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Nikita Zaitsev To Miss A Month

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The Senators have been hit quite hard with the injury bug this season and they’ve now lost another veteran.  NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman relays (Twitter link) that defenseman Nikita Zaitsev will miss the next four weeks due to a heel injury.  The injury was sustained in Thursday’s game against Tampa and he was seen on crutches following the game.

The 30-year-old has had a more limited role than he has been accustomed to this season.  After logging more than 22 minutes a night in four of his first five seasons (including both years with Ottawa), Zaitsev is down to a career-low 18:32 per night.  As a result, his offensive production has tapered off as well as he has just a goal and an assist in 22 contests so far this season although he’s once again averaging close to two hits and blocks per game.

Zaitsev’s absence should provide an opportunity for the recently-recalled Jacob Bernard-Docker to get into the lineup.  When the team waived Michael Del Zotto earlier this month, part of the logic was to create a roster spot for Bernard-Docker to rejoin the big club but he has been a healthy scratch since being brought up on December 9th.  As he’s one of now only six healthy blueliners on the active roster, that should change.

Meanwhile, Zaitsev joins fellow blueliners Josh Brown and Erik Brannstrom plus centers Colin White and Shane Pinto on injured reserve.  Of that group, Brannstrom appears to be the closest to returning with the Senators hoping he’ll be able to resume skating after the holiday break.  Brannstrom has been out for a little more than a month with a broken hand.

Michael Del Zotto Clears Waivers

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Saturday: Del Zotto was not claimed, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.

Friday: When the Ottawa Senators recalled Jacob Bernard-Docker, it seemed likely that someone was going to find themselves on waivers soon after. That someone is Michael Del Zotto, who was placed on waivers today according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Del Zotto, 31, signed a two-year contract with the Senators in the summer, one that carries a cap hit of $2MM. The team has received just ten games for their money to this point, scratching him several times instead of putting him in the lineup. The coaching staff obviously doesn’t trust the veteran defenseman, as several other options have been inserted over him and now kept as he is placed on waivers. Dillon Heatherington, for instance, could still have been sent down without having to clear waivers again.

So the question is now what does Del Zotto’s future look like in Ottawa? The team has already buried Matt Murray in the minor leagues for the time being, paying his full salary despite the goaltender suiting up for the Belleville Senators, not the ones in Ottawa. Will they do the same with Del Zotto, who is owed a salary of $1.75MM this season and $2.25MM next?

Part of that $2MM cap hit will be removed from the books for the Senators–$1.125MM to be exact–but for a team nowhere near the ceiling, that doesn’t really provide much benefit. The team will still be paying Del Zotto his full salary regardless of where he is assigned. A trade seems to make the most sense, though it is. unlikely that any team is going to give up a legitimate asset, even if he does clear waivers. In this case that would increase his value, as the acquiring team could put him in the minors, but there’s still not going to be much of a return on investment for Ottawa.

Interestingly enough, Del Zotto has still put up points even in his limited showings. With six points in ten games, he’s shown once again that he can contribute offensively, even if his defensive play leaves something to be desired. A veteran of more than 700 NHL games, perhaps a contender will feel as though he can help their depth down the stretch.

D.J. Smith Comments On The Waiving Of Michael Del Zotto

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  • Ottawa’s decision to waive Michael Del Zotto on Friday came as a bit of a surprise considering they only recently gave him a two-year deal. However, head coach D.J. Smith told reporters, including Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link) that injuries have forced the Senators to shift more towards making this a development year which means the prospects get the priority moving forward.  Smith referenced that Jacob Bernard-Docker and Lassi Thomson are young blueliners that should start seeing NHL action again soon.

Dillon Heatherington Exits COVID Protocol

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  • The Ottawa Senators have announced that Dillon Heatherington has exited the COVID protocol and is available for the team this evening. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia suggests that Heatherington could step into the lineup in place of Victor Mete, who has struggled mightily in recent weeks. The 23-year-old Mete played just 8:18 against the Carolina Hurricanes and 10:35 against the New Jersey Devils, his last two appearances.

Pontus Aberg Clears Unconditional Waivers

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Dec 6: Aberg has cleared waivers and the Senators have announced his contract will be terminated. He becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Dec 5: Pontus Aberg’s North American comeback will be short-lived. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that the veteran forward has been placed on unconditional waivers today for the purpose of contract termination. Aberg will return to Europe once clear of the Senators, likely heading back to the KHL where he played last season.

Aberg, 28, returned to North America this season by signing a one-year deal with Ottawa. He had last played in the NHL in 2019-20 with the Toronto Maple Leafs and even earned a qualifying offer from the team, but opted to head to the KHL in search of greater opportunity. Aberg had only played in five NHL games with Toronto and had only 132 career games over six pro seasons. Though a second-round pick in 2012 and always an impressive performer in the AHL, Aberg had rarely been given a fair shake with five different clubs and likely felt that he could burn his final year as a restricted free agent and better showcase his ability and boost his market value in Russia. He did just that, recording 23 points in 49 games with Traktor Chelyabinsk and attracting an offer from the Senators.

However, it was right back to the same old thing for Aberg this season. The veteran forward failed to crack the Ottawa roster out of training camp, despite the rebuilding club’s apparent lack of depth, and had not been recalled by the Senators either. He has 11 points in 19 games with AHL Belleville, but it seemingly has not put him in line for an NHL opportunity. As frequently is the case, Aberg can very likely get a better contract in the KHL than his AHL salary, which is a palatable trade-off for an older player if NHL action (and pay) does not seem likely. Given his age and track record, this is likely the last of Aberg in North America.

