Ottawa Senators Sign Aaron Luchuk To ELC
The Ottawa Senators have signed undrafted forward Aaron Luchuk to a three-year, entry-level contract. Luchuk was recently traded in the OHL and is currently playing for the Barrie Colts.
Luchuk, 20, is the best friend and a former teammate of fellow Ottawa prospect Logan Brown, and was part of the Memorial Cup-winning Windsor Spitfires last year. Though a bit undersized, he’s nevertheless continued to score in bunches at the OHL level and has 56 points in just 33 games this season.
Though he’ll be in the CHL for the remainder of that league’s season, Luchuk becomes the 48th contract on the books for Ottawa and could potentially play a role for the AHL’s Belleville Senators at the end of their year. He’ll jump to the professional ranks full-time next season, and will try to continue to disprove his doubters.
Mark Borowiecki Out For At Least A Few More Weeks
Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki has missed the last 15 games due to a shoulder injury and it doesn’t appear as if a return is imminent. Head coach Guy Boucher told Postmedia’s Don Brennan that although he’s getting closer to playing, he’s not expected to suit up until mid-January at the very least. Considering how long he has sat, it will likely take some time to get his conditioning back as well. 2017-18 hasn’t been a great season so far for the 28-year-old who has only played a dozen games thanks to this injury as well as an upper-body issue that cost him a pair of games in October and an illness that kept him out for five more. About the only thing that has gone well for Borowiecki so far is the two-year contract extension he inked just before the season got underway.
Minor Transactions: 12/24/17
After a 15-game schedule on Saturday and a three-day holiday break, you would expect little action over the next few days, but a few teams made a few roster moves before starting their vacations. Let’s see if more are coming …
- The Ottawa Senators made four roster moves this morning, sending goaltender Daniel Taylor, defensemen Andreas Englund and Ben Harpur as well as forward Chris Didomenico to the Belleville Senators of the AHL. Taylor was recalled due to the unavailability of goaltender Craig Anderson. DiDomenico was brought up Friday after injuries to Zack Smith and Bobby Ryan and played in 8:47 of ice time in Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Florida. Englund was recalled after the team lost forward Gabriel Dumont and Harpur has been up and down all season covering the team’s many injuries. Harpur played in 14:22 on Saturday, while Englund and Taylor were scratches.
- The Montreal Canadiens assigned defenseman Brett Lernout to the Laval Rocket of the AHL Sunday morning. Lernout got into Saturday’s game to fill in defensive injuries with Shea Weber out, and played 14:43 of ice time and getting two hits in. He was recalled on Thursday.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets made three moves of their own, assigning forwards Jordan Schroeder, Tyler Motte and defenseman Cameron Gaunce to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. Both Schroeder and Motte were recalled on emergency loans Saturday for the team’s 2-1 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Both played in the game. Gaunce had been recalled on Dec. 17, but didn’t play in a game.
- The Los Angeles Kings made a couple of moves Sunday, as they assigned defenseman Kevin Gravel and goaltender Jack Campbell to the Ontario Reign of the AHL. Neither player got into a game with the Kings. Campbell was an emergency backup last night as backup Darcy Kuemper was unavailable. Gravel was recalled after the team placed defenseman Christian Folin on injured reserve.
Senators Recall Danny Taylor
- The Senators announced (Twitter link) that they have officially recalled goaltender Daniel Taylor from AHL Belleville. The move comes on the heels of Craig Anderson being unable to dress for tonight’s game as a result of an illness. It’s likely that Taylor will be sent back down immediately following the game before the full roster freeze takes effect.
- CapFriendly tweets that Ottawa Senators center Zack Smith has been placed on injured reserve. The 29-year-old forward was reported yesterday to be out for at least two weeks with a shoulder injury. Smith has two goals and six assists in 24 games this season.
Dion Phaneuf To Miss Second Straight Game
- The Senators will be without defenseman Dion Phaneuf for a second straight game tonight against the Panthers, reports Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun. Unlike several other Ottawa players who are dealing with injuries or illness, this one is at least for a happier reason as Phaneuf is with family following the recent birth of his daughter. He’ll be ready to go following the holiday break.
Minor Transactions: 12/22/17
Even during the NHL roster freeze, some moves will still be made on the fringes to get teams ready for the holiday break. As always, we’ll keep you updated on all the minor transactions around the league.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have sent Sonny Milano back to the minor leagues. Milano of course can be loaned to the Cleveland Monsters during the freeze because he had previously been recalled after December 11th. The 21-year old Milano has 10 points in 28 games with the Blue Jackets this season.
- Colby Cave is on his way back to the minor leagues, after filling in for some sick Boston Bruins last night. The 22-year old Cave made his NHL debut, but was on emergency conditions and must be sent back to the minor leagues. The undrafted former junior teammate of Jake DeBrusk, Cave has become a welcome part of the Providence Bruins, providing a checking presence and chipping in offensively now and again.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Chris Didomenico from the AHL due to injuries suffered by Zack Smith and Bobby Ryan. As Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun reports, Smith will be out for at least two weeks with a shoulder injury while Ryan should only miss one game. Brennan also reports that Daniel Taylor should be another call-up by the Senators if Craig Anderson can’t go because of an illness.
- The San Jose Sharks have sent Danny O’Regan down to the minor leagues while recalling Joakim Ryan. That gives the team a seventh defenseman while Paul Martin remains on his conditioning stint in the minor leagues, with one game remaining before the Christmas break.
Minor Transactions: 12/21/17
Who cares about a roster freeze. Despite the fact that teams can’t trade or waive players, there was quite a bit of movement around the league yesterday. Today is expected to be no different, and we’ll keep an eye on all the minor moves right here. Make sure to refresh throughout the day to keep up.
