Ottawa Senators Recall Rourke Chartier
Ahead of their game against the Anaheim Ducks this evening, the Ottawa Senators have recalled Rourke Chartier from the AHL. The minor league veteran is in the midst of a career year, and will get a chance to continue that level of play with Ottawa (while getting at least a few days of NHL pay).
Chartier, 26, hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2018-19 season when he suited up 13 times for the San Jose Sharks. There was no denying that he earned a call-up this time though, after scoring 14 goals in 24 games with the Belleville Senators.
Still, it is a bit surprising that the team went with a minor league veteran instead of giving an opportunity to one of their young prospects. That likely shows how desperate head coach D.J. Smith is for some consistency and structure, as he tries to turn things around. Ottawa beat the Predators on Saturday but are still just 5-4-1 in their last ten and can’t seem to catch anyone in the Atlantic Division.
Chartier scored one goal in his 13-game stint with San Jose, meaning he’ll be trying for just his second NHL point if he does get into the lineup.
NHL Tells Prospective Ownership Groups That They Want Ryan Reynolds As Minority Partner
- While it’s still unknown who the next owner of the Senators will be, expect actor Ryan Reynolds to be a part of the ownership group. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the league is making it clear to all prospective owners that they want Reynolds to be a minority partner in the purchase for whoever winds up buying the team. Reynolds was initially planning to align with one bid but has been instructed by the league to hold off on doing so.
Mathieu Joseph To Miss Two Weeks
- Senators winger Mathieu Joseph’s lower-body injury in last night’s game will keep him out of the lineup for the next two weeks, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). It has been a tough first full year with the Sens for the 25-year-old; after recording 12 points in 11 games down the stretch last season following his trade from Tampa Bay, Joseph has been limited to just two goals and seven assists in 25 contests despite averaging a career high in ice time. With the holiday break coming a couple of weeks from now, it’s possible that they’ll hold Joseph out until after that pause in the schedule.
Artem Zub Facing Lengthy Absence
The Ottawa Senators are expected to be without their top defensive option once again, as Darren Dreger of TSN tweets Artem Zub could miss two to three weeks after taking a puck to the face. The defenseman is going through additional medical testing to get a more precise timeline.
Zub, 27, was already limited by injury this season and has played in just 14 games so far. The team is 7-7 with him in the lineup, compared to a 3-6-1 record without. With so much chaos surrounding the team this season, the Russian defenseman has been one of the most consistent options for head coach D.J. Smith, offering a steadying influence among a young group.
The team had just started to turn things around, winning four of their last five, several of which were in dramatic fashion. Ottawa’s big offseason expectations have been dashed in the early going but with some inconsistent performances throughout the Eastern Conference, the playoffs aren’t completely out of the picture just yet. At the very least, this can be an important development season for some of the team’s younger players.
In order for that to happen though, they’ll need to have some structure and some chance to win every night. Zub is a significant part of that, even without flashy point totals or dynamic puck skills.
Senators Recall Jacob Larsson
The Senators have brought up some extra defensive depth, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Jacob Larsson from Belleville of the AHL. Ottawa had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made.
The 25-year-old is in his first season with the Senators after coming over in free agency following his non-tender by Anaheim last summer. Larsson has played in three games with Ottawa so far this season during a recall last month, logging a little under 13 minutes per game while being held off the scoresheet. Meanwhile, he has suited up in 16 contests at the minor league level, picking up four assists.
The move comes on the heels of Artem Zub and Travis Hamonic both taking pucks up high last night against the Rangers, the former to the face and the latter to the throat. Zub has already been ruled out for tonight per Postmedia’s Ken Warren (Twitter link) and Nick Holden will return to the lineup in his place. Meanwhile, Larsson will suit up if Hamonic is unable to play tonight against San Jose.
