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Senators Notes: Sokolov, Pinto, Andlauer

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The biggest-name Ottawa Senator who remains an unsigned restricted free agent is undoubtedly center Shane Pinto, though he’s not alone in that status. Forward Egor Sokolov is also without a contract for next season, although that isn’t anticipated to impact his ability to participate in the team’s training camp.

Sokolov was officially named to the club’s training camp roster today, while Pinto was not. And according to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, the expectation is that even if Sokolov doesn’t have a deal in place, he’ll still report to training camp tomorrow. Garrioch adds that Sokolov’s camp and the Senator have “continued to talk” on finalizing a new contract. It’s an extremely important preseason for Sokolov, who will be in a battle for an NHL job in Ottawa. He’s waivers-eligible for the first time in his career, and after scoring 109 points across the last two AHL campaigns it’s clear this is a make-or-break training camp for Sokolov’s NHL dreams in Ottawa.

Some other notes regarding the Senators:

  • Garrioch relayed an update from a radio appearance by Senators GM Pierre Dorion today, regarding the status of Pinto. Dorion said he has gone “back and forth with Pinto’s camp this morning ” negotiating an extension, but although he “wants to get a deal done as quickly as possible” he can’t actually put a timeline on when that would happen. It’s possible that the Senators are staring down the prospect of an extended absence for Pinto, something that would be a significant loss for the club. The Senators are desperate to finally escape their rebuild and make the playoffs, but have been prone to slow starts to seasons under head coach D.J. Smith. Being without a strong two-way center who scored 20 goals last season would certainly not help matters.
  • Incoming Senators owner Michael Andlauer told the media today at the Senators Foundation golf tournament that he hopes his purchase of the Senators will officially close by the end of the week. The Senators’ sale process has been a long process, but now it appears that the sale is finally reaching a conclusion, assuming Andlauer’s hopes become reality.

Philadelphia Flyers Interested In Ottawa’s Shane Pinto

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The Fourth Period’s Anthony Di Marco shared that the Philadelphia Flyers made an offer on unsigned Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto. The offer would have also sent Mathieu Joseph, who makes $2.95MM for the next three years, to Philadelphia alongside Pinto as a cap dump. No return from Philadelphia is mentioned, although Di Marco notes that it would’ve been a roster player. He also shares that Philadelphia has, “kind of moved on” after not receiving a prompt response from Ottawa.

Shane Pinto’s contract negotiations have quickly become news worth following, as little progress has been made in finding a deal. Both Di Marco and Elliotte Friedman, in his 32 Thoughts podcast, agree that Ottawa’s preference is still to re-sign Pinto. But Friedman noted that Ottawa is aware any trade involving Pinto would return a quality player.

And that’s the real challenge. While few teams in the league are in a position to take on more cap, especially any potential cap dump that may need to be associated with the deal, Pinto is a player worth finding room for. The 22-year-old centerman scored 20 goals and 35 points while appearing in all 82 games last season – a defiant rookie showing. Friedman remains confident that, following this strong season, a market value contract for Pinto would carry a cap hit of around $2.5MM. That price coupled with Joseph’s cap dump would equate to roughly $5.5MM that any potential suitor would need to make room for.

There’s also the matter of what a fair trade return is for a player of Pinto’s quality. Friedman and co-host Jeff Marek discuss the Boston Bruins as another team that could be interested but are likely out of any true conversations given their cap situation and lack of expendable assets. With training camp looming, movement with Pinto is likely right around the corner. But whether a new deal with come with Ottawa or a new team is yet to be seen.

Boucher Injured During Fitness Testing, Won't Play In Rookie Tournament

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  • Senators prospect Tyler Boucher was notably left off their prospect tournament roster. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays that the winger tweaked his groin during fitness testing on Wednesday so they’re opting to be cautious and give him a few days to rest.  He is expected to be ready for the start of main camp.  The tenth pick in 2021, Boucher will be turning pro this season and should play a prominent role with AHL Belleville where he’ll be looking to make up for lost time after injuries limited him to just 21 games with OHL Ottawa last season.

Latest On Shane Pinto

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The NHL continues to crawl closer to the start of training camp, and as usual, most teams have done much of their heavy lifting already, eager to see how new acquisitions mesh with their new teams. Unfortunately for the Ottawa Senators, they are still left without a contract for their sixth-highest goal-scorer during the 2021-22 season, Shane Pinto.

