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Snapshots: Senators Defense, Couture, Stralman

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The Ottawa Senators are intent on competing for a playoff spot next season, and their offseason moves have reflected that intention. The team spent major resources in both cap space and draft picks to add some star talent, and the result of those expenditures is that Claude Giroux and Alex DeBrincat will be wearing red and black this upcoming season. But while the team’s offensive attack is significantly improved from last season, less attention has been paid to their defense.

In an interview with Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, Senators coach D.J. Smith revealed what his plans are for the team’s defense corps. Smith stated that he intends to pair top prospect and rookie defenseman Jake Sanderson with veteran blueliner Travis Hamonic to start camp. That pairing would go along with a more established pairing of Thomas Chabot and Artem Zub, one that will presumably handle the team’s toughest minutes. This news is not a major surprise, although it could be to those who are low on the current makeup of the Senators’ blueline. Much had been made about the Senators’ pursuit of an additional top-four defenseman this summer, but it seems that those pursuits have concluded, at least for the time being.

Now, for some other notes from across the NHL:

  • While the San Jose Sharks’ new era under GM Mike Grier began with a trade of veteran defenseman Brent Burns, don’t expect a similar departure for other Sharks star veterans, namely Logan Couture. In speaking to Corey Masisiak of The Athletic, Couture said that when asked, as Burns was, about potentially being traded, Couture “didn’t think twice about it.” (subscription link) Couture is seemingly all-in on the Sharks returning to contention next season, and for the team to have any chance of success next season they’ll need their veteran centerman to continue to play like a quality top-six center.
  • The Montreal Canadiens made some moves to shake up their team this summer, and their most significant move on defense came with the trade of Jeff Petry to the Pittsburgh Penguins. In addition to losing Petry, the Canadiens also dealt Alexander Romanov to the New York Islanders. The team added Mike Matheson in the Petry deal, but is still short one NHL defenseman from where they were last year. That has led some, including The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin, to suggest that the Canadiens add a veteran defenseman before this upcoming year. (subscription link) Godin specifically names veteran defenseman Anton Stralman as someone the Canadiens should target, given his experience and track record of reliability. Stralman skated in the third-most minutes per game of any Arizona Coyotes player last season and would compete for a role on Montreal’s right side with Chris Wideman, David Savard, and Justin Barron.

Senators Notes: Defense, Brannstrom, Tryouts

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Senators GM Pierre Dorion spoke with TSN 1200 (audio link) on Friday to discuss the upcoming season.  While the team has been active in their additions (forwards Claude Giroux and Alex DeBrincat plus goalie Cam Talbot), the same can’t be said for the back end.  Dorion indicated they’re still hoping to add a top-four defenseman but are comfortable going into training camp with what they have and seeing if a youngster like Lassi Thomson or Jacob Bernard-Docker is ready after spending last season with AHL Belleville or Jake Sanderson can make the jump right from college.

To that end, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Ottawa has held trade discussions with the Coyotes regarding Jakob Chychrun.  However, the reported asking price of two first-rounders plus a top prospect is one that no one is willing to meet just yet.  Chychrun would certainly fit within the Sens’ core group in terms of age and with three years left at a below-market $4.6MM, he’d help on the financial side of things as well as their top players start to get more expensive.  Of course, that’s a big part of the reason why Arizona’s asking price is so high so Dorion will have to decide whether it’s one he’s going to be okay paying before too long.

More from Ottawa:

  • One of the remaining RFAs that they need to re-sign is blueliner Erik Brannstrom. Garrioch reports that part of the holdup has been that the youngster’s camp has been seeking a deal with some term instead of a typical bridge contract.  He has 116 career NHL contests under his belt but has also been in the AHL in each of his first four professional seasons which would make a longer-term deal a little trickier to hammer out.  The 22-year-old had 14 assists in 53 games last season while averaging just shy of 20 minutes a night of ice time.
  • While their forward group seems pretty full already (especially once RFA Alex Formenton re-signs), Dorion indicated that he has been in discussions with some agents for players that are looking to come to camp on PTO agreements but no decisions have been made on that front yet. He did, however, indicate that if one is brought in, it will be someone with a legitimate chance to make the team.  While that might sound a little obvious at first glance, teams often being veterans in on PTOs simply to ensure they can meet the veteran minimum requirements for the early preseason games to allow their own veterans to skip some early action.