Latest On Travis Hamonic
- There was a scary scene at the New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators game tonight when veteran defenseman Travis Hamonic took a Vitali Kravtsov shot to his throat. As reported by NHL.com’s Dan Rosen, Hamonic stayed down after taking the shot and left for the Senators’ locker room shortly afterward. Thankfully, though, it seems Hamonic is alright, as Rosen reports he was back on the ice to start the second period.
Alex Formenton Ineligible For Rest Of Season
The NHL’s deadline for clubs to sign restricted free agents to contracts that would allow them to play in the 2022-23 season has now passed. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet confirmed that there has been no contract signed, meaning Ottawa Senators forward Alex Formenton is now ineligible to play in the rest of this NHL season.
Per Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, the Senators have been trying to find a trade for Formenton but were unable to finalize a deal before this deadline passed. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported that the Senators’ asking price for Formenton was a second-round pick, and it appears that no team was willing to meet that asking price in order to acquire Formenton before the 4PM CDT deadline.
On paper, Formenton’s restricted free agency once seemed straightforward. After scoring 18 goals and 32 points last year, the speedy 23-year-old forward looked set to either earn a moderate bridge contract or perhaps even be a candidate for a long-term extension.
But Formenton’s status has become unclear due to potentially significant off-ice complications.
Speculation has continued to surface regarding Formenton’s role in the Hockey Canada World Junior 2018 sexual assault investigation, for which he is one of few players to not release a statement denying involvement.
While TSN’s Darren Dreger has reported that the NHL’s investigation is “substantially complete,” the league did not release its findings before today’s deadline, which may have contributed to the Formenton’s uncertain current status.
With the deadline now passed, it seems that Formenton’s only choice regarding his NHL future is to wait until there is more certainty in the matters that NHL clubs are reportedly concerned about. In the meantime, the Senators will retain Formenton’s rights as a restricted free agent.
Ottawa Senators Recall Nikita Zaitsev
Another night another loss for the Ottawa Senators, who can’t seem to get things back on track for very long. The club was beaten 3-1 by the New York Rangers, and the pair of Nick Holden and Erik Brannstrom played fewer than 15 minutes each. Perhaps a change is coming, as Nikita Zaitsev has been recalled from the AHL today.
The 31-year-old defenseman has been pushed out of the lineup and off the roster this season, after playing at least 55 games in each of the last six years. In three games with the Belleville Senators, Zaitsev had no points and was a -3, similar numbers to those he had in his seven games with Ottawa.
Despite his cap hit, which places him as the second most expensive defensemen in the Senators organization, Zaitsev has been an inconsistent mess for the last few years. The player that scored 36 points as a rookie with the Toronto Maple Leafs is nowhere to be seen, and even his one-on-one defending – arguably his greatest skill when first arriving in North America – has deteriorated.
The Senators have to try something, though, as this season is slipping away from them one game at a time. The club is now 8-13-1 on the year, good for last in the Atlantic Divison.
Senators Send Thomson, Mandolese To AHL
- The Ottawa Senators have sent Lassi Thomson and Kevin Mandolese back to the AHL, given they don’t play again until Wednesday. They could be recalled again in the next few days, though Thomson did play just 9:18 in his appearance on Friday. Mandolese was recalled while Anton Forsberg dealt with a minor injury, meaning he likely won’t be back up unless another issue emerges.
Forsberg Won't Play Sunday But Should Be Back Soon After
When Ottawa was forced to recall Kevin Mandolese yesterday in the wake of Anton Forsberg’s injury, there were concerns about whether this was the next of a long list of significant injuries the Senators have dealt with this season. Fortunately for them, it doesn’t appear that this is the case. Head coach D.J. Smith told reporters, including Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, that while Forsberg won’t play tomorrow in Los Angeles, he isn’t expected to be out much longer with the team classifying him as out day-to-day. It has been a bit of a tough start to the season for Forsberg as he has a 3.43 GAA and a .904 SV% in his first 13 games which is part of the reason that the Sens enter play today at the bottom of the Atlantic Division.