on the top pairing with Shea Weber but he was surpassed on the depth chart by Ben Chiarot, Joel Edmundson, and Alexander Romanov as they were brought in over the last two years.  That resulted in an early-season trade request, one that was clearly not fulfilled and evidently Montreal couldn’t find a taker before waiving the 22-year-old yesterday.

With the limited role he had in the bubble, Mete opted to accept his $735K qualifying offer, making him a low-cost acquisition for Ottawa down the stretch.  However, he is eligible for salary arbitration this summer and with nearly 200 career NHL games under his belt, he will have a good case for a somewhat notable raise if it was to get to a hearing despite how things have gone this season.

But that’s an issue for the summer.  In the meantime, the Senators will get a free opportunity to take a closer look at Mete to see if he can be a part of their future plans.  As for Montreal, they basically brought in his replacement yesterday with the acquisition of Jon Merrill from Detroit so this news won’t affect any of their other plans before today’s trade deadline.

Strong Interest In Erik Gudbranson

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  • There is strong interest in Senators defenseman Erik Gudbranson, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). The 29-year-old has just three points in 36 games this season but can still bring some physicality and shot blocking to a third pairing.  One possible issue is his $4MM AAV which is on the pricey side for a depth defender although Ottawa can retain up to half of that and will likely need to do so.  Gudbranson will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.

Islanders Acquire Braydon Coburn

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The Islanders have brought in another veteran for the stretch run, acquiring defenseman Braydon Coburn from the Senators in exchange for a 2022 seventh-round draft pick.  Both teams have confirmed the move.

The 36-year-old was moved to Ottawa just before the season started in a trade from Tampa Bay that was designed to maximize their LTIR potential with the Sens picking up Cedric Paquette (who was dealt to Carolina soon after) plus a second-round pick for their troubles.  However, as a veteran on his last legs, Coburn wasn’t a great fit for the Senators who waived him in early February but couldn’t find a taker at that time.  On that front, getting a pick, even a late one, two months later is a worthwhile move.

Despite spending a lot of time on the taxi squad, Coburn has gotten into 16 games this season while logging 16:26 per night.  Having said that, he should get used to being back in a reserve role as the Islanders aren’t bringing him in to be a regular player as he slots in no higher than seventh on the depth chart.  However, as someone with plenty of postseason experience – he has 137 career playoff contests under his belt – Coburn gives them someone that has been there before and can step in if injuries strike.  He won his first career Stanley Cup last year with the Lightning although he only got into three games along the way.

Coburn is in the final season of a two-year, $3.4MM contract and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.  Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link) that there is no salary retention in the deal.  As a result, the Isles now have $1.55MM remaining in their LTIR pool, per CapFriendly, an amount they can spend if needed with both Anders Lee and Johnny Boychuk out for the season.

Bruins Acquire Mike Reilly

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The Bruins have added some depth to their back end as they’ve acquired Mike Reilly from Ottawa in exchange for a 2022 third-round draft pick.  Both teams have announced the trade.

Reilly was highly coveted coming out of college after opting to not sign with Columbus who drafted him back in the fourth round in 2011.  However, he never really established himself as a regular with Minnesota who signed him in free agency and things didn’t change after he was flipped to Montreal in 2018.  That resulted in Ottawa picking him up for a fifth-rounder last season and while he still isn’t quite established yet as a key piece, he has taken some steps towards that.

This season, the 27-year-old has played in 40 games and while he has yet to score a goal, he has a career-best 19 assists, one behind Thomas Chabot for the team lead while the 19 points are also a career high.  That performance was enough to get Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion to try to work out a short-term contract extension this weekend, per Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, but those talks clearly didn’t result in a new deal although they were able to get a two-round upgrade on what they paid to get him a year ago which is still nice.

As for Boston, they have been hit hard by the injury bug this season with Charlie McAvoy, John Moore, Brandon Carlo, and Matt Grzelcyk all currently out of the lineup with Kevan Miller requiring some rest after missing all of last season so there was a clear need for depth.  They also didn’t replace Torey Krug when he left for St. Louis in free agency so Reilly’s playmaking will certainly be beneficial.  A good showing with Boston would certainly bolster his value heading into the open market but could also create an opportunity for him to stick around.

Reilly is a pending unrestricted free agent with a $1.5MM salary and cap hit which still leaves GM Don Sweeney some space to work with before Monday’s trade deadline.  They could still stand to add defensive depth in light of the injuries but they could also turn to try to add up front and add some secondary scoring, an element they’ve frequently coveted in recent deadlines.

Joe McDonald of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette was the first to report the trade.

Ottawa Senators Sign Cody Goloubef To One-Year Deal

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The Ottawa Senators announced they have signed defenseman Cody Goloubef to a one-year, two-way pro-rated contract for the rest of the 2020-21 season. Goloubef had been playing under a professional tryout contract with the Belleville Senators this year, but has earned an NHL deal now. The deal is worth $700K.

Goloubef has moved around the league quite a bit over his career, but is not an unfamiliar name in Ottawa. The 31-year-old was acquired via trade from the Boston Bruins back in 2019 and played for the Senators for more than a year before he was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Red Wings in February of 2020. Most of his NHL experience comes years ago when he played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but he did appear in 29 games for Ottawa.

With no NHL contract option available to him, he did return to the Senators and played with their AHL affiliate where he has appeared in 19 games with the organization with three goals and four points this year.