Snapshots: Senators RFAs, PHF, Robidas

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The Ottawa Senators still have two relatively significant names left to sign this offseason in defenseman Erik Brannstrom and Alex Formenton. In an interview today on TSN 1200, as relayed by Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, Senators GM Pierre Dorion says that he’s “still talking” to Brannstrom and Formenton’s agents and that he expects both to be signed before training camp begins next month.

Getting both Brannstrom and Formenton under contract soon would be ideal, as teams typically don’t want outstanding contract negotiations to cast a shadow over their preparations for an upcoming season. Brannstrom, 22, is coming off of a disappointing season where, despite solid opportunities, he failed to make the major impact he was projected to make as a 2017 first-round pick. Formenton, 22, broke into the NHL last season and scored 18 goals and 32 points. The speedy Formenton is likely to get a larger deal than Brannstrom based on his production alone, but both are likely to receive entry-level deals as the Senators look to enter their first truly competitive phase since making a run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2017.

Now, for some other notes from around the hockey world:

  • The PHF has had a pretty significant offseason, inking a two-year broadcasting extension with ESPN and announcing the addition of an expansion franchise in the Montreal market. Now, the league looks set to announce another big move. Per Hailey Salvian of The Athletic, the PHF will add legendary American forward Brianna Decker to the league’s front office in a part-time advisory role. The PHF has been battling to establish itself as the home of the world’s best women’s hockey players, and since the formation of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association has seen some of its top talent depart the league. Adding Decker, albeit not as a player, could go a long way in helping the PHF continue to grow their league and mend their relationship with the PWHPA.
  • Carolina Hurricanes prospect Justin Robidas, the son of former NHLer Stephane Robidas, will reportedly be traded when the QMJHL’s mid-season trade window opens, from his current QMJHL club, the Val-d’Or Foreurs to the Quebec Ramparts, according to Le Soleil de Quebec’s Mikael Lalancette. Robidas, a 2021 fifth-round pick and a player who is among the better prospects in the Hurricanes’ system will join a Quebec side that won 51 games last season but was unable to take home a championship.

Ottawa Senators Reach Affiliation Agreement With Allen Americans

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The Ottawa Senators have found an ECHL affiliate, reaching an affiliation agreement with the Allen Americans for an initial duration of one season. The Senators announced the news this morning jointly with their AHL affiliate in Belleville.

2022-23 will mark the first season that the Senators have had an ECHL affiliate since 2019-20, and only the second season out of the last six. Ottawa’s one-year partnership with the Brampton Beast in 2019-20 was beneficial, as the Beast provided a solid bit of development for goalie prospect Joey Daccord, now with the Seattle Kraken. The emergence of COVID-19 at the end of the season, however, forced the Beast franchise to cease operations.

Speaking of the Kraken, the Americans were the new NHL team’s first-ever ECHL affiliate last season. Earlier in the offseason, though, the Kraken opted to not re-sign their agreement with Allen and sign on with the Kansas City Mavericks instead. Allen brings a long history of success to the Senators organization; the franchise has only missed the CHL (Central, not Canadian Hockey League) or ECHL playoffs once since their inception in 2009-10. They were the winners of four straight CHL/ECHL championships from 2013 to 2016.

Senators general manager Pierre Dorion gave the following statement on today’s announcement:

The Americans’ franchise carries a rich tradition of success. We’re looking forward to contributing to it in a positive manner when we begin placing prospects in Allen in 2022-23. 

From Senators assistant general manager Ryan Bowness:

Chad Costello and his staff’s tutelage will help our prospects prepare for the next level. Player development is one of our most important priorities. We’re confident that placing prospects in Allen will be an asset to progression.

The Americans could have at least one NHL-contracted player returning from last season: goaltender Antoine Bibeau. The veteran minor-leaguer will be battling for the AHL backup spot behind Mads Sogaard in Belleville, and if he loses out, he could be sent back to Allen where he played 14 games last season.

Ridly Greig Out Three To Four Weeks

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One of the brightest stars in the Ottawa Senators’ deep prospect pool is left-wing Ridly Greig, who’s coming off a gold-medal-winning effort as a member of Team Canada at the 2022 World Juniors. 2021-22 was a banner year for him, notching 63 points in just 39 games as the captain of the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings before joining Canada for the tournament. There, he registered six points in five games.

Unfortunately, his tournament was cut short by an injury and Greig missed the team’s semifinal game against Czechia and the gold medal game against Finland, and he played just 3:58 in the team’s quarterfinal round game against Switzerland. Now, TSN’s Bruce Garrioch reports he’s out three to four weeks with a separated shoulder and will likely miss Ottawa’s rookie tournament games. However, general manager Pierre Dorion did note that Greig will be healthy for the preseason, where he’s expected to get a long look in camp but is likely destined for a big role with the AHL’s Belleville Senators.

