Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Senators Rumors

Senators Notes: Coaching, Buyouts, Norris

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Ottawa Senators wrapped up their season with locker cleanout on Friday, giving general manager Steve Staios a chance to share updates with the media. He spent much of his time addressing the team’s coaching situation, saying they have a long list of candidates that they’ll whittle down over the summer, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.

The Senators have been without a long-term head coach since D.J. Smith’s firing on December 18th. Jaques Martin stepped in as interim head coach, leading the Senators to a measly 26-26-4 record and a spot well outside of the playoffs. Staios mentioned that Martin would continue with the team in a consulting role, but isn’t in the race for the vacant head coaching role. Neither is Senators legend Daniel Alfredsson, who Staios says wanted more time before pursuing the coaching path. That likely leaves the Senators looking externally, where they’ll find plenty of strong candidates.

Other notes from Staios’ press conference:

  • Staios added that the team isn’t planning on utilizing any buyouts this off-season, per Sportsnet’s Wayne Scanlan (Twitter link). That’s despite weaker performances from costlier names, like Joonas Korpisalo and Travis Hamonic. Ottawa is projected to have $12.8MM in cap space this off-season, per CapFriendly and an $87.5MM salary cap. With no support from buyouts, that will be all they have to re-sign their six pending free-agents, including Erik Brannstrom, Dominik Kubalik, and Shane Pinto.
  • Staios also shared that forward Joshua Norris is expecting to be ready for the start of next season, shares Garrioch. Norris was limited to just 50 games this season, and hasn’t played since late February, once again dealing with nagging shoulder injuries. Norris was limited to just eight games last season because of shoulder issues, and underwent the third shoulder surgery of his four-year NHL career in March. He’ll look to recover once again, and hope for healthier fortune next season.

Senators Notes: Stutzle, Pinto, Sanderson, Chabot

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Ottawa Senators star Tim Stutzle was bearing through multiple injuries this season, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun (Twitter link). Garrioch reports that a wrist issue plagued much of Stutzle’s season, while a nagging shoulder injury is what’s ultimately held him out of the lineup. Stutzle missed Ottawa’s final seven games of the season, after playing in the previous 75. He told the media at locker clean-out that he, “hasn’t been feeling good for a year or something”, shares Claire Hanna of Sportscenter (Twitter link).

Stutzle ranked second on the Senators in scoring this year, totaling 18 goals and 70 points. While certainly a strong year, Stutzle’s scoring marked a big step down from the 39 goals and 90 points he recorded in 78 games last season. The persistent injuries are likely a big factor in that decreased scoring, though the Senators as a team also collected six fewer goals on the season compared to last year.

These lingering injuries will keep Stuzle from joining Team Germany at the World Championship this summer. Instead, he will focus on overcoming his lingering injuries this summer, as he prepares to once again rival the century-scoring mark.

Other notes from Ottawa’s cleanout day:

  • Senators forward Shane Pinto says he’s hoping to join Team USA at the World Championship this summer, shares Garrioch (Twitter link). Pinto added that he’ll seek his own insurance for the event if he doesn’t have a new contract with Ottawa by June. Pinto will be joined by defenseman Jake Sanderson, who said he’s excited to play meaningful games and reunite with USA Hockey, per Hanna (Twitter link). Sanderson
  • Meanwhile, defenseman Thomas Chabot shared he won’t be joining Team Canada due to lingering injuries, sharing that he’s not yet sure if he’ll need any surgeries, per Hanna (Twitter link). Chabot only managed 51 appearances this season, though he did score an impressive nine goals and 30 points. He’ll have the off-season to heal and look to return to continue leading Ottawa’s defense corps next season.

Senators Re-Assign Bokondji Imama, Brady Tkachuk To Play At Worlds

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun reports that Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk will represent Team USA at the upcoming IIHF World Championships. A day after being nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, the 24-year-old spoke with the Ottawa media and talked about the disappointment with his team’s season but expressed excitement about representing his country on the world stage. The former fourth overall pick had another strong season for the Senators, posting 37 goals and 37 assists in 81 games to lead the team in scoring for the second time in three years.

Senators Reassign Zack Ostapchuk, Jiri Smejkal

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Senators have begun re-staffing their minor-league affiliate after wrapping up their season with a 3-1 win over the Bruins last night. Forwards Zack Ostapchuk and Jiri Smejkal were assigned to AHL Belleville today as the B-Sens look to hold onto the fifth and final playoff berth in the North Division.

Ostapchuk, 20, was a second-round pick by the Sens in the 2021 draft. He’s had a decent professional debut with Belleville this season, recording 17 goals (fourth on the team) and 11 assists for 28 points in 66 games. The 6’4″ pivot received two post-trade deadline callups with injuries continuing to decimate Ottawa’s forward group but failed to record a point in his first seven NHL games. He took on bottom-six duties, averaging 10:30 per game, and struggled heavily in the faceoff circle (11/41, 26.8 FO%). He received no special teams usage and had a decidedly negative possession impact, posting a relative CF% of -10.3 despite receiving highly favorable offensive zone usage. It wasn’t the most promising debut, although he did get involved physically with six blocks and 13 hits.

