Latest On Kyle Turris Contract Talks
The Ottawa Senators are off to an interesting start this season, with only one regulation loss through nine games. That stretch has come with just four wins however, as the team has been defeated four additional times in overtime or the shootout. That trend isn’t likely to continue, and the Senators seem poised to take another run at the playoffs and perhaps even another Eastern Conference final. If they want to get there, they’ll likely need their top center to be in top form.
The question is then, who will be that top center? Kyle Turris is currently occupying that role, but is in the final year of his current contract. Last we heard the Senators had offered him a five-year, $30MM contract, but hadn’t been able to come to an agreement. Now, in Pierre Lebrun’s latest column for The Athletic, the venerable insider digs into where the two sides currently sit. Turris’ camp is apparently fixated on an eight-year deal, something the team is unwilling to offer at this point. LeBrun does write that both sides seem amiable towards an eventual contract, but then asks the question of what to do should a deal not be reached by the trade deadline.
Turris would certainly fetch an impressive package on the block, as there are usually several teams looking for help down the middle. Last year, on a similarly expiring contract, Martin Hanzal (along with the currently unsigned Ryan White and a fourth-round pick) netted the Arizona Coyotes a first, second and conditional round draft pick—the latter became a fourth-round pick after the Wild were eliminated early from the playoffs. Certainly Turris, whose offensive game far outpaces Hanzal’s could secure even more.
If they did move him though, the team hardly has an internal option for replacement. Derick Brassard and Jean-Gabriel Pageau are perfectly suited to their current roles, and would be hard-pressed to take on the extra responsibility involved with moving up a slot. Logan Brown, though impressing in his short stint is still just 19 and would need to burn both a year of his entry-level deal (10 games) and crawl a year closer to free agency (40 games) if he’s around at the deadline. For a team looking to compete this season, weakening yourself down the middle is hardly an option.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Koekkoek, Schroeder, Farnham
When the Vancouver Canucks announced that Troy Stecher would be absent from their blueline for at least a month, questions started popping up over who the Canucks would promote to a starting role. While Alex Biega is set to get the first crack at his spot, he’s shown before that he doesn’t bring anything close to the type of game that Stecher was known for. Patrick Wiercioch is also up with the team, but similarly doesn’t represent much upside for the Canucks.
Cue the speculation, and an interesting name out of News 1130’s Rick Dhaliwal. Dhaliwal reports that an agent asked him “if [he has] heard the Canucks are talking to Tampa Bay about Slater Koekkoek.” While it’s not clear if that means they have in fact had any conversations, the possibility is interesting. With Mikhail Sergachev confirmed as staying with the team past the nine-game threshold, there isn’t a ton of ice time for Koekkoek. He’s clearly the odd man out in Tampa’s rotation, but would require waivers to be sent to the minor leagues.
- Jordan Schroeder has indeed been sent to the Columbus Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate, even with the injury to Lukas Sedlak. Schroeder cleared waivers earlier today, and will head to Cleveland to continue his season. The Blue Jackets, now down to 13 forwards, are currently carrying an extra roster spot. Whether that’s filled with another forward, or an eighth defenseman is still to be decided.
- The Ottawa Senators have signed Jack Rodewald to a two-year entry-level contract. Rodewald had been playing with their AHL affiliate Belleville this season on a minor-league deal, but could now be called up to the NHL should his play warrant it. The undrafted forward scored 85 points in his final year of junior for the Moose Jaw Warriors, and has four points in his first five games this season in the AHL.
- Bobby Farnham has signed a professional tryout with the Springfield Thunderbirds according to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal. Farnham had appeared in New York Rangers’ training camp on a tryout earlier this summer, but failed to make the team. The undrafted forward has 67 NHL games under his belt, but is know more for his rough play than his scoring ability. He has just 10 career points, all with New Jersey in 2015-16.