Leevi Merilainen To Play In Finland Instead Of OHL Next Season

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  • Senators prospect Leevi Merilainen has decided to play in Finland this season over returning to Kingston of the OHL, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The 20-year-old was a third-round pick in 2020 and played in 53 games with the Frontenacs last season, posting a 3.29 GAA and a .891 SV%.  However, he’s expected to get an opportunity to compete for the starting job with Karpat in Finland’s top division and Ottawa is in agreement that the opportunity to battle for that spot is what’s best for his development.

Free Agent Profile: Tyler Ennis

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It’s not often that we see someone bring their career almost entirely back from the dead, but that’s exactly what happened just a handful of seasons ago with Tyler Ennis. Now entering his potential 14th NHL season at age 33, though, Ennis remains without a contract for next season.

Ennis failed to record more than 10 goals or 25 points in three straight seasons from 2016 to 2018, largely due in part to injuries but also declining play. It led the Minnesota Wild to buy out the final season of a five-year, $4.6MM AAV contract (originally signed with Buffalo) after just one season with the team. A 12-goal campaign with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018-19 despite virtually no ice time raised some eyebrows, and, in 2019-20, Ennis was back on the map with a 37-point campaign split between the Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers.

2020-21 was a rough one for Ennis, though, as it looked like the resurgence had run out for the veteran forward. Opting to stay with Edmonton after the previous year’s trade, Ennis appeared in just 30 games and was limited to nine points, often being a healthy scratch. Returning to Ottawa for the 2021-22 campaign restored some of that production, though, looking much closer to being an everyday bottom-six player. For teams looking for a skill option on the wings, Ennis presents an inexpensive gamble with a 20-to-30 point upside.

Stats

2021-22: 57 GP, 8-16-24, -6 rating, 16 PIMs, 89 shots, 48.8% CF, 12:33 ATOI
Career: 700 GP, 144-202-346, -84 rating, 224 PIMs, 1446 shots, 46.3 CF%, 15:10 ATOI

Potential Suitors

If you ask Ennis, he’s almost surely looking for a chance to win after a 700-game NHL career has yielded no playoff success outside of the first round. But Ennis isn’t in the top tier of veteran free agents looking to land deals (think Paul Stastny, Phil Kessel, Evan Rodrigues). With so many teams uncomfortably close to or over the salary cap, Ennis might not have many offers from the best of the best.

Unless you’re talking about the defending Stanley Cup champions. If the Colorado Avalanche can’t manage to re-sign Nazem Kadri, they have ample cap space to add a couple of remaining free agents, especially at a league minimum cost. With a depleted bottom-six group, Ennis could be an improvement on expected fringe players like Mikhail Maltsev, Anton Blidh, and Jayson Megna.

And while they may not be the best of the best right now, a return to the State of Hockey could also be in the cards for Ennis. The Minnesota Wild are still looking for some extra roster depth, allowing youngsters like Adam Beckman to have a big role in the AHL rather than sitting around as a healthy scratch. Ennis likely provides more offensive upside than someone like Connor Dewar or Brandon Duhaime, and if things really don’t pan out, he’d be a valuable veteran addition to the AHL’s Iowa Wild.

Projected Contract

You’d be hard-pressed to find a team willing to give Ennis much more than the league-minimum $750K on a one-way deal. He is coming off a one-year contract that paid him $900K, but as his offensive upside continues to get less likely with age, a raise for Ennis likely isn’t in the cards.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Alex DeBrincat Wasn't Interested In Extension Before Trade To Ottawa

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  • In his latest mailbag column (subscription link), Scott Powers of The Athletic reports that Alex DeBrincat didn’t show interest in signing a long-term deal with the Blackhawks before his trade to Ottawa last month. The 24-year-old was only eligible to sign an extension at the start of the new league year on July 13th (a few days after the swap) and is owed a qualifying offer of $9MM next summer.  That amount will likely be the starting point for extension negotiations with the Senators as he’s coming off his second 41-goal campaign over the last four years.

Free Agent Profile: Phil Kessel

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In his peak throughout the 2010s, Phil Kessel was a consistent 30-goal threat, displaying his electric shooting talent en route to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins (and with the Toronto Maple Leafs before that). While Kessel’s move to Arizona for the last three seasons may have left him forgotten in some circles, he’s coming off his best season in three years.

