Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Senators Rumors

Could Senators Trade Kyle Turris?

at CDT | by 1 Comment

We heard recently that the Senators and center Kyle Turris were making “healthy progress” on a contract extension. However, one pundit believes these talks will ultimately lead to a trade. TSN’s Darren Dreger said earlier tonight that he could envision the organization parting ways with the impending free agent.

Oct 28, 2016; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Ottawa Senators center Kyle Turris (7) skates during the warmup period against Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

“I think it’s headed to trade,” he said (via TSN.ca). “Trade seems likely. I’m not suggesting it’s imminent, it’s going to happen this week, next month. But before the February 26th trade deadline? Yes, and the simple reason is there has been a fair bit of dialogue between Senators management and the agent who represents Kyle Turris, dating back to early July or late June. Kyle Turris wants to commit long-term to the Ottawa Senators. We’re talking about a seven, eight-year term. So far, the Sens haven’t been willing to do that. So they cannot allow an important piece like Kyle Turris to walk out as an unrestricted free agent.”

For what it’s worth, NHL Network’s E.J. Hradek agreed with the sentiment (via Twitter), noting that “decision time” is coming in Ottawa. Meanwhile, TSN’s Bob McKenzie said he’d be surprised if the team ultimately signed Turris to a new deal.

After having recently inked starting goalie Craig Anderson to a new contract, the Senators had reportedly shifted their focus to Turris. The former third-overall pick is entering the final season of his contract, and he’ll earn an affordable $4MM in 2017. However, reports last week indicated that the 28-year-old was seeking a considerable pay raise at around $6MM annually over seven or eight years. As our own Zach Leach noted earlier this week, he’ll be competing with a number of notable free agent forwards for a hefty contract, and it might be best for both sides to work out an extension. However, if an agreement can’t be made, it makes plenty of sense for the Senators to get some compensation for a player they could lose in free agency.

Turris didn’t live up to expectations during his stint in Phoenix, but he’s turned into a dependable scorer for the Senators. The alternate captain and top line center has collected at least 55 points in three of the past four seasons, including a 27-goal, 28-assist campaign in 2017.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Ottawa Senators Extend Mark Borowiecki

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Ottawa Senators have signed defenseman Mark Borowiecki to a two-year contract extension. The deal will kick in for the 2018-19 season, and carries an average annual value of $1.2MM. Borowiecki is heading into the final year of his three-year, $3.3MM extension signed in 2014, and has established himself as a full-time member of the Senators blueline.

"<strongBorowiecki, 28, is an Ottawa native that has made it a long way from the fifth-round. Selected 139th-overall in 2008, a stint at Clarkson University before continually showing off his wrecking ball-like qualities in the minor leagues finally got him a chance. He stuck, and has now played at least 63 games in each of the last three seasons with the Senators. As he’s gotten more comfortable in the league his physical play has only increased, to the point of registering a league-leading 364 hits last year. Even more impressive, is the fact that he did that in just 14 minutes of ice time a night playing on the Senators’ third pairing.

The hitting machine won’t provide much offense, but with the system that the Senators play—which forces the puck to his side of the ice at the defending blueline—Borowicki is able to blast players over and over. In 217 games he’s recorded 17 points, 436 penalty minutes and 939 hits.  Still, some would complain that the team would be better off with a more capable puck moving defenseman that can move up in the lineup. The team seems to be in no danger of needing him to play more minutes though, as Dion Phaneuf, Johnny Oduya are both locked in on the left side with Thomas Chabot and Ben Harpur still to come.

$1.2MM will be just a slight increase on the $1.1MM he earns this year, but will help the Senators keep costs low as they inch closer to an Erik Karlsson extension. The team has to sign Mark Stone, Kyle Turris and Cody Ceci this summer, while Karlsson and Derick Brassard are up the year after that. It doesn’t look like they’ll be able to keep everyone happy, so plugging in a relatively cheap veteran option on the bottom pair helps quite a bit.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Senators Trying To Add Forward Depth

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Although they didn’t make any deals over the past few days, Senators GM Pierre Dorion had been actively trying to bring in some forward help before the season gets underway, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.  The Sens are already down one important forward in Clarke MacArthur and are set to have a pair of rookies in Logan Brown and Alex Formenton suit up in their opener on Thursday.  Colorado’s Matt Duchene has been a target but Garrioch adds that the two sides remain nowhere close on a potential trade.  Dorion also acknowledged that they feel they have enough defensive depth, even with Erik Karlsson set to miss the beginning of the season (although he’s not expected to miss more than a handful of games as he has nearly fully recovered from offseason foot surgery).

Ottawa Senators Sign Drake Batherson To ELC

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Ottawa Senators have signed another prospect, inking Drake Batherson to a three-year entry-level contract. The 19-year old forward was selected in the fourth-round of the most recent draft, and is back playing with Cape Breton of the QMJHL.

Batherson has several similarities to Alex Formenton, the late-blooming speedster that Ottawa signed yesterday to his own entry-level deal. Both players were late entrants into junior hockey, as Batherson was a rookie in the QMJHL last season even though he turned 19 during the year. Still, he 58 points in that rookie season and showed off some incredibly slick hands at the Senators’ development camp. He’s armed with a ton of skill, but will need to get stronger and more consistent before making a real impact.