Ottawa Senators Recall Max McCormick
- Max McCormick has been recalled by the Ottawa Senators, presumably to help fill in for Bobby Ryan who broke his finger again in Saturday night’s victory over the Maple Leafs. Ryan will be out a month, giving some of the younger players in the Senators system a chance to show what they can do. McCormick, 25, has just 27 games of NHL experience but provides both some scoring touch and a willingness to drop his gloves. The energy forward scored 21 goals last season in the AHL in just 66 games.
5 Key Stories: 10/16/17 – 10/22/17
It wasn’t as busy during the beginning of the week, but the end certainly had its fair share of big news. Injuries to key players dominated the week’s notes.
- Red Wings finally come to terms with Andreas Athanasiou, trade Riley Sheahan and Ryan Sproul – The Andreas Athanasiou-Red Wings stalemate came to an end after a phone conference with Wings brass thawed the tension. In order to make room, general manager Ken Holland dealt Riley Sheahan to Pittsburgh and flipped defenseman Ryan Sproul to the Rangers.
2. Bobby Ryan shelved for one month with a broken finger – As one commenter wrote, the snake bitten Ryan broke his right index finger during the Senators’ 6-3 win over rival Toronto. This yet another finger injury for the forward, who fought through a number of injuries last season.
3. Brian Boyle is cleared for full practice: Expected to be a critical piece for the Devils this season, Boyle was out due to a form of bone cancer, Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. Though there is no timetable for his return, this is another large step for Boyle in his battle back to the ice.
4. A number of goalies suffer injuries: Tuukka Rask, Roberto Luongo, and Malcolm Subban were some of the netminders hit by injury this week. Both Subban and Marc-Andre Fleury sit on Vegas’ LTIR after it was reported that Subban would miss four weeks. Rask was diagnosed with a concussion and because of the nature of concussions, it’s unclear just how long Rask will be out. Luongo injured his right hand during the Panthers’ 4-3 loss last night.
5. Jeff Carter Out Indefinitely: The Kings lost one of their best players to a cut on his left leg, speculated to be a six-to-eight week recovery time.
Harpur Reassigned To Belleville
- The Ottawa Senators announced that they have reassigned defenseman Ben Harpur to Belleville of the AHL. The 22-year-old was called up early in the season to help with the team’s defensive depth only to get injured in his first game with Ottawa. He was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, and now that he is healthy again, will return to his AHL team.
Ottawa’s Ryan Out For At Least A Month After Breaking Finger
Despite a big 6-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Ottawa Senators suffered just as bad of a disappointment Saturday when team leader Bobby Ryan broke his right index finger in the third period of the game, trying to block a Ron Hainsey shot and will likely miss a month, according to Ken Warren of the Ottawa Sun.
Ryan, the former second-overall pick in the 2005 draft (the pick after Sidney Crosby), had a down year after struggling with injuries last year and even found himself a healthy scratch during the season, only put up 13 goals and 25 points in 62 games. Ryan has had a long history of finger injuries in his career. In fact, he broke his finger last year in November. However, this year, the 30-year-old center has started the season strong. Despite not getting on the scoreboard so far this year, Ryan has put up six assists in eight games.
“I feel for him, I really do, because this man has made some giant leaps personally, on and off the ice and the way he has presented himself this year and all the efforts he has put in,” said Senators coach Guy Boucher. “I find it sad right now. We’ve got to push with our team and find ways to stick together, just like last year when we had a lot of adversity.”
Ryan is the team’s highest paid players at $7.25MM AAV after signing a seven-year, $50.8MM deal back in 2014, a deal which he has had trouble living up to. He is still locked in with Ottawa until 2021-22.
Warren writes that the Senators will recall a player from Belleville of the AHL.
Detroit Sends Sproul To Rangers For Puempel
The Detroit Red Wings have completed a second trade in as many minutes as the team has traded defenseman Ryan Sproul to the New York Rangers for wing Matt Puempel, tweets CapFriendly.
