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Minor Transactions: 1/27/2017

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As is customary over the NHL’s All-Star weekend, many teams have begun the day with sending waivers-exempt players down to the minors for some salary cap savings over the next few days. No team has been as enthusiastic to move some bodies as the New Jersey Devils, who announced that nearly half of their defensive corps will take a short trip to Albany to visit the AHL Devils. Joining the recently demoted Yohann Auvitu this weekend will be Steve Santini, Seth Helgeson, and Karl Stollery. Although the trio has only played in a combined 26 games in 2016-17, Santini and Stollery have formed the bottom pair for the Devils of late with Auvitu, Andy Greene, and John Moore sidelined with injuries. Helgeson has generally been the seventh defenseman this season, spending most games in the press box, but getting to see the ice in five contests. The 29-year-old journeyman Stollery has played in just eight games, but is already having the best season of his NHL career, recording his first big-league points and playing about 16 minutes per night.The rookie Santini has shown promise so far in the first half, skating in 13 games and scoring two goals and three assists while playing a sound defensive game as well. Expect Santini and at least one of Stollery and Helgeson to be back up in New Jersey after a brief break.

Elsewhere in minor moves:

  • Another Metropolitan team has moved a majority of one position down to the AHL, but it should come as welcome news to the fans. The Carolina Hurricanes announced that, after a long hiatus dealing with concussion symptoms, goalie Eddie Lack has been activated from the injured reserve and has been assigned to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers for a rehab stint. With Cam Ward having played in 41 of 48 games for the ’Canes, including 22 of the last 24, he, the organization, and the fans will be happy to have Lack back in the fold as soon as possible. Joining him in the minors will be his recent replacement, veteran Michael Leighton, whose demotion could be more of the permanent variety this time around. However, Leighton, who is the AHL’s all-time leading goalie in games played, will at least get to participate in the AHL All-Star Game upon his return.
  • The Washington Capitals have reassigned forward Chandler Stephenson to the Hershey Bears of the AHL for the time being. Unlike his last call-up to the Caps, Stephenson got to see some game action during this last trip. Though the young center was held scoreless and is still looking for his first NHL point through 11 games, Stephenson played confidently in the past two contests and has earned another promotion in the near future.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have again returned forward Markus Hannikainen to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. The big Finnish winger, playing in just his second season in North America, scored his first NHL goal in the Jackets’ 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes last Saturday, his only game action on this trip to Columbus.
  • The Buffalo Sabres announced that defenseman Casey Nelson has been assigned to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Nelson has done his best to help Buffalo out with their rash of blue line injuries this season, but has struggled to make much of a difference in nine scoreless games.
  • After his recent NHL debut and first career goal, the Arizona Coyotes’ Christian Fischer gets to continue his highlight-reel week by heading to the AHL All-Star Game. The Coyotes announced his demotion, but more than anything the move allows the AHL to honor the league’s top rookie in the first half of the season before he likely heads back to the NHL for the second half.
  • In addition to placing Michael Bournival and Gabriel Dumont on waivers, the Tampa Bay Lightning have demoted forward Erik Condra to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, which has become common this season. The bottom-six groupings are set to change drastically following the All-Star break.
  • The Ottawa Senators have activated Andrew Hammond from the injured reserve, and in a corresponding move and have sent down Chris Driedger to the Binghampton Senators of the AHL. However, this only partially helps the Sens’ logjam in net. Mike Condon has taken over as the starter with Hammond out and Craig Anderson on leave since early December, but with both soon back in the fold, Ottawa will still be carrying three goalies. Expect another move sooner rather than later.
  • The San Jose Sharks are using All-Star weekend to get a whole group of guys some play time. The team announced that Barclay Goodrow, Kevin Labanc, Timo Meier, and Tim Heed have all be reassigned to the AHL Barracuda and will join the team in Michigan tonight for a game against the Grand Rapids Griffins.
  • After just recalling Ivan Barbashev to replace the injured Kyle Brodziak, the St. Louis Blues have returns the AHL All-Star to the Chicago Wolves for this weekend. Expect he, or fellow All-Star Kenny Agostino, or possibly both, to be right back with the Blue after the break.
  • The Boston Bruins have recalled goalie Anton Khudobin from the Providence Bruins and reassigned rookie keeper Zane McIntyre to the AHL. While McIntyre’s demotion was expected, as he has been the best goalie in the AHL this year and a highlight of the AHL All-Star Game, the subsequent recall of Khudobin could signal that the Bruins are ready to return to the veteran as their backup to begin the second half of the season.
  • The Winnipeg Jets returned Brian Strait to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL, one day after recalling the six-year veteran defenseman from the minors, the team announced via Twitter. Strait was a healthy scratch last night as the Jets took a 5-3 decision from Chicago. The 6-foot-1, 206-pound blue liner has yet to see action in the NHL this season but has appeared in 182 regular season contests over parts of six seasons with the Pittsburgh and New York Islanders organizations.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets continue to flip-flop backup goalies, sending Joonas Korpisalo to Cleveland of the AHL and recalling Anton Forsberg from the same affiliate. The team announced the corresponding transactions via Twitter. Forsberg has made just one appearance this season for Columbus, allowing four goals on 27 shots in a 5-3 loss to Carolina. Korpisalo has won two of his three starts and has appeared in four games overall.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have sent Carter Rowney back to the AHL after just a day with the big club. The forward came up last night with Evgeni Malkin out, but didn’t make it into the game against the Boston Bruins. Rowney will need to wait for his next shot with the big club.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have signed some depth between the pipes, inking ECHL netminder Ryan Faragher to a one-year deal. The 26-year old Faragher has been in their system since 2014, but wasn’t under a pro-deal until now. He’ll earn $575K if he should ever make it to the NHL (which he most likely will not, unless something drastic happens in Anaheim) and $50K in the AHL.