Matt Murray Will Play Again For Ottawa

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The Matt Murray era has been an unmitigated disaster in Ottawa. Since the Senators gave up a second-round pick and prospect Jonathan Gruden to acquire the up-and-down netminder from the Pittsburgh Penguins before the 2020-21 season and signed him to an unsubstantiated four-year, $25MM contract, they have seen almost all down and no up. Murray has a 10-18-1 record with an .892 save percentage and 3.35 GAA, easily the worst numbers of his career.  The Senators ran out of patience with their overpriced and underperforming starter last week, placing Murray on waivers and, after he unsurprisingly cleared, reassigned him to the AHL’s Belleville Senators. It seemed like it could be the beginning of the end of a troubled relationship between team and player.

Yet, Pierre Dorion feels otherwise. The Ottawa GM made it clear when speaking with the media on Saturday that that Senators are not done with Murray. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun writes that Dorion stated definitively that Murray will play for the Senators again and Dorion expects that to come at some point this season. “He’s just got to find his game, not be under the NHL microscope,” Dorion said. “At some point in time he’ll be back with Ottawa.” Dorion added that Murray has had factors working against him during his time in Ottawa, including injuries and a change in goaltending coach, but that the team remains confident that he can return to form and re-gain a role on the NHL roster.

Seeing as the Senators don’t need the cap savings afforded by having Murray in the minors nor will they part ways with trade capital to move Murray, it does seem likely that the veteran netminder will play out his contract in Ottawa barring a buyout or mutual termination or a major shift in the status quo of his trade value. However, that does not mean that Murray’s welfare needs to take precedence for the rebuilding Senators. Murray’s replacement on the NHL roster is Filip Gustavsson and the well-regarded 23-year-old is much more important to Ottawa’s future than is Murray, as evidenced by the club’s decision to protect the former over the latter in the Seattle Expansion Draft this past summer. With Anton Forsberg playing well and NHL experience of vital importance to potential future starter Gustavsson, why rush Murray back this season? What is more is that Ottawa also has several other impressive prospects pushing their way through the system, such as Mads Sogaard and Kevin Mandolese, who could also come into play next season and beyond and would seemingly be of greater importance than trying to force Murray to perform in the NHL. Unless Murray, at one point a budding star with an incredible postseason resume, can greatly improve his play – first in the AHL and then consistently in the NHL – Dorion and company should be careful not to confuse the priorities of a rebuilding team.

Carson Latimer Traded To WHL Prince Albert

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  • A notable trade occurred in the WHL today when Canadiens prospect blueliner Kaiden Guhle was dealt to Edmonton. The 2020 first-round was acquired for a package of four draft picks including two first-rounders plus two players, headlined by 2021 Senators fourth-round selection Carson Latimer.

Nashville Predators Acquire Kole Sherwood

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The Nashville Predators have acquired minor league forward Kole Sherwood from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for future considerations. The move will give the young forward a new opportunity as he plays out his one-year, two-way contract.

Sherwood, 24, signed that deal in July with the Senators after failing to receive a qualifying offer from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The undrafted forward has played in 13 games for the Belleville Senators so far and has four points. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been in the lineup the last four games for the minor league club (all wins), leading to this change of scenery.

There’s actually some NHL experience in the 6’1″ forward too. Sherwood played 11 games for the Blue Jackets spread over three seasons and registered nine penalty minutes and an assist. The brother of Colorado Avalanche forward Kiefer Sherwood, the younger Kole was once a scoring machine in the OHL for three different clubs. In 2017-18 he put up 44 goals and 86 points in 76 games for the Kitchener Rangers, but wasn’t really ever able to bring that level of production to the professional level.

In this case, future considerations likely mean not much of anything, as Sherwood was already not being used by the B-Sens. It is possible that an AHL trade will follow, but mostly Ottawa will just receive the benefit of an extra NHL contract slot. The team now sits at 46 of their 50 allotted contracts.

Drake Batherson Removed From COVID Protocol

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Finally, the Ottawa Senators have no one left in the COVID protocol. Drake Batherson was officially activated this morning, giving the team their full complement of non-injured players for the first time in nearly a month.

Batherson in particular hasn’t played since November 13, a game in which he scored four points to lift the Senators over the Pittsburgh Penguins. In fact, the 23-year-old forward has been one of the few bright spots in Ottawa this season and still leads the team in scoring (by three points) despite missing the last two weeks.

His return should help the team right away, but things are rolling right off the tracks in Ottawa lately. The team has lost five in a row, allowing at least four goals in each game and being outscored 25-10 overall. They’ll get a chance to right the ship tomorrow night against the reeling Vancouver Canucks, who have been battling for the label of worst circus in Canada over the past few weeks as well.

It’s important to get Batherson back on the ice and contributing, given the long-term contract he signed this offseason. Inking a six-year, $29.85MM contract is no small feat for a team like Ottawa that works under an internal budget, and it actually made him the team’s highest-paid forward until Brady Tkachuk finally signed his own RFA deal. We’ll have to wait and see if Batherson is ready to contribute at the same high level right away, but getting him out of the protocol and back on the active roster is a positive step.

Logan Shaw Clears Waivers

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Nov 29: Shaw has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the AHL.

Nov 28: In addition to the Sharks’ Evander Kane hitting waivers today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Ottawa Senators are waiving forward Logan Shaw as well.

With forward Drake Batherson becoming the last Senator to be activated from COVID-19 protocol, Ottawa needed an additional roster spot with waiver claim Adam Gaudette joining the team.

Shaw’s gotten into 16 games with the Sens this season, scoring a goal and two assists while averaging just 9:26 of ice time per game. He spent the entirety of the 2020-21 campaign with the AHL’s Belleville Senators, which is where he’ll be going if he clears waivers on Monday.

Shaw, a veteran of 231 NHL games with Ottawa, Winnipeg, Montreal, Anaheim, and Florida, is in the second year of a $1.45MM two-way contract.

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