Ottawa Senators Re-Sign Jacob Bernard-Docker
The Ottawa Senators have made a second defenseman signing today after extending Erik Brannstrom just minutes ago. They’ve locked in Jacob Bernard-Docker to a two-year, $1.61MM contract carrying an average annual value of $850K. Per the team, the 23-year-old will earn a $785K salary in 2023-24 and a $825K salary in 2024-25.
Bernard-Docker just wrapped up his three-year entry-level contract, which saw him make NHL appearances in every season of the deal. Now with 32 NHL games under his belt, the 2018 first-round has struggled to make an impact offensively at both the NHL and AHL levels but looks to be developing into a solid defensive player. He didn’t look entirely out of place in 19 NHL appearances this season, holding his own defensively in a limited role.
He does have just two points to his name in his NHL career, though, and he had just six points in 41 AHL contests with the Belleville Senators in 2022-23. While still providing some bottom-four upside at this point, you’d like to see a little more production from a first-round pick who had no issue getting on the scoresheet in college.
He could get more of a chance next season, as the contract is a one-way deal. He would also require waivers to be sent to the minors next season, which the Sens likely aren’t willing to expose him to.
Senators Re-Sign Erik Brannstrom
Saturday: The Senators announced that they’ve signed Brannstrom to a one-year, $2MM contract. GM Pierre Dorion released the following statement:
Erik took a big step forward last season. Over the year’s second half of games especially, he demonstrated a strong ability to raise his game to the level where he’s using his confidence as an asset. We’re happy to have him under contract for another year.
Friday: Earlier today, the Senators tendered defenseman Erik Brannstrom a qualifying offer to retain his rights. While that makes him a restricted free agent, he might not be one for long as Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets and TSN reports (Twitter link) that the two sides are making progress on a new deal.
The 23-year-old was acquired by Ottawa as one of the centerpieces of the Mark Stone trade back in 2019 with the hopes that he’d be able to become an impact offensive defender in the NHL. That hasn’t exactly played out as planned, however, as Brannstrom had just two goals and 21 points over his first 116 career games as of the end of 2021-22. Unsurprisingly, that yielded a low-cost one-year bridge deal worth $900K back in September.
However, things went a little better for Brannstrom this past season. He played in a career-high 74 games with the Sens, picking up a career-best 18 points along the way while averaging just over 16 minutes a night. Clearly, it’s not the type of production they were hoping for when they got him a few years ago but he has at least now shown he can handle a full-time workload which is an important step for a young blueliner to take.
Brannstrom’s qualifier checked in at $945K but he should be able to land more than that this summer. He’s eligible for arbitration for the first time and the fact that he has nearly 200 NHL appearances under his belt now along with 49 points should be enough to get at least a small raise from an arbitrator if it was to come to that. Based on this report, however, it’s unlikely to get to that point.
Senators Linked To Josh Bailey
Veteran Josh Bailey is a late entrant into the upcoming free agent market after the Blackhawks officially bought out the final year of his contract earlier today, basically accepting a 2026 second-round pick from the Islanders to execute that move and carry the nearly $4MM combined in dead cap charges over the next two years. However, that doesn’t mean that he won’t have suitors in free agency; Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the Senators are linked to the winger.
The 33-year-old surpassed the 1,000 games played mark early this past season but things didn’t go particularly well for him. Bailey managed just eight goals and 17 assists in 64 games. By the end of the season, he was a frequent healthy scratch and didn’t suit up at all in their first-round loss to Carolina, basically cementing that he’d be on the way out at some point.
That said, Bailey is only a year removed from a 14-goal, 44-point campaign and would be an intriguing addition if a team believes that he’s capable of having a bounce-back season. With the year he had and the fact he’s receiving nearly $2.7MM from Chicago, there’s a good chance that Bailey will be signing a relatively cheap deal, limiting the risk. If he does indeed wind up in Ottawa, the hope would be that he’d add some offensive depth to a bottom-six group that struggled to produce at times in 2022-23.
There are some ties between Bailey and the Senators. In his junior days, he played in Windsor for two seasons where Ottawa head coach D.J. Smith was a part of the staff. Meanwhile, current Sens associate coach Jack Capuano coached Bailey for parts of seven seasons with the Islanders so if Bailey chooses to go there, he’ll have plenty of familiarity with at least two of his new coaches.
Sens Looking For Proven Players, Not Futures, In DeBrincat Trade
While many expected that the Senators would try to move pending RFA winger Alex DeBrincat at the draft with the hopes of getting a first-round pick, that clearly didn’t come to fruition with nary a single trade involving a first-round selection occurring. However, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Ottawa is trying to get someone that can help the team win now instead of a futures-based package. The 25-year-old had 27 goals and 66 points in his first season with the Sens in 2022-23 and was owed a qualifying offer of $9MM. However, the team got around that by filing for club-elected arbitration earlier this month, allowing them to offer just 85% of that amount ($7.65MM). DeBrincat is not believed to have asked for a trade from Ottawa but has indicated that he is not interested in signing a long-term agreement to remain with the team.