Minor Transactions: 1/25/2017

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PHR will recap the day’s minor roster transactions in this post. Please check back throughout the day for updates.

  • With Stefan Noesen now a member of the New Jersey Devils after being claimed on waivers, Anaheim Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle indicated to The Orange County Register’s Eric Stephens that the team will recall forward Kalle Kossila from San Diego of the AHL. Kossila was inked by Anaheim as an undrafted free agent after completing his senior season with St. Cloud State University. The 23-year-old Finn, who has yet to appear in an NHL regular season contest, has registered nine goals and 27 points in 33 AHL games this season.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed defenseman Steve Oleksy on waivers, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. The 30-year-old blue liner has seen action in nine games this season with Pittsburgh, tallying a single assist. In 71 career NHL games, Oleksy has recorded three goals and 20 points. Counting Oleksy, the Penguins have seven healthy defenders on the roster. Waiving the four-year veteran could be an indication that Kris Letang, on IR since January 16th, could be nearing a return.
  • To make room on the roster for Noesen, the Devils have placed forward Beau Bennett on IR retroactive to January 20th, reports Andrew Gross of The Record. Bennett, in his first season with New Jersey after an offseason trade with Pittsburgh, has scored three goals and 10 points in 40 contests.
  • Winger Casey Bailey has been reassigned by the Ottawa Senators to Binghamton of the AHL, via the team’s official communications department Twitter account. Bailey has played in five contests this season, going scoreless while averaging just 7:13 of ice time per game. He has 10 goals and 15 points in 33 AHL games with the Baby Sens.
  • According to the AHL Manitoba Moose’s official Twitter account (H/T to Patrick Williams of NHL.com), defenseman Brian Strait has been recalled by the Winnipeg Jets. Strait has not yet seen NHL action this season but has appeared in 182 regular season games with the Jets and Pittsburgh over parts of six seasons.
  • Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area reports that the San Jose Sharks have reassigned Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc to the AHL. The scribe refers to the moves as a “paper transaction,” in that the team will bank a bit of cap space with the pair of forwards off the roster and inferring they will be recalled ahead of San Jose’s next game tomorrow night at home against Edmonton.

Snapshots: Flames, Senators, Blues

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“We were pathetic. It was a pathetic display. No bite back, no kick back. Our top guys didn’t do anything. We needed someone to step up.”