Only last week, the Boston Bruins, who much like the Senators have little salary cap flexibility to work with, had a reported interest in acquiring Pinto to fill their newfound void at the center position. Nevertheless, only a day later, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet spoke candidly about Pinto’s situation, describing that Ottawa would need to make a trade to fit him under the salary cap for the upcoming season.

It’s no surprise as to why the Senators would want to extend Pinto, as well as the reported outside interest from other teams around the league. At 22 years old, Pinto is coming off a 20-goal season and should come at a fairly cheap price as he is coming off of his entry-level contract.

Speaking in place for new owner Michael Andlauer during Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe’s monthly breakfast at City Hall, General Manager of the Senators, Pierre Dorion spoke to the situation surrounding the contract of Pinto.

Dorion noted that both sides are hoping to have a deal done by next Tuesday, which could provide a resolution by the end of the upcoming weekend. However, Dorion did acknowledge there still is a gap between the two parties, and that the team does need to move a contract of magnitude in order to keep Pinto in the fold for the 2023-24 season. Dorion said, “We’re working on that one (Pinto), hard. We’d like to see him next week when we open camp“.

Whatever the outcome is for this ordeal, it’s important to point out that the Ottawa organization should be uniquely busy this weekend, unlike most teams during this time of the year. As things currently stand, the Senators have approximately $895K in cap space, and will likely need to free up around $900K-$1MM to sign Pinto comfortably. Whether it comes through a small deal, or even some roster manipulation by Dorion, a solution should be arranged by early next week.

Ottawa Senators Sign Josh Bailey To PTO

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The Ottawa Senators have signed veteran forward Josh Bailey to a PTO, the team announced today.

This signing marks the first time in Bailey’s professional career that he’ll be part of an NHL organization other than the New York Islanders. The 33-year-old was drafted by New York with the ninth-overall pick at the 2008 NHL draft and has played over 1,000 games for the franchise. In his time with the Islanders, he helped end the team’s 23-year wait without a single playoff series win.

He became a dependable top-six forward in New York, and in his best years (just after his career-high 71-point 2017-18 season) he helped turn the Islanders into a regular season and playoff juggernaut in the aftermath of franchise face John Tavares’ free agency departure.

Bailey’s playoff performances helped the Islanders come within a razor-thin margin away from the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back years. He scored a combined 33 points in 41 games across those two runs, by far the best playoff performances of his career.

Just one year ago, Bailey was still widely viewed as a strong middle-six forward. He scored 14 goals and 44 points in 2021-22, but this past season his play declined. He scored just eight goals and 25 points and was at times kept in the press box as a healthy scratch by first-year head coach Lane Lambert.

Seeing as Bailey has signed a PTO rather than a full-time NHL contract, it appears NHL teams may collectively view Bailey’s decline as not a momentary lapse of form, but rather a sign of things to come for his career. The Senators are hoping Bailey will prove them otherwise, and he’ll have the chance to do just that in Ottawa during the training camp and preseason process.

On paper, Bailey stands a decent chance of earning an NHL deal in Ottawa just by virtue of the fact that he has significantly more experience than most players slated to play in the team’s bottom six.

He’ll be competing for a role on the wing against players such as Zack MacEwen, Jiri Smejkal, Parker Kelly, Egor Sokolov, Ridly Greig, Roby Jarventie, and Matthew Highmore. Bailey has more NHL experience than that group of players has combined, so if head coach D.J. Smith wants a veteran player in his bottom six, Bailey could be his best option.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Tyler Boucher Suffers Injury; Will Be Ready For Training Camp

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  • Tyler Boucher has had his development derailed by injuries since he was selected 10th overall by the Ottawa Senators at the 2021 draft. He only played in 21 games last season and missed some time in 2021-22 as well. Boucher has yet again run into injury trouble, suffering a groin injury in his preparation for the Senators’ rookie tournament. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Boucher “won’t participate” in the rookie tournament, but “will be fine for camp.” While it’s certainly possible that this injury is just a one-off issue that won’t cost Boucher very much in the long term, (one hopes this is the case) the fact that Boucher has had such persistent trouble staying healthy is a cause for concern with his development. Boucher was always going to be more of a project pick, with the Senators hoping that after a few years of development, Boucher could learn to leverage his impressive physical tools into on-ice success. It’s unclear whether he’s been able to do that to this point, though in order to make 2023-24 a valuable season of development he’ll need to be able to get onto the ice as much as possible.