Ottawa Senators Re-Sign Jacob Larsson
The Ottawa Senators have announced that defenseman Jacob Larsson has been signed to a one-year, two-way contract extension. Per the announcement, the deal carries a league minimum $775k cap hit, as well as an AHL salary of $325k.
Larsson, 26, was a first-round pick at the 2015 draft who joined the Senators organization a year ago after being let go by the Anaheim Ducks. Larsson got extensive NHL time across three seasons with the Ducks but between 2020-21 and 2021-22 he went from playing in 46 NHL games to just six. It became clear that the Ducks organization had moved beyond hoping for Larsson to finally break out, so he left in the offseason for Ottawa.
In Ottawa, Larsson didn’t manage to re-establish himself in the NHL and played just seven games for the Senators. He spent most of the year with the AHL’s Belleville Senators, scoring 17 points in 55 games playing generally in a top-four role.
By locking up Larsson for another season, the Senators have locked in a top-four defenseman, minute-munching defenseman for their AHL affiliate who also can step in and play on their NHL lineup in a pinch.
The Senators already have Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson, Tyler Kleven, and Erik Brannstrom likely to occupy NHL roles on the left side of their defense, meaning it’ll be an extremely long shot Larsson makes the Senators out of training camp, although in the case of injuries this contract could ensure he’s among GM Pierre Dorion’s first call-up options.
Latest On Alex DeBrincat
- Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion told The Athletic’s Ian Mendes that they “are not close” to an Alex DeBrincat trade. Many had assumed that the Senators would push to make a trade before the 2023 NHL draft in order to potentially add a first-round pick for Ottawa to be used in tonight’s first round. But Ottawa’s reluctance to give other teams permission to negotiate a contract extension with DeBrincat has likely slowed the trade negotiations, meaning we’re unlikely to see a DeBrincat deal in the near future.
Jake Sanderson Changes Representation
- Ottawa Senators defenseman, Jake Sanderson, has switched agents, now being represented by mega-agent Pat Brisson of CAA Hockey (Tweet Link). Although under contract already with the Senators, the change could mean a lot for Sanderson this summer. Entering the last season of his entry-level contract signed back in 2022, Sanderson could sign a long-term extension with Ottawa this offseason.
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Snapshots: Lyon, Love, Hockeyville
Sergei Bobrovsky‘s magical run for the Florida Panthers throughout most of the playoffs erased a lot of memories of the netminder who got them there in the first place. 30-year-old Alex Lyon, who started the season as the team’s third-string netminder, recorded a 6-2-1 record and .930 save percentage while playing in nine of the team’s final 12 games of the regular season, helping them snag a playoff spot after sitting on the outside looking in for much of the season.
Yesterday, Lyon’s agent, Pete Rutili of Wasserman Hockey, told Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic that his client’s preference is to stay in the Sunshine State, but there have been no talks between the Panthers and their pending unrestricted free agent. Florida expects youngster Spencer Knight back in the fold next season after taking time in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, so Lyon wouldn’t have a likely NHL role if he returns. After seven seasons and more than 200 games of AHL action, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Lyon went elsewhere to find an easier path to more NHL action in 2023-24.
More from the NHL news cycle today:
- The head coach of the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, Mitch Love, hasn’t completely cut ties with the Flames after being passed over for their head coaching vacancy in favor of his predecessor in the minors, Ryan Huska. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that while Love is still looking elsewhere for jobs on an NHL bench, he’s had discussions with the Flames about joining Huska’s staff as an assistant. Love has won AHL Coach of the Year honors in both of his two campaigns behind the Wranglers (formerly Stockton Heat) bench and guided them to a Pacific Division Final loss against the Coachella Valley Firebirds, who are now just one win away from the Calder Cup.
- Next year’s Canadian Kraft Hockeyville preseason matchups will honor both the 2022 and 2023 winners of the award, seeing the NHL head to West Lorne, Ontario, on September 27 and Sydney, Nova Scotia, on October 1. Atlantic Division teams will comprise both matchups, with the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs facing off in West Lorne before the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators play in the Sydney showcase.
Trade Market Expanding For Alex DeBrincat
- Reporting earlier this week suggested Alex DeBrincat had a set list of teams he’d be willing to accept a long-term sign-and-trade deal with, but LeBrun says other teams have “given DeBrincat’s camp some things to think about” with their inquiries. With the market expanding, Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion seems content to let this play out for a better return, and LeBrun reports he’s more than willing to accept a 2024 first-round pick to get a deal done rather than limiting himself to finishing the trade process before the 2023 draft next week. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch had named Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Nashville, and Vegas as specific teams DeBrincat had an interest in.
Sens Unsure About Qualifying Julien Gauthier
- Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch notes that the Senators are undecided about qualifying winger Julien Gauthier later this month. The 25-year-old was acquired late in the season as part of the Tyler Motte trade and held his own down the stretch, notching five points in 17 games. Owed a tender of just $840K, the hesitance would seem to revolve around his arbitration eligibility. While his career numbers wouldn’t land him a significant raise by any stretch, it could push his price tag higher than Ottawa is comfortable paying.