Tell us how you really feel, Glen Gulutzan. The head coach of the floundering Calgary Flames ripped into his team after another their fourth straight loss. All four games have seen Calgary going down 4-0 to start the game. The Flames nearly came back from the four-goal deficit against the Predators but lost 4-3. They were then smoked 7-3 by the Oilers, 4-0 by the Maple Leafs, and 5-1 by the Canadiens. Calgary has allowed the first goal in the previous nine games..

On Monday, I wrote about how Flames GM Brad Treliving is facing some big questions as they continue their rebuild. Gulutzan’s first year at the helm of the Flames has not gone well so far; the team is now 24-24-3 and is currently sitting in the second and final wildcard spot in the Western Conference with 51 points. They’re nine points behind the Oilers, who are in third in the Pacific Division. The Flames are two points behind the Blues for the first wildcard spot, and one point ahead of the Kings and Canucks.

  • The Ottawa Senators have announced the hiring of Tom Anselmi as the president and CEO of the organization, according to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He’ll replace Cyril Leeder, who was not offered another position; Leeder held the position since June of 2009. Anselmi spent 17 years with MLSE, ending his time there when Tim Leiweke replaced him as president and CEO in 2013. Garrioch speculated that Anselmi has a background in construction and could be key in getting the Senators a new arena. Owner Eugene Melnyk seconded that opinion at the press conference. Perhaps the most notable information to come out of the conference is the news that the Senators will likely be playing in an outdoor game in Sweden next year. As Garrioch puts it, the season-opening trip to Sweden appears to be “a done deal,” and negotiations continue with regards to the outdoor game.
  • With their starting goaltender struggling, St. Louis Blues backup Carter Hutton made a strong statement with a 3-0 shutout of the hot Pittsburgh Penguins. ESPN’s Scott Burnside believes that Hutton’s performance was the biggest story of Tuesday night. Hutton’s second shutout of the year snapped the Blues’ three-game losing streak. Burnside writes that the Blues still have to right the ship as far as their play in front of Jake Allen, who has struggled mightily in his first year as starter; his SV% has fallen below 0.900 after posting a 0.920 in 47 games last season. Allen begins a four-year, $17.4MM contract extension next season.

Trade Candidates: Thomas Vanek

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With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.

The Detroit Red Wings are staring at the possibility of trading assets away instead of buying them up. After decades of acquiring top end talent, the Red Wings are now considering their options once the trade deadline hits. Will they deal talent away for prospects and picks? Or will they hold onto everyone, trying for a 26th consecutive playoff appearance? One player who could yield quite the return is Thomas Vanek.

Contract

One year, $2.6MM – Will be a UFA in July

2016-17

After a disappointing tenure in Minnesota, Vanek was cut loose via a buyout. The Red Wings signed him to a one-year deal worth $2.6MM, hoping that Vanek would show flashes of the player who had a nose for the net. So far, the gamble paid off. Vanek has been Detroit’s best forward all season, and has been one of the best scoring threats for the team–especially one struggling mightily on the power play. The Red Wings are reportedly on the fence about what to do–re-sign Vanek or trade him while his stock is high. Vanek is currently out, though he’s day-to-day with a lower body injury.

Season Stats

36 games: 12 goals, 19 assists, 31 points. 51.1 CF%, +6, 14:54 ATOI.

Potential Suitors

The Red Wings’ decision making won’t be cemented until they reach their bye-week, which is only a week before the actual deadline. Vanek comes at a great price, instead of having a bloated contract, an issue with many players on the Detroit roster. What Vanek could garner from another team depends on where he goes and how the market reacts with other players.

Chicago, who kicked the tires on Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, would seem to be the best landing place for Vanek. Though Chicago is steadfast in holding onto its’ first round pick due to hosting the draft, there are a number of prospects in the system that could help Detroit, especially defensively. They could also offer future first round picks–along with prospects–to give them a solid scoring punch at left wing. Though the Hawks are always in a tight spot with the cap, Stan Bowman is not one to shy away for a chance at the Cup.