Luckily he’ll get to do it in Cape Breton where there is plenty of opportunity after the team saw several key players graduate this summer, and traded away Pierre-Luc Dubois in the middle of last year. Batherson will be their go to center, and has already registered four points in the first three games. It’s an important year for Batherson, who will turn 20 in April and will be expected to join the professional ranks next year. For now, he just needs to focus on adding explosiveness and power and let his skill do the rest.

Alex Formenton Signs ELC With Ottawa Senators

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Ottawa Senators have signed another prospect, inking Alex Formenton to a three-year entry-level contract. Formenton was selected in the second round (47th-overall) this summer, and is actually still in training camp with the team. While nothing is set in stone yet, there is a chance he begins the year with Ottawa and could last even past the nine-game mark should he continue to show he’s ready for the next level.

Formenton’s next step really depends on Derick Brassard’s health, but it looks like he and Logan Brown could both be in the lineup on opening night this Thursday against the Washington Capitals. The young forward has made a great impression in his first training camp, after an impressive rookie season in the OHL. Formenton joined the London Knights last year after originally playing in the OJHL to maintain his college eligibility, and immediately showed off his elite speed-skill combination to score 34 points in 65 games. That was buried in a strong London lineup and playing at 17, but he clearly caught the eye of someone in Ottawa.

The 6’2″ winger has shot up the last few years but is still working to fill out his frame. He’ll might have a tough time handling NHL physicality every game, but with his game-breaking skating ability can still contribute in other ways. The team will have nine games with which to decide if he should stay the entire year and burn one season of his ELC, or send him back to the Knights to continue his development and take on a bigger role.

Ottawa Cuts Suggest Karlsson, Brassard Ready To Play

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With three more cuts today, the Ottawa Senators have pared their roster down to 23 players and look ready to begin the season. The Senators put winger Max McCormick on waivers with the intention of sending him to Belleville of the AHL. The team also sent down defensemen Thomas Chabot and Ben Harpur. Those moves also suggest that two of their players, Erik Karlsson and Derick Brassard, might be closer to ready than many anticipated, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen.

According to Garrioch, both Karlsson and Brassard both have a chance to be ready for Thursday’s season opener against the Capitals. Karlsson, coming off foot surgery this offseason, hasn’t been cleared for physical contact yet, but the most recent roster moves suggest that he must be close as he is one of the seven defensemen on the roster. Karlsson, a two-time James Norris Memorial Trophy winner which goes to the top defensive player, has been the key to the Senators’ success including their playoff run last year. The defenseman finished the year with 17 goals and 54 assists for 71 points. Brassard underwent labrum surgery in June, which required a four to five months of recovery. It’s been four, but talk is that he is also close to returning for Ottawa. The 30-year-old center had a bit of a down year, putting up 14 goals and 39 points, but had a 27-goal season the year before.

The team did cut two of their young, future defensemen in Chabot and Harpur. Chabot, the team’s first-round pick from 2015, was considered a likely candidate to make the team, but a poor performance in the team’s final preseason game, a 9-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, ended his run to make the team. He finished the game with a -5 plus/minus rating. Harpur, a fourth-round pick in 2013, has worked his way up the minor league system. He’s played 11 games for the Senators, but also contributed in nine playoff games for the team last season.

The scribe writes that on offense, the move to send McCormick down means that center Logan Brown, their 2016 first-round pick, and Alex Formenton, their second-round pick this year, both made the team.

Turris, Senators Making “Healthy” Progress On Contract Extension

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With the start to the 2017-18 season just days away, the Ottawa Senators are looking to take care of their biggest 2018 off-season concern before the puck drops on the new campaign. According to Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch, Senators GM Pierre Dorion is making slow but steady progress in negotiations with impending free agent center Kyle Turris. With starting goalie Craig Anderson recently re-upped, the focus is now on getting Turris, a centerpiece of the Sens’ offense, re-signed, preferably in the coming days.

A career that got off to a rough start with the Phoenix Coyotes, Turris has since blossomed into the player that he was expected to be when drafted third overall in 2007, following a trade to the Senators in 2011. Now an alternate captain for Ottawa and the top line center most nights, Turris has become one of the top players in the nation’s capital. Turris has 55+ points in three of the past four seasons and leads all Senators forwards in points over the past five years.

Come next summer (or sooner), Turris is going to be rewarded for this success. He has one season remaining at a team-friendly $4MM, but Garrioch reports that his side is seeking a long-term deal worth at least 50% more. Will Turris get seven or eight years at $6MM from the Senators? Garrioch states that the sides were far apart on those numbers in talks this summer, but have slowly been making progress. If Ottawa doesn’t give him that deal, it is likely that someone will on the open market. However, Turris been a free agent in this summer’s stagnant market, it would have been a near certainty, but in 2018 Turris will face competition from John Tavares, Paul Stastny, Rick Nash, Evander Kane, James Neal, James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak, Mikael Backlund, and Cam Atkinson among other forwards commanding free agent dollars. The best – and safest – fit for both sides appears to be an extension. Watch for a deal to get done sooner rather than later.