Sale Of Senators Now Unlikely To Be Made Official This Week

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  • While there was some hope that the sale of the Senators to Michael Andlauer would be finalized by now, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch notes that this is no longer the case. While there isn’t believed to be any issue – the financing is secure and he has already received approval from the NHL’s Executive Committee – things are moving slower than expected.  Now, the hope is that the sale will be made official by Monday.

Canadiens Acquire Rights To Jakov Novak From Senators

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The Canadiens have made a small addition to their prospect pool as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve acquired the rights to forward Jakov Novak from the Senators in exchange for future considerations.

The 24-year-old was a seventh-round pick by the Sens back in 2018 (188th overall) after a strong showing with Janesville of the NAHL.  Novak went on to play three seasons at Bentley University before transferring to Northeastern for the final two years of his college career.  Last season, he posted eight goals and four assists in 35 NCAA contests before turning pro, signing with Allen of the ECHL, Ottawa’s affiliate in that league.  At that level, he got into 14 games and fared well, collecting seven goals and five helpers.

It was believed that Novak’s NHL rights would have lapsed back in mid-August but that wasn’t the case on a technicality since he had already signed an AHL contract with Laval, Montreal’s farm team.  Now, the two sides have finalized the rights swap, giving the Canadiens the ability to sign him to an entry-level deal if they so desire.

Nick Holden Retires, Joins Golden Knights Front Office

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Longtime NHL defenseman Nick Holden is retiring after a 12-season career and will immediately join the Vegas Golden Knights’ player development staff, according to a team release. His specialty will be working with the team’s group of young defensemen.

Initially eligible for the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Holden went undrafted and didn’t make it to an NHL organization until the Columbus Blue Jackets signed him to an entry-level contract in 2008 after completing his junior career with the WHL’s Chilliwack Bruins (who have since relocated to Victoria to become the Royals). He would remain in the Blue Jackets organization until 2013 but spent most of it in the AHL, playing just seven NHL contests without recording a point. An unrestricted free agent in 2013, he signed a two-year, $1.2MM contract with the Colorado Avalanche, which jumpstarted his career. Finally playing his rookie campaign as a 26-year-old in the 2013-14 season, Holden recorded 25 points in 54 games for the Avs while averaging nearly 19 minutes per game.

He would settle into a top-four role during his peak, averaging over 20 minutes per game from 2014 to 2019. His career-best season came as a member of the New York Rangers in 2016-17, posting 11 goals and 23 assists for 34 points in 80 games and a +13 rating. With the Rangers struggling the following season, however, they dealt him to the Boston Bruins at the 2018 trade deadline, where he played a depth role down the stretch. That led him to sign with the Golden Knights for their second season, and he gave them solid play over the course of three seasons from 2018-19 to 2020-21. After slipping down the depth chart and playing just 17 regular-season games in 2020-21, however, they dealt him to the Ottawa Senators in a swap for scoring winger Evgenii Dadonov.

Holden spent the final two seasons of his career in a Sens jersey, recording 35 points in 141 games while averaging 18:24 across the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns. His final NHL appearance came in an overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on April 13 of this year, in which he recorded a +1 rating, four shots on goal, 23:13 of ice time, and one block.

After turning 36 in May, Holden steps away from the playing side of the game with 654 career appearances. During his time with the Avalanche, Golden Knights, Blue Jackets, Rangers, Senators, and Bruins, Holden amassed 52 goals, 126 assists, 178 points, and a +16 rating.

“Nick was widely respected by management, teammates, and coaches during his time with the Golden Knights as a player,” Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “He fills an important role with our player development and will work not only with our drafted prospects but also with our young pros with the Henderson Silver Knights.”

We at Pro Hockey Rumors congratulate Holden on a respectable career, and we wish him the best as he moves into the next chapter of his career in the sport.