The move comes minutes after the Red Wings traded center Riley Sheahan and a 2018 fifth-round pick to Pittsburgh for winger Scott Wilson and a 2018 third-round pick. The Red Wings are likely ensuring they have a backup center in their system in Puempel after trading away Sheahan.
Sproul has spent the entire 2017-18 season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, putting up one goal and three assists in five games. He was not able to make the NHL roster and was sent down. The 24-year-old former second round pick in 2011, is an offensive defenseman, but has had trouble breaking into the Red Wings lineup. He played 27 games with Detroit last year, putting up seven points, but has spent most of his career in Grand Rapids.
Puempel, also has spent the entire year in the AHL. He has scored one goal and three assists for the Hartford Wolfpack. The 24-year-old was claimed off waivers from the Ottawa Senators last November after scoring no points in 13 games for Ottawa. However, in 27 games for the Rangers, he put up six goals and three assists and didn’t spend any time in the AHL last year.
Both Sproul and Puempel have already been sent to their new respective AHL teams as Sproul has been assigned to Hartford, while Puempel will join Grand Rapids.
Ottawa Senators Recall Chris DiDomenico
The Ottawa Senators have recalled Chris DiDomenico from the AHL prior to their matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs tomorrow night. Zack Smith was injured in the game yesterday and is expected out a week, although both Colin White and Ben Harpur were out on the ice at practice today.
The Senators lost in overtime last night, making if three times already this season that the team has ended regulation in a tie only to lose the game thereafter. That record of 3-1-3 is still good for third in the Atlantic Division, but they’ll have to take on the top team in the 6-1 Maple Leafs. They’ll deploy DiDomenico into the lineup unless White is able to go tomorrow night.
At 28 with only three games under his belt you might think that DiDomenico is a minor league journeyman, but in this case you’d be mistaken. After being taken in the sixth round of the 2007 draft—by those same Maple Leafs he’ll face tomorrow—and completing his junior career, DiDomenico spent just a couple of years in the minor leagues before heading to Europe. Playing in the Italian and Swiss leagues, the undersized forward put up huge point totals before finally re-signing back in the NHL last spring.
In four games with the Belleville Senators of the AHL this season, DiDomenico leads the team with five points and has generally been among the most dangerous forwards on the ice at all times. He’ll try to bring some of that skill and speed to the NHL again should he get into the lineup tomorrow night.
Borowiecki Won't Play Thursday, Listed As Day-To-Day
- The Senators announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Mark Borowiecki is listed as day-to-day and will not play on Thursday night. He sustained what appeared to be a shoulder injury in a fight with Vancouver winger Derek Dorsett and did not return for the third period.
Senators Have Made Kyle Turris A Five-Year Extension Offer
The Senators have made what’s believed to be a five-year offer worth $30MM to pending unrestricted free agent center Kyle Turris, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger on TSN 1040 (audio link). However, as has been reported earlier, Turris is more concerned about the term of the deal over the money and is still focused on securing a longer-term extension. Dreger adds that there hasn’t been any recent substantive discussion between Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion and Turris’ agent Kurt Overhardt.
Turris is off to a strong start this season with two goals and five assists through the first six games while hovering around the 20-minute mark in average ice time. While it’s doubtful that he’ll be able to sustain that level of production over a full season – he has only hit the 60-point mark once – he should be able to come in around the 50-point mark at the very least if he stays healthy which will set him up nicely if he does make it to the open market.
While it’s understandable that the Sens would like to avoid a max-term (eight-year) extension if possible, Turris will only be 29 at the start of next season and should still have several strong seasons ahead of him; the risk isn’t as high as it would be for someone in their early 30s. So even though the offer represents a sizable raise from the $4MM salary ($3.5MM cap hit) he’s getting this season, there isn’t a lot of risk in waiting to see if the team ups their offer (or increases the term) as it’s fairly safe to expect that Turris will receive comparable offers in free agency next July.