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Ryan Dzingel, Ottawa Senators Submit Arbitration Figures

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Just like Colton Parayko and Tomas Tatar yesterday, Ryan Dzingel and the Ottawa Senators have exchanged figures for their upcoming arbitration hearing. Dzingel is scheduled for a hearing on Friday morning, and has asked for a $1.95MM salary according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The team has countered with a $1MM offer. The two sides still have almost 48 hours to work out a deal, and GM Pierre Dorion told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen they would like to avoid a hearing if possible.

Dzingel took a big step forward in his first full season, scoring 14 goals and 31 points for the Senators in 81 games. His presence was felt in all situations, as the 25-year old winger uses his speed to create chances of the rush and disrupt passing lanes in the defensive zone. He’s come a long way since being a seventh-round pick in 2011.

A one year deal would leave Dzingel a restricted free agent next summer again, allowing the Senators to continue negotiations on a long-term deal. Even if the arbitrator settles on the full $1.95MM ask, it’s a fine price to pay for a solid secondary scoring option that can move up and down the lineup. With the Senators suddenly flush with center depth, it will be interesting to see who Dzingel lines up with to start the season.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau Signs Three-Year Contract

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The Ottawa Senators have locked up one of their playoff heroes, signing Jean-Gabriel Pageau to a three-year, $9.3MM contract. The deal, which will allow the two sides to avoid arbitration, will be structured as follows: Jean-Gabriel Pageau

  • 2017-18: $2.6MM
  • 2018-19: $3.3MM
  • 2019-20: $3.4MM

Pageau was scheduled to have a hearing on July 28th after filing for player-elected salary arbitration, but will instead sign a three-year deal that will take him to unrestricted free agency at 27. That expiry date could prove huge for Pageau, as at 24 he has already developed into a solid role player for the Senators.

Over the past two years, Pageau has played in all 164 games and registered 76 points giving Ottawa a solid third center option behind Kyle Turris and Derick Brassard (or Mika Zibanejad in 2015-16). Deployed in a somewhat defensive role, he’s received Selke votes in both seasons as one of the best defensive forwards in the league and has improved every season in the faceoff circle, winning a team-leading 54.8% of his draws last year.

In the playoffs he showed he could be a top performer, recording 10 points in 19 games including a four-goal performance in Game 2 against the New York Rangers, an overtime win that saw him skate over 28 minutes.

A $3.1MM cap hit is a nice raise for Pageau, who was coming off just $900K per season on his second contract. That number is a fine price to pay for him as a player, but does add to the increasing salary tied up at center for the Senators. With Brassard ($5MM), Turris ($3.5MM), Zack Smith ($3.25MM) all in the fold, it will be interesting to see how things play out. The Senators also have Colin White, a natural center, knocking down the door for a chance at the NHL, while they brought in a depth option in Nate Thompson this offseason on a two-year deal. Several of these players have experience at the wing, though who will shift off the middle is still unclear.

With the Senators now having just $7.6MM in cap space, the team still has Ryan Dzingel to sign as a restricted free agent. Other than that it’s unlikely that they do anything further to add salary, as the team normally operates under an internal budget that is below the cap ceiling. That may have changed slightly with the long playoff run in 2016-17, but with attendance issues even in the postseason it wouldn’t be surprising to see them shedding salary instead of adding it before the season begins.

Craig Morgan of AZ Sports was first to report the two sides had settled on a contract.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Sieloff, Archibald, Buchberger

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The Ottawa Senators have announced an extension for defenseman Patrick Sieloff. The two sides have agreed to a one-year, two-way deal worth $650K at the NHL level. Sieloff, 23, has just one NHL game under his belt, back with the Calgary Flames in 2015-16, but the  stay-at-home defender posted a career-high 12 points last year with the AHL’s Binghamton Senators this past season. A second-round pick in 2012 and the sole return for the Senators from the Alex Chiasson trade, it makes sense that Ottawa would like to retain the valuable Sieloff, even if he is developing slowly. However, there are sure to be many Sens fans upset at the extension news. Sieloff is best known in Ottawa as the player who boarded Clarke MacArthur, just returning from missing most of the 2015-16 season with a concussion, during a Senators’ preseason scrimmage, causing yet another concussion which kept him out most of 2016-17 as well. It was not the best start to Sieloff’s Senators tenure, but clearly not enough for the organization to turn on him.

  • The AHL’s Utica Comets, the minor league affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks, announced that they have re-signed forward Darren Archibald to a one-year deal. Archibald, a big, physical right wing, also found his scoring touch last season, setting the Comets’ franchise goal-scoring record with 23 goals. Although Archibald was only in the NHL for 16 games, a brief stint with the Canucks during the 2013-14 season, he’s made a name for himself with their affiliate. Archibald is second in team history, albeit for a young Comets franchise, in games played, goals, and points and first in penalty minutes. Another strong season on both offense and defense could earn Archibald another NHL look.
  • The New York Islanders made official the hiring of Kelly Buchberger as an assistant coach today, a move that has been in the works since before the end of the 2016-17 season. Buchberger, like Archibald, was a big, physical right wing with a knack for scoring goals, only Buchberger did it in the NHL for 17 years. He has also served as an assistant coach and vice president of player development for the Edmonton Oilers in recent years, the city he played in for the bulk of his career. A two-time Stanley Cup winner and a former NHL captain, Buchberger bring experience and leadership to Doug Weight’s young coaching staff.