Summer Synopsis: Ottawa Senators

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There was a lot of excitement in Ottawa last fall when the Senators took to the ice to open the 2022-23 season. Outside of the Calgary Flames, general manager Pierre Dorion and the Senators were widely regarded as the winner of the offseason. But, winners of the offseason don’t always win in season, and much like the Flames, the Senators struggled to put it together on the ice. The team took a while to find their game and when they finally did form a cohesive unit, they found themselves well outside of the playoff picture. They did climb back into the thick of things that last few months of the season, but for the most part it was a lost season in a long line of the lost seasons. But it was not without its positives. Many individual Senators players took big steps. Tim Stützle took monumental steps to establishing himself as a bonafide superstar, Jake Sanderson showed he was the worthy of the hype, Brady Tkachuk continued to put up good offensive numbers and matured on and off the ice. The only thing missing was a playoff spot, and the Senators looked poised to chase one down this season.

Draft

4-108: D Hoyt Stanley, Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL)
5-140: D Matthew Andonovski, Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
7-204: F Owen Beckner, Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL)
7-207: G Vladimir Nikitin, Barys Nur-Sultan (KAZ)
7-215: G Nicholas Vantassell, Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)

The Senators clearly saw a need to build up the backend as they drafted two defensemen and two goalies in the 2023 NHL entry draft. They also seemed to want to add size as both goaltenders stand over 6’4” while both the defensemen they drafted are over 6’2”. The Senators have typically struggled in the net and have never had much stability outside of Craig Anderson’s run. Drafting in the later rounds may not prove fruitful, but with the unpredictability of the goaltending position, it’s worth a chance.

The Senators didn’t have any picks in the first three rounds of this year’s draft after trading them away in various moves the past year or so, but with the pipeline of prospects they already have, they likely aren’t too concerned.

Trade Acquisitions

F – Dominik Kubalik (from Detroit)
D – Donovan Sebrango (from Detroit)

Kubalik and Sebrango both come over from the Red Wings in the Alex DeBrincat trade this summer and figure to be part of the Senators future.

Sebrango was born in Ottawa and is unlikely to make much an impact with the big club anytime soon. He hasn’t shown much at the AHL level and spent a considerable amount of time in the ECHL last season. He is just 21 years old so it wouldn’t be fair to write him off just yet given that he’s only three years removed from being drafted in the third round.

Kubalik on the other hand will likely get a look on the Senators second line which could be great news for the 28-year-old. Kubalik is just three years removed from potting 30 goals as a rookie and had a decent year last year with 20 goals and 25 assists in 81 games. He is probably going to see a reduction in the quality of power play time he is used to but will likely have the opportunity to play with better players 5 on 5. Kubalik won’t match DeBrincat’s offensive numbers, but he should put up good numbers at a fraction of the cost. The Senators didn’t do great in the Debrincat trade, especially considering what they had to give up acquiring the player. Despite that, Kubalik should fit into the Senators middle six and provide some good depth offense.

UFA Signings

F Josh Currie (one year, $775K)*
F Matthew Highmore (one year, $775K)*
G Joonas Korpisalo (five years, $20MM)
F Zack MacEwen (three years, $2.325MM)
C Garrett Pilon (one year, $775K)*
RW Vladimir Tarasenko (one year, $5MM)

The Senators went into the offseason knowing that they needed to improve in net if they wanted to have any chance to make the playoffs in the 2023-24 season. They did not receive NHL goaltending this past season, and while team defense was also an issue, their netminding left a lot to be desired. The Senators opted to give term and a good chunk of change to Korpisalo in hopes of him being the solution. Korpisalo was terrific last season with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings, however with the Kings he was able to play behind one of the best defensive teams in the league, something that can’t be said of the Senators. The Senators made a big bet with the 29-year-old and will be hoping that get last year’s version of him, and not the version he was during his first seven years in the NHL.

The Senators opted to take the savings from DeBrincat and sign sniper Tarasenko. Between he and Kubalik they should be able to make up the offense that Ottawa is losing with Debrincat now in Detroit. Tarasenko isn’t the player he was once but should be good for 25 goals and something around 50 points. Tarasenko is just a year removed from a 34-goal campaign and seems to have overcome some of the shoulder problems that severely damaged his play. In Ottawa he won’t be asked to drive a line and should fit in well with some of the Senators younger stars.