Goloubef could offer much-needed depth just before the trade deadline if the Senators choose to move out any of their defenseman, especially with names such as Erik Gudbranson as legitimate candidate to be moved. He will likely play a role as a depth defenseman with the organization and will spend most of his time between Belleville and the taxi squad, assuming he clears waivers.

Teams Have Shown Interest In Connor Brown And Nick Paul

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While rental players typically generate most of the trade interest at this time of year, it appears a pair of Senators signed beyond this season are garnering some attention.  Sportsnet’s Wayne Scanlan notes that teams have been calling about forwards Nick Paul and Connor Brown although he adds that the expectation is that neither will move.  Paul is logging over 16 minutes a night, a career high while his $1.35MM price tag for this season and next is the type of lower-cost acquisition that many teams will be restricted to targeting.  As for Brown, his offensive numbers have dipped a bit this year but he has still chipped in with a dozen goals and ten assists in 41 games while playing in both special teams roles as well.  He has two more years left after this at $3.6MM after avoiding arbitration this offseason and any interested team would likely be looking to move a contract the other way as part of any offer for him.

Several Players Clear Waivers

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Saturday: All four players passed through waivers unclaimed, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.

Friday: The Ottawa Senators have placed Clark Bishop on waivers in order to be able to place him on the taxi squad once again. He’s not the only one on the wire, as the Edmonton Oilers have placed veteran forward Kyle Turris and the Montreal Canadiens have placed Paul Byron on waivers. The New York Islanders have also signed Kenneth Appleby to an NHL contract, meaning he has to clear waivers to remain in the AHL.

For Bishop and the Senators, this is a simple move to regain the roster flexibility they have had for most of the season. After clearing waivers before the season began, Bishop was able to move freely between the active roster and taxi squad depending on need, saving the Senators some cash on off days. His exempt status expired earlier this month, meaning he needed to clear again to be assigned to the taxi squad. With just three points in 12 games, Bishop is likely to clear again.

Byron too should be used to this by now, given he has cleared waivers twice this season and is part of a near-daily rotation through the taxi squad. The 31-year-old forward was once an important part of the Canadiens attack but is limited to mostly fourth-line duties these days. Given his contract carries a $3.4MM cap hit through the end of the 2022-23 season, he will clear again.

Turris hasn’t cleared this season, but it won’t be a surprise if he does. The 31-year-old forward is a shadow of the player that once scored 64 points for the Ottawa Senators and is overpaid even at $1.65MM this season. Turris signed a two-year deal with the Oilers in the offseason that the team is probably already regretting after he registered just five points in his first 25 games this season. Moving his deal to the taxi squad could bury $1.075MM of it, giving the Oilers some added flexibility.

Appleby, the biggest unknown of the bunch, is a 25-year-old minor league goaltender that would need an NHL deal in order to serve as the taxi squad netminder. In two appearances with Bridgeport this season he has an .896 save percentage and there is no suggestion that he’ll ever see time in the Islanders net.  CapFriendly reports that Appleby receives a two-year contract, making him eligible to be exposed to Seattle in the upcoming expansion draft.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Matt Murray And Marcus Hogberg Nearing A Return

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  • The Senators could be getting their goalie tandem back soon. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch notes that both Marcus Hogberg and Matt Murray are skating and nearing returns; Hogberg has been out since mid-February while Murray was injured in the pregame warmup back on March 14th.  Anton Forsberg and Filip Gustavsson have served as the goalies in recent weeks and while the latter is waiver-exempt, Forsberg could once again find himself in the third-string reserve role that he has held for most of the season.

Goalie Notes: Senators, Price, Ranking

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The Ottawa Senators have moved Pierre Groulx out of his role as goaltending coach, replacing him with Zac Bierk. Groulx will now work with the scouting staff and development team after serving as goalie coach since 2016. Senators GM Pierre Dorion explained the move:

Unfortunately, a number of our goaltending performances this season have been underwhelming. I think very highly of Pierre Groulx, he’s as dedicated and tireless a worker as anyone in the organization, but we recently reached a point where we thought a fresh outlook could help return some stability to our crease.

The Senators have a combined save percentage of .887 this season, only ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers’ .878 mark. The biggest contributor to that poor performance has been Matt Murray, who has an .880 in 22 appearances after signing a four-year, $25MM deal with Ottawa in the offseason. Murray’s contract is actually back-loaded with $15MM in salary owed over the last two years, meaning he’ll need to get his game back on track to be worth it for Ottawa.

  • Carey Price will not be traveling with the Montreal Canadiens to Toronto for their upcoming games, instead remaining at home to get treatment on his injury. Cayden Primeau has been recalled from the AHL to the taxi squad to give the team a third goaltender during the trip. Head coach Dominique Ducharme told reporters including Eric Engels of Sportsnet that Price’s injury is a lingering one and the goaltender should only be considered day-to-day at this point.
  • Even though Price hasn’t been good this season, posting a .903 save percentage through 23 appearances, his contemporaries still believe he has the ability to be among the best in the world. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski polled ten active NHL players (including three goaltenders) and ten people in hockey operations to create a ranking of the best goalies in the game and Price still came in third behind Andrei Vasilevskiy and Connor Hellebuyck. The list speaks to the up-and-down nature of the position, with other names like Carter Hart and Jacob Markstrom also ending up ranked despite brutal 2020-21 seasons.

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