Viktor Stalberg Signs With Swiss Club EV Zug

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Over the past few years, many NHL veterans have turned to the Swiss National League A when they could not find a home in the NHL. Mark Arcobello, Roman Cervenka, Drew Shore, and Dustin Jeffrey made up some of the NLA’s top players in 2016-17. Yet, thus far it has been a quiet off-season for the growing Swiss league. Only lesser-known North American pros such as Mason Raymond and Joel Vermin have made the jump overseas, instead of the regular influx of NHL veterans like in recent years.

That is, until now. EV Zug, fresh off an appearance in the NLA championship, announced this morning that they have signed NHL veteran Viktor Stalberg to a two-year deal. It has been rumored for some time that Stalberg, ranked 45th in PHR’s Top 50 Free Agents, was looking into NLA offers, but after playing well for the Ottawa Senators down the stretch and during their surprising playoff run this season, many thought he would eventually receive a suitable NHL offer instead. Perhaps that wasn’t the case, as the Swedish winger has signed on for two years in the NLA, signalling that he is taking a break from the NHL, at least for a while.

Stalberg, 31, has been committed to North American hockey for some time now and it is a bit strange to see him leave after his stock rose at the end of the 2016-17 season. Stalberg originally left home to play at the University of Vermont in 2006, the same year he had been drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Stalberg went on to be a key forward for the Chicago Blackhawks for a few years, posting a 20-goal season and career-high 43 points with the team in 2011-12 and helping out the Stanley Cup-winning squad in 2012-13. Since leaving Chicago, Stalberg has become more of a journeyman mercenary; a role player for teams for short periods of time. In the past three years, he has played for the Nashville Predators and their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, the New York Rangers, the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Senators. In those three seasons, Stalberg registered only 46 points combined, which may have lent itself to the seemingly low level of interest from other teams. Stalberg may have lost his NHL scoring touch, but he’s likely to rediscover it in the NLA. Stalberg is a great veteran addition for HV Zug, and with more than a few years of hockey left in him, Stalberg’s NHL days may not be completely over yet either.

 

Ottawa Senators Sign Chris Driedger To One-Year Deal

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While the league reels from the whopping Connor McDavid extension, that will see the reigning MVP earn a league-high $12.5MM per season, other teams have made some much more minor moves to improve their team. Here are some smaller transactions that took place today:

  • The Washington Capitals have avoided arbitration with one of their restricted free agents, signing Travis Boyd to a one-year two-way contract that will pay him $650K in the NHL. Boyd scored 63 points at the AHL level and could have a chance to make his NHL debut this season. That leaves the Capitals with just Philipp Grubauer as an arbitration eligible RFA.
  • The New York Islanders have signed Sebastian Aho—no not that Sebastian Aho—to a three-year entry-level contract. This 21-year old defenseman was selected in the fifth round of this year’s draft after being passed over several times. Aho broke out in Sweden last season, and will compete for a job at the AHL level this season.
  • Ottawa has signed Chris Driedger to a one-year two-way deal that will pay him $735K in the NHL. Driedger was a restricted free agent, and with the departure of Matt O’Connor (who signed with the Nashville Predators after not receiving a qualifying offer) will likely be joined by Andrew Hammond in the AHL next season.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have hired Davis Payne as an associate coach, coming aboard to join Phil Housley on a revamped staff. Payne is the former head coach of the St. Louis Blues and most recently an assistant with the LA Kings. He was let go along with Darryl Sutter and the rest of the Kings’ coaching staff, but will join Housley in trying to turn around the Sabres next season.

Daniel Alfredsson To “Step Away From The Game”

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Daniel Alfredsson, Senior Advisor of Operations for the Ottawa Senators, announced today that he is stepping away from the game of hockey to “evaluate his next professional challenge.” More from the release:

“I want to thank the Senators for the opportunity; it has enabled me to understand the type of commitments required to work in hockey should I determine that to be my future path. Our first order of business is getting established in our new home in Ottawa and returning to Gothenburg, with my family, to visit Swedish family and friends for the summer. We look forward to sharing the details of what’s next for the Alfredsson family in the future.”

The all-time leading scorer in Ottawa’s history with 1108 points and 426 goals, Alfredsson joined the Sens’ front office months after retiring from the game as a player. There is no speculation as to why the Senators legend left the organization.

 

Predators Sign Goaltenders Anders Lindback And Matt O’Connor

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In two separate team announcements, the Western Conference champion Nashville Predators revealed that they have added some depth in net behind Pekka Rinne and Juuse Saros in the wake of parting ways with Marek Mazanec. A familiar name is returning in Anders Lindback, a 2008 draft selection and Rinne’s backup from 2010 to 2012, who has since been an NHL journeyman and spent this past season in the Swedish Hockey League. Lindback signed a two-way deal worth the minimum $650K at the NHL level. Matt O’Connor, the former Boston University star who has spent the past few years in the Ottawa Senators organization, signed a similar deal. The 24-year-old will also play on a two-way contract worth $650K in the NHL and only slightly less than Lindback in the AHL.