Training Camp Cuts And Recalls: 10/1/17

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Today marks the end of the preseason for all those NHL teams who haven’t yet wrapped up their exhibition schedules. With games coming to an end, expect lots of action throughout the day and keep track of it all right here:

Arizona Coyotes

D Dakota Mermis – Tucson (AHL)

Colorado Avalanche

D David Warsofsky – waivers for purpose of assignment

Dallas Stars

D Chris Martenet – Texas (AHL)

Detroit Red Wings

F Colin Campbell – released from PTO
G Jared Coreau – waivers for purpose of assignment
F Matthew Ford – released from PTO
D Joe Hicketts – Grand Rapids (AHL)
F Axel Holmstrom – Grand Rapids (AHL)
D Filip Hronek – Grand Rapids (AHL)
D Brian Lashoff – waivers for purpose of assignment
F Matt Lorito – waivers for purpose of assignment
G Thomas McCollum – Grand Rapids (AHL)
D Dylan McIlrath – waivers for purpose of assignment
F P.A. Parenteau – released from PTO
F Michael Rasmussen – Tri-City (WHL)
D Dan Renouf – Grand Rapids (AHL)
D Vili Saarijarvi – Grand Rapids (AHL)
F Dylan Sadowy – Grand Rapids (AHL)
F Dominik Shine – released from PTO
F Ben Street – waivers for purpose of assignment
F Dominic Turgeon – Grand Rapids (AHL)

Edmonton Oilers

D Mark Fayne – waivers for purpose of assignment
F Jesse Puljujarvi – Bakersfield (AHL)

Florida Panthers

F Brandon Pirri – released from PTO
F Harry Zolnierczyk – released from PTO
D Josh Brown – Springfield (AHL)

Los Angeles Kings

G Jack Campbell – waivers for purpose of assignment
F Justin Auger – waivers for purpose of assignment

New York Rangers

F Robin Kovacs – waivers for purpose of assignment

Ottawa Senators

D Thomas Chabot – Belleville (AHL)
D Ben Harpur – Belleville (AHL)
F Max McCormick – waivers for purpose of assignment

Philadelphia Flyers

F Oskar Lindblom – Lehigh Valley (AHL)

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Stefan Fournier – Brampton (ECHL)

Vancouver Canucks

G Richard Bachman – waivers for purpose of assignment
F Michael Chaput – waivers for purpose of assignment
F Jayson Megna – waivers for purpose of assignment

Recalls:

San Jose Sharks

D Nick DeSimone
D Cavan Fitzgerald
F Adam Helewka
F John McCarthy

 

Brassard Cleared For Contact

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

  • Senators center Derick Brassard has been cleared for contact by team doctors, notes Postmedia’s Ken Warren.  He underwent shoulder surgery back in June and was expected to be out four-to-five months and it appears that he will be back in the lineup at the four-month mark when Ottawa takes on Washington in the regular season opener on Thursday night.

Craig Anderson Signs Two-Year Extension

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Ottawa Senators have signed Craig Anderson to a two-year contract extension worth $4.75MM per year. The deal will kick in for the 2018-19 season, after his current contract expires. Both sides had recently discussed an extension, which will no longer be a distraction during the season. The deal includes a ten team no-trade list, and the salary will break down as follows:

  • 2018-19: $5.5MM
  • 2019-20: $4.0MM

Craig AndersonSince Anderson is already 36 years old, this deal will come with some restrictions. Should Anderson retire or be bought out before the end of the contract, his full cap hit will still be applied for the Senators. While he’ll turn 37 at the end of this season, he’s already shown that he can still be a near-elite goaltender in the league in his mid-thirties, and has the added safety of Mike Condon behind him in the net.

The Senators relied on a strong defensive system and excellent goaltending last year, and it appears as though they’ll do the same for the next several years. With Condon’s own new deal, the tandem will earn $7.15MM over Anderson’s extension, a hefty price if they’re not among the league leaders. Ottawa clearly believes they can be, especially after Anderson posted a .926 save percentage last year during the regular season, only to carry a .922 in the playoffs and help the Senators reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

Still, it comes with some worry. Ottawa has some big names up for new contracts in the coming seasons, with Mark Stone, Kyle Turris and Cody Ceci all free agents of some sort next summer. The year after that, Erik Karlsson and Derick Brassard come up, all the while the team will still be paying a combined $14.25MM to Bobby Ryan and Dion Phaneuf. Obviously things can change in an instant, but locking in a 37-year old goaltender for nearly $5MM per season is risky at best.

Anderson had one of the most emotional seasons in recent memory a year ago. After his wife Nicholle was diagnosed with cancer early in the season, Anderson was away from the team for some time. In his heart-wrenching return, he stopped all 37 shots to earn a shutout and would go on to post one of the best seasons of his career. By the end of the season, Nicholle would announce she was in remission just days after Craig did everything he could to keep the Senators in the playoffs. Stopping 39 of 42 shots, but losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime, the city of Ottawa would rally around the couple. Anderson took home the Masterton Trophy for perseverance and sportsmanship.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top