Smejkal wraps up his first NHL season with 20 appearances after the Czech forward signed a one-year, two-way deal in free agency. The 27-year-old power winger had spent his entire career in European leagues, splitting the 2023-24 campaign between the majors and minors. He wasn’t given much of a leash by interim head coach Jacques Martin, averaging 9:29 per game in his NHL showings, but he managed two points – including his first NHL goal last night in Boston. Smejkal failed to impress much in the minors, though, posting nine goals and 22 points in 45 contests with a -7 rating. A UFA this summer, he’ll likely return overseas.

Bokondji Imama Out With Upper-Body Injury

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

  • In a similar fashion to Thompson, the Ottawa Senators announced yesterday evening that recent call-up Bokondji Imama would miss the rest of the game against the New York Rangers. Placed on the roster from an emergency loan on April 8th, Imama will likely finish the year with zero points in six games at the NHL level, with three goals and 10 points over 53 games at the AHL level spent with the Belleville Senators.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Tim Stützle Skating In Non-Contact Jersey

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Ansar Khan of MLive.com is reporting that Detroit Red Wings center Michael Rasmussen didn’t skate this morning with the team and won’t play tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Tonight’s absence will be Rasmussen’s sixth game in a row out of the lineup as he deals with an upper-body injury.

The 24-year-old last played back on April 1st in a 4-2 Detroit win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. If he misses both games in Detroit’s back-to-back against Montreal, he will wrap up his fifth NHL season with a career-high 33 points (13 goals and 20 assists) in 75 games.

In other Atlantic Division notes:

  • Less than a week after taking a high stick to the face and breaking his cheekbone, Red Wings forward Andrew Copp has returned to the lineup against the Canadiens. Copp skated with the team this morning sporting a full cage and was called a game-time decision for tonight. He ultimately has dressed in his 78th game of the season as the Red Wings battle for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Copp missed just two games with the injury.
  • TSN 1200 tweeted that Ottawa Senators center Tim Stützle skated this morning with the team at Madison Square Garden in a non-contact jersey. The Senators play tonight against the Rangers and have just one game on the season remaining. Given the timeline, it seems unlikely that Stützle will return this season from an upper-body injury that has kept him out of the lineup since April 4th. The Senators haven’t made the playoffs since the 2016-17 season and were expected to contend for a playoff spot this year but were out of the race by the midway point of the regular season. The 22-year-old has done his part though, posting 18 goals and 52 assists in 75 games in his fourth NHL season.

Senators Recall Zack Ostapchuk

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Senators have recalled center Zack Ostapchuk from AHL Belleville, per a team announcement. He’ll play Ottawa’s final two games of the season instead of Mark Kastelic, who left Saturday’s shootout win over the Canadiens with an upper-body injury.

Ostapchuk, 20, got a brief stint with the Sens last month but failed to record a point in six games. He was returned to Belleville on March 22.

Before and after his first NHL call-up, the 2021 second-round pick showed flashes during his inaugural professional season but has struggled with inconsistency. In 66 games for Belleville this season, he’s scored 17 goals and has added 11 assists for 28 points and a +4 rating. The 6’3″, 205-lb forward has gotten into a fair amount of penalty trouble, too, recording 47 PIMs on the year. Most of his scoring has come in bunches – he has quite a few two-point games this season, but he has also routinely gone more than five games without getting on the scoresheet.

There’s no risk on the Sens’ part of giving him another crack in the NHL lineup for their season-ending back-to-back this week, though. They’re guaranteed a bottom-three spot in the East with a 36-40-4 record, and their final two games are against likely divisional champions in the Rangers and Bruins. It should be a good test for Ostapchuk to see how he fares against contending teams’ depth. He’s expected to center their third line, flanked by Boris Katchouk and Parker Kelly. Ottawa is dealing with a rash of injuries at forward to end the season, including star centers Tim Stützle and Joshua Norris, Kastelic, and depth winger Angus Crookshank.

While Ostapchuk signed his entry-level contract back in September 2021, it only took effect this season after sliding twice. He has two seasons remaining on his deal at a $825K cap hit and is under team control through 2029.

Highmore Assigned To AHL Belleville

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

  • After Saturday’s victory over Montreal, the Senators announced (Twitter link) that forward Matthew Highmore was assigned to AHL Belleville. The 28-year-old missed a little more than a month with an upper-body injury but returned to practice yesterday and has been given the green light to return.  Highmore has played in seven games with Ottawa this season, picking up two assists while adding 29 points in 40 appearances with Belleville, a team that is right in the thick of the playoff race in the AHL’s North Division.

Brady Tkachuk Likely To Play For Team USA In World Championships

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

As the regular season comes to an end, many players on non-playoff teams are making decisions on whether or not to suit up for their country in this year’s IIHF World Championships. One of those players, Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators, is leaning toward playing for Team USA per multiple reports (X Link).

Since officially joining the Senators organization back in the 2018-19 NHL season, Tkachuk has not suited up in international play. However, he was the captain for Team USA in the 2018 World Junior Championships, scoring three goals and nine points in seven games, helping lead his team to a bronze medal finish.

[SOURCE LINK]

Highmore (Upper Body) Took Part In A Full Practice

at CDT | by 1 Comment

  • Senators forward Matthew Highmore took part in a full practice today, reports Sportsnet’s Wayne Scanlan (Twitter link). The 28-year-old has missed a little more than a month with an upper-body injury.  Highmore has played in seven games with Ottawa this season, picking up two assists but won’t suit up tonight despite having the full game-day skate.  The pending unrestricted free agent also has 29 points in 40 appearances with AHL Belleville.

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

scroll to top