2017 NHL Free Agency Tracker

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Stay with PHR for all of the free agency signings this off-season. As of noon ET on July 1st, unrestricted free agency is open, but not before many extensions earlier in June. This page serves to organize everything in one spot, and are linked to the PHR story that corresponds with the signing. All July signings will be separated by date while June signings are organized alphabetically by team. It will be updated as soon as stories post.

Please note that signings on this list start on June 12.

July 1st:

Read more

Nate Thompson To Sign With Ottawa Senators

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Two-way center Nate Thompson will soon be reunited with former Tampa Bay Lightning coach Guy Boucher. TSN’s Aaron Ward reports the Boucher’s new team, the Ottawa Senators, are set to sign the character forward. It is expected to be a two-year deal worth $1.65MM per.

Thompson is a great fit for the Senators, filling an important role of centering the checking line. Ottawa had previously cut ties with 2016-17 energy liners Chris Neil, Chris Kelly, and Tommy Wingels, but can essentially replace the output of all three with Thompson. The 212-lb. forward enjoyed the best offensive seasons of his career in Boucher’s system in Tampa, and while took on a far greater role defensively in Anaheim in 2014-15, injuries and lack of productions have resulted in little ice time over the past two seasons. The Senators hope that, back under the tutelage of Boucher, Thompson may be capable of reaching his career-high 25 points from his Tampa days while also bringing back his 200+ hits with the Ducks.

The Senators are also working to re-sign 2016 trade deadline acquistion Viktor Stalberg, but nothing official has been reported as of yet.

Offseason Keys: Ottawa Senators

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While expansion was the early headline in what will be a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months to come. Here is a closer look at what lies ahead for the Ottawa Senators.

The Senators made a big impression in their first season with head coach Guy Boucher and GM Pierre Dorion at the helm.  Although they didn’t win the Atlantic, they took care of business in the first two rounds before falling to the Cup-champion Penguins in the Eastern Final.  With a lot of players in need of new deals, Dorion will have a lot to accomplish this offseason.  Here are some of the key highlights.

Decide Phaneuf’s Future

While it was understandable that defenseman Dion Phaneuf was believed to be on the block prior to the Expansion Draft, it’s a bit more intriguing that his name has still been out there.  Defenders are in high demand and with it being a shallow free agent market, there are teams still showing interest.

The catch here, of course, is Phaneuf’s contract which isn’t exactly a bargain.  He has four years remaining with a $7MM cap hit and the expectation is that the Sens would have to either retain some salary or take a sizable contract or two in return.  Regardless of what the interest level in the 32 year old is, Ottawa’s willingness (or lack thereof) to retain or match money will go a long way towards determining whether a trade gets done.  Phaneuf also carries some say as he has a 12-team no-trade list.

While Ottawa has some youngsters that are close to making it, it would still be a bit surprising to see the team lose both Phaneuf as well as Marc Methot in the same offseason.  Accordingly, it’s realistic to expect that if they do decide to deal the veteran blueliner (and as things stand, the thought is he’s more likely to stay though that could change depending how the UFA market plays now), they’re going to be looking for a left shot defender in any potential trade return.

Extension Talks For Turris

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 SportsCenter Kyle Turris has been one of the better bargains league-wide in recent years.  He has been Ottawa’s top pivot while only carrying a cap charge of $3.5MM.  Unfortunately for the Senators, that bargain will soon be coming to an end as he will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer and will be eligible to sign an extension as of July 1st.

Having hit the 55 point plateau in three of the last four seasons, Turris is going to be in line for a substantial raise.  As a team that typically spends well below the cap ceiling, finding room within their budget will become the biggest question here.

Dorion has done well to build up some depth down the middle with Derick Brassard, Zack Smith, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau but there’s no doubt that if Turris were to depart in 2018, that group would be a weakened unit.  This one may not be on the top of the bucket list at this stage of the summer but it’s something that the Sens will likely want to address sooner rather than later.

New Deal For Pageau

After re-signing Mike Condon earlier today, Pageau is the most notable of their remaining free agents, restricted or unrestricted.  While he didn’t produce as much during the season as he did in 2015-16 (33 points compared to 43 the year before), he still filled an important middle six role while being well above average at the faceoff dot, checking in at 54.8%.

And then there was his postseason run where Pageau scored eight times in just 19 games, further bolstering his reputation as a player with a knack of scoring some key, timely goals.  That playoff performance makes his RFA case a lot more intriguing and he does have arbitration eligibility as well.

Pageau sits two years away from unrestricted free agency status and is coming off his bridge deal now, one that carries a qualifying offer of $1.1MM.  He should easily surpass that on this contract regardless of whether it’s a long-term or a short-term one.  Smith inked a four year, $13MM extension midseason and while those were all UFA years, that should be in the range of a new deal for Pageau.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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