RFA Re-Signings

D Erik Brannstrom (one year, $2MM)
D Jacob Bernard-Docker (two years, $1.61MM)
G Kevin Mandolese (one year, $775K)*

*-denotes two-way contract

Brannstrom may never live up to the hype that surrounded him when he was traded to Ottawa as part of the package to acquire Mark Stone. Brannstrom came in with a lot of expectations, and fair or not, he hasn’t lived up to them. That doesn’t mean he isn’t an effective player; it means that he was overvalued and hasn’t turned out to be what Ottawa thought they were getting in the Stone swap. But Brannstrom is still an effective player and could be part of the future on Ottawa’s back end. Brannstrom dressed in a career-high 74 games last season and posted two goals and 16 assists while playing over 16 minutes a night. The 24-year-old will always be undersized, but his skating and skill should remain a valuable asset for the near future. Brannstrom is unlikely to crack Ottawa’s top 4 anytime soon given who is ahead of him on the depth chart, but it is hard to say if he is even suited for that role. Brannstrom may be best suited for a bottom-pairing role on a very good team, something he will find in Ottawa this season.

Departures

F Julien Gauthier (Islanders, two years, $1.575MM)
F Scott Sabourin (San Jose, two years, $1.55MM)
F Patrick Brown (Boston, two years, $1.6MM)
D Nick Holden (unsigned UFA)
F Jake Lucchini (Minnesota, one year, $775K)*
G Antoine Bibeau (signed with AIK IF, Allsv)
D Jonathan Aspirot (unsigned)
F Derick Brassard (unsigned)
G Cam Talbot (Los Angeles, one year, $1MM)
F Olle Alsing (Signed with Leksands IF of SHL)
F Dylan Gambrell (Toronto, one year, $775K)
F Austin Watson (Tampa Bay, PTO)
F Viktor Lodin (IK Oskarshamn, SHL)

The Senators didn’t lose much from their lineup at all this offseason. Most of the pieces that walked out the door had run their course in Ottawa or were past their best-before date and didn’t have much of a future with the Senators. The biggest loss for Ottawa was probably Talbot, but during his time with the Senators he struggled mightily and didn’t give Ottawa what they were hoping for when they trade for him last summer.

Outside of Talbot most of the departing Senators are easily replaceable and should hurt the product on the ice this season.

Salary Cap Outlook

Much like the New York Rangers, we don’t need to look too far into the past to remember when the Ottawa Senators were viewed as a team with ample cap space, good young players and a ton of draft picks and prospects. The prospects arrived and the cap space dried up quick and now Ottawa will enter next summer with less than $15MM in available cap room and just 14 players signed for 2024-25. Ottawa could find themselves tight against the cap going forward, however they have almost all their stars and strong depth pieces locked in long term. The salary cap outlook is okay, it’s not the best, but it could certainly be worse.

Key Questions

Can The Senators Make The Playoffs? There have been a few teams in the past two decades who drafted high-end first-round picks and could never find any playoff success, the recent incarnations of the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs come to mind. The Ottawa Senators are hoping they can find success sooner than their Canadian counterparts, but they must make it to the playoffs first. Ottawa will be in tough this year as the Eastern Conference is a buzzsaw. There are possibly 11 teams in the Eastern Conference that are playoff teams, and three of them will miss out. The Senators are primed to make it this year, but can they?

Is Korpisalo The Answer In Nets? Giving money and term to a goaltender is always risky, Pierre Dorion knows this well (Matt Murray anyone?). But at some point, you must pull the trigger and make a move to solidify your goaltending, especially with your team ready to contend. Dorion knew he had to address this, but only time will tell if Korpisalo was the answer to the question.

Will D.J. Smith Last The Year? Coach Smith has won before in other places, but he has yet to win in the NHL with the Senators. This is a make-or-break season for the coach, he has had a lot of leash thus far, but at this point, the Senators are a playoffs-or-bust team. Should they stumble out of the gate, Smith could find himself on the hotseat very quick. But even though he is likely on the hot seat, Smith will be given some rope to manage this team through the season. The players and managers have all said publicly that he is the guy, and unless something changes behind closed doors, there is no reason to believe they will dump him in season unless the team absolutely falls apart in the early part of the season.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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