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Snapshots: Byron, Team Canada, Perbix

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Paul Byron can’t catch a break. The veteran forward has been limited to just 26 games this season due to injury. While many of these absences came while Byron was recovering from hip surgery, he has continued to be in and out of the lineup ever since he returned. The Montreal Canadiens announced that he was returning to the lineup on Tuesday night – but the return was short-lived. Less than two periods into the game, the Habs revealed that Byron has left the game and would not return due to a lower-body injury. Its unclear if this is another new injury or a reoccurrence of his hip issue. Either way, with just five games remaining in a lost season, it might be time for Montreal to simply shut Byron down for the year. Byron has one year remaining on his contract and will be back with the Canadiens in 2022-23 if he isn’t traded or bought out.

  • The Canadian entry into the upcoming IIHF World Championship may look very familiar to the fans of a Canadian NHL team. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun writes that Senators head coach D.J. Smith, who will be an assistant for Team Canada, has recruited several of his star players to join the tournament. If healthy, Drake Batherson, Connor Brown, and Thomas Chabot will suit up for Canada. Health is a question though; Chabot is currently on the injured reserve with a fractured hand and Batherson and Brown have both missed time due to injury this season and may not rush to play extra games if those issues flare up.
  • Another notable name has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. Defenseman Jack Perbix, an Anaheim Ducks fourth-round pick in 2018, is leaving the University of Minnesota. Most would have expected that if Perbix was leaving the Gophers, it would be for the NHL. Older brother Nick Perbix, a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, signed his entry level contract last month after four years at St. Cloud State University. Rather than follow suit, Jack will instead stay in college for his senior year but will don a different jersey and have a different name on his degree.

Ottawa Senators Place Colin White In COVID-19 Protocol

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The Ottawa Senators announced that forward Colin White was placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol ahead of tonight’s game at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Defenseman Victor Mete will take his place in the lineup for tonight. It’s not immediately clear whether White tested positive or if he is in protocol for other related reasons.

The NHL has seen a vastly decreased number of players in COVID protocol in the past couple of months due to several factors, however White’s absence is a reminder that these protocols are still in place and can still creep up on teams when they don’t necessarily expect it. As of right now, White appears to be the only player affected for Ottawa, with no further announcements on other players or staff thus far.

White has been somewhat of a disappointment this year for Ottawa, with just 10 points in 24 games. The forward spent the majority of the season on IR, making his season debut on February 26th. Though his numbers are not too far off from his career averages, White signed a lucrative six-year, $28.5MM contract, carrying an AAV of $4.75MM, prior to the 2019-20 season. Despite the contract, White is still waiting for the true breakout season that Ottawa has seen from the likes of Joshua Norris, Brady Tkachuk, and Drake Batherson.

Smith: Joseph's Injury A Little Worse Than Expected

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Mathieu Joseph has made an immediate impression on the Senators who acquired him before the trade deadline in a swap that sent Nick Paul to Tampa Bay.  After being in a limited role with the Lightning, the 25-year-old has had a chance to play a bigger role in Ottawa and has made the most of it, notching 12 points in 11 games.  However, his season may have come to an early end as head coach D.J. Smith told TSN’s Claire Hanna (Twitter link) that his injury is a little worse than they expected and will keep him out longer than anticipated.  While Smith stated that the injury isn’t serious, with only two weeks left in the season, it’s possible that Joseph has played his final game of 2021-22.  A restricted free agent this summer with arbitration eligibility, Joseph appears to be in line to land considerably more than his $813K qualifying offer.

Snapshots: Kadri, Brown, Michigan State

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The injury situation for the Colorado Avalanche’s top six forwards went from bad to worse over a week ago when Nazem Kadri went down with an upper-body injury. While the team did expect Kadri to be healthy before the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater reports that he could be back well before then, potentially returning to the lineup within the next week. Kadri actually still leads the Avalanche with 83 points, a mark he’s held as Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog have both missed significant time with injuries this year. The team’s actually only played three games without Kadri, as a sparse schedule over the past week and a half has done them favors. J.T. Compher has filled in Kadri’s spot, registering two points in three games (both came against Pittsburgh on April 5th). With Colorado having a stranglehold on the Western Conference regular-season title, the Avalanche hope to get Kadri back in order to continue building chemistry among their new acquisitions as the playoffs near.

A couple of other hockey-related notes:

Viktor Lodin Assigned To AHL

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The Ottawa Senators have now officially reassigned Viktor Lodin to the Belleville Senators of the AHL, though things had been in the work for a few days. Lodin’s season in the SHL finished recently and now he will get his first taste of professional hockey in North America. Belleville head coach Trent Mann was on TSN radio yesterday to talk about his newest forward, explaining that Lodin will be making his debut by Saturday at the latest.

A fourth-round pick in 2019, Lodin has had an up-and-down development path over the last few years. After playing nearly a full season at the SHL level in 2018-19, he ended up back in the second tier in 2019-20 after struggling with Orebro HK. In 2020 he joined Timra, who had been demoted to the Allsvenskan (the Swedish equivalent of the AHL), and he spent all season there helping them win a championship and earn promotion back to the SHL.

In that 2020-21 campaign he had 40 points in 47 games, and he has come back with another strong season this year for Timra even after the promotion. With 12 goals and 27 points in 44 games, the 22-year-old Lodin is fourth on the team in scoring, trailing only three import players (including former NHL forward Ty Rattie.

Signed to a two-year entry-level contract last June, Lodin is under contract through 2022-23 and would then be a restricted free agent. Getting some games in down the stretch will only help his transition to North America full-time next season, when he is expected to play a big role for Belleville. Don’t rule out a debut at the NHL level either though, as his strong play at the highest level in Sweden has opened some eyes. Whether he can bring any of that offense to this side of the pond remains to be seen, but Lodin represents another prospect for the Senators that could be ready for action in the coming years.