Despite a career-low 4.6 shooting percentage, Kessel will pitch his relatively high point total, especially given the poor state of affairs in Arizona, to convince teams he’s still a credible threat. And, looking at his strong play-driving numbers from last season, he may have a point. Despite seeing his ice time dip to its lowest point during his three years in Arizona, Kessel still managed to finish within 11 points of the team lead at age 34.

It’s not often that a 34-year-old is on the open market with a strong reason to invest in a rebound season, but that’s the case with Kessel. Even if his defense hasn’t been pretty lately, it was never a selling point to his game. Considering his career average shooting percentage sits over 10 percent, expecting Kessel to have a stronger offensive season in 2022-23, at least in terms of putting pucks in the net, is a safe bet.

His Stanley Cup pedigree should also make him an attractive option for teams looking for affordable depth to help push them over the hump to a Stanley Cup.

Stats

2021-22: 82 GP, 8-44-52, -24 rating, 40 PIMs, 175 shots, 45.3 CF%, 16:41 ATOI
Career: 1204 GP, 399-557-956, -148 rating, 372 PIMs, 3700 shots, 49.3 CF%, 18:02 ATOI

Potential Suitors

Kessel should find a home before a lot of other veterans are forced to settle for PTOs as training camps begin. While he’s not what he used to be, he still had more than 50 points last season. With his low price tag, he should be an attractive option as teams continue to tinker with their rosters during the month of August.

There could be a spot for him in the bottom six of a retooled Calgary Flames forward group. While Jakob Pelletier is a strong candidate to make a jump to the NHL next season after a strong season in Stockton, Kessel could challenge other veterans such as Milan Lucic or Sean Monahan for playing time at a cheaper price and more goal-scoring upside. He could go Cup-chasing with the Colorado Avalanche as well, as they’ve lost some depth forwards such as Andre Burakovsky and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. He could also stand to be a solid secondary scoring option for the Minnesota Wild after they lost Kevin Fiala.

If he wants to head back East, the New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, and Florida Panthers are a trio of teams that could use him in their bottom six.

Projected Contract

Kessel came in 23rd on our Top 50 UFAs list in early July. While he likely won’t command the $2MM AAV we predicted at this point, there’s still a solid chance he could earn seven figures and not have to settle for a league minimum deal. It all likely depends on the cap situation of the team Kessel opts to sign with, as after over $90MM in career earnings, per CapFriendly, money likely won’t be a huge factor in his decision.

Ottawa Senators Extend Mathieu Joseph

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6:17 PM: The folks at CapFriendly have reported on the financial structure of the contract, which is as follows:

  • 2022-23: $2.5MM
  • 2023-24: $2.7MM
  • 2024-25: $3.3MM
  • 2025-26: $3.3MM

6:16 PM: After a strong start to his tenure as an Ottawa Senator, Mathieu Joseph has earned a four-year extension from the team. The Senators announced today that the restricted free agent forward has been inked to a four-year deal worth a total of $11.8MM, or $2.95MM per season.

Joseph, 25, arrived in Ottawa at the trade deadline as part of the team’s trade of Nick Paul. Coming from a talented Lightning team, Joseph found immediate success in a larger role in Ottawa, scoring four goals and 12 points in 11 games. He looked to be a strong fit next to Brady Tkachuk and Josh Norris, and its likely that this quality 11-game sample put him in a better position when negotiating this deal.

The Senators’ acquisitions of Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux could push Joseph out of the team’s top-six, but even in a third-line role, there is real potential for Joseph to provide surplus value on a $2.95MM cap hit. Joseph played on the Senators’ penalty kill and he could become a fixture on that unit going forward. If he does end up in a third-line role, $2.95MM is not bad value if he can maintain a level of production somewhere in between how he did as a Senator and his lesser production in Tampa Bay.

The Senators have been aggressive this offseason in improving their team. Joseph would likely have been ticketed for top-six duty on the Senators teams of years past, but that likely won’t be the case this year. Nonetheless, this is a solid, reasonable contract for both sides of the equation, and it’s the sort of deal the Lightning would have struggled to afford had they not traded Joseph.

If Joseph can continue the strong play he showed in his Senators tenure so far, this contract could be a fantastic bit of work from GM Pierre Dorion. If he doesn’t quite boom in 2022-23 the way he did in his first 11 games, Joseph could still settle in as a solid middle-six contributor who brings size, physicality, and scoring touch to the Senators’ second and third lines.

 

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