The Ottawa Senators are also an option as they’re searching for scoring. Currently sitting second in the Atlantic, the Sens could use another player with a scoring touch to add scoring depth in the conference that many believe will win a Cup again. The Sens might be willing to give up a first round pick for a scorer, as reported by TSN’s Frank Seravalli.

Likelihood Of A Trade

Again, everything depends on where the Wings sit in the standings. Ken Holland is notorious for “liking his team” or stating that players returning from injury are like adding at the trade deadline. Holland will push for the playoffs as long as the team plays its way to a spot, but with just a 13% chance of making the playoffs, Vanek may find himself in another jersey when the calendar turns to March.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Transactions: 1/24/17

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Here is where we’ll keep track of today’s minor roster moves:

  • The Devils announced (Twitter link) that they have activated defenseman Yohann Auvitu off of injured reserve and assigned him to their AHL affiliate in Albany. He had missed the past seven games with a lower body injury.  The 27 year old rookie has spent the bulk of the season with New Jersey, picking up four points (2-2-4) in 25 games.  He also has seen time in seven AHL contests, recording a trio of assists.
  • The Senators announced via Twitter that they have recalled winger Casey Bailey from AHL Binghamton. He’s expected to serve as insurance up front in case Mike Hoffman (flu) is unable to play tonight against Washington.  Bailey has played in four games with Ottawa this season being held off the scoresheet and has ten goals and five assists in 33 games with Binghamton.
  • Washington announced the recall of center Chandler Stephenson from Hershey of the AHL. The 22 year old got into nine games with the Capitals last season but has yet to suit up with the big club in 2016-17.  He has played in 39 AHL games this year, recording 24 points (6-18-24), just four shy of his career high set last season.
  • With defenseman Brian Dumoulin set to return from injured reserve, the Penguins have assigned blueliner Cameron Gaunce to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL, per a team release. Gaunce got into three games with Pittsburgh after being recalled last week, picking up a pair of assists while posting two goals and six assists with the Baby Pens this season.
  • The Ducks announced via Twitter that they have loaned center Nate Thompson to their AHL affiliate in San Diego on a long-term injury conditioning loan.  Loans of this nature typically last a maximum of three games or six days but teams can petition the league for an extra two games.  Thompson, who remains on LTIR, has missed the entire season so far after rupturing his Achilles’ tendon in an offseason workout.
  • Colorado announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled center Jim O’Brien from San Antonio of the AHL.  The team placed forward Rene Bourque on IR to make room for him on the roster.  O’Brien, a former first round pick of the Senators (29th overall) in 2007, has spent the entire season at the minor league level, collecting seven goals and ten assists in 26 games.  He last saw NHL action in 2015-16, getting into four games with New Jersey.

Senators Acquire Tommy Wingels From Sharks

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The Ottawa Senators announced that they have acquired center/right winger Tommy Wingels from San Jose in exchange for minor league wingers Zack Stortini, Buddy Robinson, and a 2017 7th round pick.

"JanWingels has struggled so far this season with the Sharks, spending most of the season mired on the fourth line or as a healthy scratch.  In 37 games this year, he has five goals and three assists while recording 61 hits (he has had at least 200 in each of the last three seasons).  He is averaging just 10:03 of ice time per game, his lowest in any full NHL season.

The 28 year old had spent his entire career with San Jose after being selected by the Sharks in the sixth round (177th overall) in 2008.  In 337 games, he has 122 points (51-71-122), 197 penalty minutes, and 968 hits.  Wingels is in the final year of his contract and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July.  The Sharks will retain 30% of his $2.475MM cap hit and $2.6MM salary as part of the deal.

Robinson, a 25 year old left winger, has spent the majority of the season with Ottawa’s AHL affiliate in Binghamton.  In 33 games with the Baby Sens, he has seven goals, five assists, and 18 penalty minutes.  He has also got into four games with Ottawa this year, being held off the scoresheet while averaging just under seven minutes of ice time per game.  He carries a cap hit of $750K in the NHL with a minor league salary of $75K and is heading for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer as he will have less than 80 career NHL games played at the end of the season and has the required number of professional seasons to qualify.