- The Montreal Canadiens recalled Brett Lernout late last night, bringing the young defender up to the NHL for the first time this season. Lernout, 22, has three games under his belt for the Canadiens in the past, and will be another option for the team while Shea Weber nurses his foot injury.
- The Washington Capitals have recalled Madison Bowey and Jakub Vrana back to the minor leagues once again, after executing a paper transaction yesterday to save some cap room. After reclaiming Nathan Walker off waivers yesterday, the Capitals are pushed right up against the salary cap and need to bank as much room on a day to day basis as possible. With Bowey and Vrana both playing well, neither are expected to actually leave the roster for any games.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Andreas Englund from the AHL, giving them another defensive option for their three-game road trip. In a corresponding move, the team has placed Gabriel Dumont on injured reserve in order to make room for Englund on the roster.
- The Boston Bruins have recalled Colby Cave from the AHL for the first time in his career, as Brad Marchand, Ryan Spooner and Riley Nash all deal with the flu. The trio are all game-time decisions for the team’s game against the Jets.
- Tyler Bertuzzi is back up with the Detroit Red Wings, a week after being sent down. Bertuzzi has played just a single game with the Red Wings this season, but is a player they still hope can grow into something special. It’s not clear if Bertuzzi will get into the lineup right away, but with Luke Glendening suffering a hand injury yesterday there could be room for the young forward.
Ottawa Senators Recall Filip Chlapik
The Ottawa Senators have recalled Filip Chlapik, bringing the 20-year old forward up despite the roster freeze. Remember, teams are only prevented from trading, waiving or loaning players during this period and even then some loopholes exist.
Chlapik will be a breath of fresh air for Senators fans, waiting for the team to find any modicum of success this season. The team sits 29th in the standings, and has just nine regulation wins this season. The young forward certainly has the talent to help, after putting up 15 points in 27 games as a rookie this season for the Belleville Senators of the AHL. That comes after the second-round pick dominated the QMJHL last season with 110 points in 70 total games.
He played one game earlier in the season for the Senators, and recorded an assist in fewer than seven minutes of ice time. At this point in the season, Ottawa has little to lose by giving a player like this an extended look, though it’s not clear if that is the plan at the moment. Instead, he may be up just as insurance for the three-game road trip that the team is about to take.
Boucher: Karlsson Getting Close To Being Fully Recovered From Surgery
- Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson is coming off a stellar performance on Saturday against Montreal and according to head coach Guy Boucher, he is right on target with their expectations when it comes to his recovery from offseason foot surgery. He told Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that they felt Karlsson wouldn’t be fully recovered until around the holiday break given the nature of the procedure and the fact he basically jumped into games with no training camp and minimal practice. If Ottawa is to play themselves back into the postseason hunt, they’ll need their top blueliner at his best and it appears he’s getting closer to being just that.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Ottawa Senators
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will look at what teams are thankful for as the season nears the quarter point of completion. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We take a look at what’s gone well in the first month and what could improve as the season rolls on. So far we’ve covered the following teams:
Atlantic: BOS, BUF, DET, FLA, MON, TOR
Metropolitan: CAR, CBJ, NJD, NYI, NYR, PHI, PIT, WSH
Central: COL, MIN, NSH, STL
Pacific: ANA, ARZ, CGY, EDM, LAK, SJS, VAN, VGK
What are the Senators most thankful for?
They have to be thankful for that no matter how bad things have gotten in Ottawa in recent weeks, the Senators are only six points away from earning a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. Shocking isn’t it. The Boston Bruins, currently holding the third playoff spot in the division, have 35 points, while Ottawa has 29 points with their 11-13-7 record. While that might require the team to actually win a few games, a sudden turnaround could easily have them competing for a playoff spot. The team might also be thankful for a solid performance at Saturday’s Centennial Classic where they shutout the Montreal Canadiens 3-0 in front of a national audience.
Who are the Senators most thankful for?
Several players are having solid seasons, but the play of Mark Stone has been solid this season. Even while on a current scoring drought (one goal in the past 13 games), he leads the team with 14 goals in 31 games, which should be an improvement over the 22 goals he had last season in 71 games. His defensive abilty is also a big plus on the ice. What’s even better is that he is just a restricted free agent next season, so the team has some remaining control of the 25 year old. In all likelihood, even if the team begins a rebuild, it’s likely Stone will be considered a part of that and wouldn’t be shipped off for picks or prospects.
What would the Senators be even more thankful for?
More than anything, the team needs to see some production from Matt Duchene. After trading away Kyle Turris, prospects and picks to win the Duchene sweepstakes, the 26-year-old center hasn’t improved the team’s offense at all and so far looks like the team may have made a mistake. He has six goals and nine assists in 31 games this season, but Duchene has put up just two goals and three assists in the 17 games that he’s been with the Senators. The team needs him to figure things out and begin leading a line that can put points on the board every night. It doesn’t help that the Nashville Predators addition of Turris only seems to have helped them. Turris has four goals and 13 assists in his 17 games with the Predators, which only makes the deal look worse.
What should be on the Senators Holiday Wish List?
The Senators have found themselves in the news for many things, but defenseman Erik Karlsson‘s comments that he won’t take a hometown discount when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2019 didn’t sit well with many fans or their owner. In a perfect world, the Senators would find a way to recapture the magic they had a year ago and find a way to convince Karlsson to sign long-term and pay him what he’s worth. The question is what is the long-term plans for this franchise. Are they playing to win or should they blow up their team and rebuild for the future? A rebuild would go much quicker if they trade Karlsson, but finding a franchise defenseman isn’t an easy task either.