Tyler Ennis Out For Remainder Of Season

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Ottawa Senators winger Tyler Ennis is out for the rest of the season, per Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun. This comes after Ennis was forced out of today’s win over the Detroit Red Wings after taking a hard hit along the boards. The Senators are 27th in the NHL with a 25-37-6 record, and are playing for pride more than anything else this season, so losing Ennis is not a major issue for the team, but it is an unfortunate development for a squad that values everything Ennis brings on and off the ice.

Ennis, 32, was in the middle of playing his 700th career game before a hard hit forced him out of the game and has now ultimately ended his season. This season has been Ennis’ second tour of duty with the Senators, as he first played for them in the 2019-20 season. He scored 14 goals and 33 points in 61 games before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers for a 2021 fifth-round pick. Ennis signed a one-year $900k deal with the Senators this offseason and has been a solid veteran in a younger lineup while also providing secondary scoring. Ennis has eight goals and 24 points in 57 games this season, which is a 12-goal, 35-point pace, production that is solid given his cap hit.

Ennis may never have reached the potential he flashed as a 20 goal scorer earlier in his career when he was a Buffalo Sabre, but he has settled into his role nicely as he’s aged. The Senators are sure to miss him as one of the veterans in their lineup, although his absence could pave the way for the team to get a look at a younger player in his spot in the lineup down the stretch. This season-ending injury is unlikely to be welcomed by Ennis within the context of his pending unrestricted free agency, as it could impact the offseason market for his services. But that being said, regardless of the injury, there is always a market for the veteran, affordable secondary scoring Ennis provides.

Eugene Melnyk Dies At 62

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The hockey world is in mourning this evening, as the Ottawa Senators confirmed that owner Eugene Melnyk has died at age 62. A message from the Melnyk family indicated that he passed “after an illness he faced with determination and courage.”

Melnyk purchased the Senators in 2003, when the team was facing bankruptcy and possible relocation. While the team has still yet to raise the Stanley Cup as champions, they did reach the Final in 2007 and went to the Conference Finals in 2017.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman released the following statement:

The National Hockey League mourns the passing of Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk. The words ‘passion’ and ‘commitment’ define the man who has owned the Ottawa Senators since 2003. Whether it was in the boardroom with his fellow governors, at the rink with his beloved Senators or in the community with his philanthropy, he cared deeply about the game, about his team and about bettering the lives of those in need, particularly underserved children, organ donation and, most recently, with his commitment to his parents’ home country of Ukraine.

While successful in business, it was our game and his Senators that he was most passionate about. Eugene was often outspoken but he maintained an unwavering commitment to the game and his roots and he loved nothing more than donning a Senators sweater and cheering on his beloved team.

On behalf of the entire National Hockey League, I extend my deepest sympathies to Eugene’s daughters, Anna and Olivia, his extended family, and all those who benefited from his generosity.

The entire hockey world, including those of us at PHR, send our condolences to his children Anna and Olivia, partner Sharilyne and the rest of the Melnyk family.

Matt Murray Skating Again; Mads Sogaard To Travel With Senators

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  • Matt Murray was back on the ice this morning for the Ottawa Senators, as he works his way back from an upper-body injury. The veteran netminder has been out since earlier this month, leading to the Senators recalling and taking Mads Sogaard on the road with them to Nashville for tomorrow’s game. Murray, 27, has had a nightmare season, losing 14 of 20 appearances and seeing time in the minor leagues. While he had been seemingly turning things around in late February, two early starts in March saw him allow 13 goals on 53 shots before going back on the shelf.

Ottawa Senators Sign Jake Sanderson

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The Ottawa Senators announced that they have signed defenseman Jake Sanderson to a three-year, entry-level contract. The financial terms of the deal have not yet been announced, however the contract will take effect immediately with Sanderson expected to join the club in the coming days.

As mentioned earlier, Sanderson was close to signing with the Senators after his season at the University of North Dakota came to an end earlier this week. Although Sanderson is still recovering from a hand injury suffered on March 5th, Ottawa wanted to get their star prospect into the organization and around the team as soon as possible, getting him accustomed to the team and lifestyle, and importantly, around team doctors and training staff as he recovers. Ottawa also hopes to have Sanderson in the lineup once he is fully healthy, and before the team’s season concludes on April 29th.

The fifth-overall pick in 2020 by Ottawa, Sanderson has found himself among the game’s best prospects, and has impressed at UND. After playing with the US National Team Development Program, Sanderson began playing for UND during the 2020-21 season, putting up two goals and 13 assists in in 22 games. This season, Sanderson was named an alternate captain for UND and took additional strides, posting eight goals and 18 assists in 23 games. Despite playing in just 23 of UND’s 39 games, Sanderson was third on the team in scoring.

In addition to missing time due to injury, Sanderson also missed games for UND as a result of playing in the suspended IIHF World Junior Championships, where he served as Team USA’s captain, as well as playing for Team USA at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Mads Sogaard Re-Called, Filip Gustavsson Re-Assigned to AHL

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  • The Ottawa Senators announced that they have swapped a pair of goaltenders with the AHL’s Belleville Senators. Filip Gustavsson was re-assigned to Belleville, while Mads Sogaard was brought up to Ottawa. Gustavsson made his NHL debut for Ottawa last season, impressing in nine games, but has struggled over 15 NHL games this season with an .886 save-percentage and 3.78 goals-against average. Sogaard, Ottawa’s second-round selection, 37th overall, in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, has yet to make his NHL debut, but has been solid in the AHL this season with a .906 save percentage an 2.87 goals-against average in 31 games.

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