Stortini is a veteran of 257 NHL games with Edmonton and Nashville but last saw NHL action back in 2011-12.  The 31 year old enforcer has 41 points (14-27-41) in that span while recording 725 penalty minutes.  Since then, he has bounced around with several minor league teams and was in his second season with Binghamton.  In 22 AHL games this season, he has two goals and an assist to go along with 20 penalty minutes.  He has a $600K cap hit at the NHL level and is earning $200K in the minors.  Both he and Robinson have been sent to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda.

While Wingels isn’t exactly a top six forward at this stretch of his career, he’ll add some grit and some depth to Ottawa’s bottom six while providing some insurance in case of injury at a very small acquisition cost.  He’s only a couple of years removed from pair of 35+ point seasons so perhaps a change in scenery will give him a boost for the stretch run which would go a long way towards restoring some of his value heading into free agency.

As for the Sharks, this clears up a roster spot and a little over $730K in cap space per CapFriendly (Twitter link) which should come in handy with winger Tomas Hertl nearing a return to the lineup from his knee injury.  CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz reports (Twitter link) that there’s a very good chance that Hertl will be ready to return to the lineup on Thursday against Edmonton.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Atlantic Notes: Yandle, Gionta, Duchene, Coreau

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Although things haven’t gone the way the Florida Panthers expected this season, GM and interim head coach Tom Rowe is quite pleased with the play of their key offseason acquisition, defenseman Keith Yandle, he told Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel:

“He’s fit in terrific. He’s such a positive influence on our young guys and in our locker room in general. We targeted him as our No. 1 free agent signing [because we] thought he’d really complement our forwards.”

The team was hoping he’d add another dimension to their power play but injuries to Jonathan Huberdeau, Nick Bjugstad, and Aleksander Barkov has resulted in a drop from 2015-16’s 16.9% success rate.  However, Yandle, who signed a six year, $44.45MM contract after Florida traded for his negotiating rights, leads all Panther blueliners in points with 23 and is tied for the team lead in assists with 20 (while also tying for the team lead in power play points) so their struggles can’t all be attributed to him.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Although he recently turned 38 and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July, Sabres captain Brian Gionta isn’t planning on retiring at the end of the season, writes John Vogl of the Buffalo News. The veteran added that he isn’t worried about his situation heading into the trade deadline either.  It’s worth noting that Gionta doesn’t have a full no-trade clause this year as he has a five team list that he can be traded to, per CapFriendly.  Gionta may not be the top six forward he was with New Jersey and Montreal but with 10 goals and 22 points on the season, he can still be a productive bottom six option on a contending team if he’s moved by March 1st.
  • While the Senators haven’t been linked to Colorado center Matt Duchene, Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen argues that they should make a run at acquiring him. Not only would he replace Clarke MacArthur who is out for the year with a concussion, his addition would also likely help their attendance, where they rank in the bottom ten league-wide.  Warren adds that the Ottawa’s window to win revolves around blueliner Erik Karlsson, whose contract expires after 2018-19 so they should be thinking about adding and winning now while he’s still on a below-market contract.  Duchene’s contract, by the way, also expires following the 2018-19 season.
  • Red Wings goalie Jared Coreau had an awful rookie professional season in 2013-14, winning just one of 25 appearances. It was there that he first met current Detroit bench boss Jeff Blashill who was very direct in telling him what needed to be done if he was to succeed as a pro, writes Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com.  Coreau credits his success since then to Blashill’s bluntness, which resulted in him losing weight, seeing a sports psychologist, and undergoing special vision training.  Having won five of his first eight decisions, the 25 year old has held his own since being recalled to cover for Jimmy Howard who has been out since late December with an MCL sprain.

Senators Sign Zack Smith To Four Year Extension

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The Ottawa Senators announced that they have signed center Zack Smith to a four year contract extension.  The deal will carry a cap hit of $3.25MM and will pay that amount in each year of the deal which runs through the 2020-21 season.  Smith also receives a limited no-trade clause, ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun adds (Twitter link).

The contract represents a sizable jump in pay as he’s currently earning a $2.3MM salary (with a cap hit of $1.88MM) this season.  He was slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July.

Mar 28, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators center Zack Smith (15) warms up before playing against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY SportsSmith has spent his entire career with Ottawa after being drafted in the third round (79th overall) back in 2008.  After spending the early part of his career as a bottom six grinder, he has shown more offensive upside as of late.

This season, Smith has 11 goals and 11 assists in 22 games while averaging a career best 16:13 of ice time per game.  This comes on the heels of a career-best 25 goal and 36 point campaign in 2015-16.

In his career, the 28 year old has played in 443 NHL games, scoring 75 goals and 61 assists while adding 530 penalty minutes.  He has turned himself into a reliable player at the faceoff dot as well, winning more than half of his draws in four of the last five seasons, including a 52.8% clip this year.

The contract ensures that their top three centers are locked up for next season; Kyle Turris has one year left on his deal after this season while Derick Brassard is inked for two more years.  Overall, the Sens have seven forwards signed for 2017-18 at a combined cap hit of $32.3MM, per Cap Friendly.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Tropp, Kruger, Blue Jackets

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Just a day after bringing him up, the Anaheim Ducks have decides that Corey Tropp will head back to San Diego and the AHL. As Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports, the journeyman winger will head back to the AHL without a taste of NHL action. As mentioned yesterday when he was called up, Tropp hasn’t gotten a crack at the NHL level in more than two seasons, despite establishing himself as a regular on the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2013-15. The 27-year old Tropp is having a fantastic season for the San Diego Gulls, with 29 points in 32 games.

  • While the Blackhawks are starting the rumor mill early this year with their reported interest in a pair of Red Wings, they might be getting some help back off the injured list sooner than later. Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago reports today that Marcus Kruger is “pretty close” and will hopefully return this week before the All-Star break. Injured on December 30th, Kruger was originally expected to miss only three weeks but faced a setback that has kept him out a bit longer. The Hawks  miss his defensive presence and ability on the penalty kill, and will welcome him back with open arms. The team is now just two points back of the Minnesota Wild for first place in the Central division, but have played 48 games already – three more than the Wild. Firmly entrenched in a playoff spot – the team sits 12 points ahead of the third place Nashville Predators – the Blackhawks will be looking to add depth to their roster for another playoff run.
  • Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports that both David Savard and Markus Nutivaara are out for the Blue Jackets’ game tonight against the Ottawa Senators. Dalton Prout and Scott Harrington will figure in as the bottom pair. The team is being very hush-hush on Savard’s injury, only saying it occurred in Thursday’s game when he left in the third period. Quietly, Savard is having another excellent season for Columbus, logging over 21 minutes a night, second on the team behind Seth Jones. The 26-year old is locked up long-term on a very tidy contract, earning $4.25MM annually until 2020-21. While he doesn’t get the press that Jones or Zach Werenski get, he’s an integral part of a group of young defenders (26 and under) that Columbus will ride for the next number of years.

Senators Working On Contract With Zack Smith

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The Ottawa Senators began contract talks with forward Zack Smith, reports the Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch. Smith is a pending unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, and Ottawa needs to know whether to keep Smith or trade him at the trade deadline.

Smith came back down to earth this season after scoring 25G and 11A last year. His unsustainable 20.7% shooting percentage contributed to the drastic scoring increase, and this year’s regressed 11% shooting percentage leaves him with 9G on the season. His numbers are still respectable, but unless Smith goes on a scoring tear to finish the year, it would appear that last season’s success was an anomaly. Smith is in the final year of his $1.88MM contract. Given his production this year, Smith should expect a small bump, but nothing north of $3MM.

The Senators sit second in the Atlantic Division right now, and have to weigh making a playoff run against acquiring picks and prospects. With a weak and unpredictable Atlantic Division this year, any team could conceivably make a run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Montreal Canadiens’ Carey Price is struggling, the Boston Bruins sits third but with more games played than any other team, and the Toronto Maple Leaf’s rookie-laden team makes their success unpredictable. The usual division powerhouses—Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning—are experiencing down years and the Senators could use this opportunity to make a run. It’s unclear whether the Senators—or more aptly, whether owner Eugene Melnyk—wants to buy in for a playoff run, but what they do with Zack Smith will be indicative of their plans.

 

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