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Jack Rodewald

Overseas Signings: Poirier, Rubins, Haapala, Rodewald

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After being picked 22nd overall by the Flames in the 2013 draft, things never worked out for Emile Poirier in the NHL. He managed only one assist in eight games during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons and didn’t receive a qualifying offer when his entry-level contract expired in 2018.

Poirier spent the next two seasons on a minor-league contract with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose before heading overseas at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s racked up many airline rewards miles in the few years since, switching European leagues every season. Now 29, he’s on the move again, inking a one-year deal with Nybro Vikings IF of the Swedish second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan.

The Montreal-born forward has been decently productive in Europe but has been at his peak in the Slovak Extraliga. There, he’s averaged nearly a point per game across two different teams during stints in the 2020-21 and 2023-24 seasons. Poirier spent last season with HC Slovan Bratislava, and although injuries limited him to 28 games, he still rattled off 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points.

He has played briefly in Sweden before, suiting up in 11 games for Djurgårdens IF, then in the Swedish Hockey League, to end the 2021-22 campaign. Poirier had three goals and two assists to end the season but went without a point in three relegation games as the Stockholm-based club was relegated to the HockeyAllsvenskan, where they remain entering 2024-25.

In Nybro, Poirier joins a club in just their second season at the second tier since 2009. They’ve spent much of their existence in the third tier of the Swedish hockey pyramid, now known as HockeyEttan. The Vikings impressed in their first season back in the HockeyAllsvenskan, going 20-22-7-3 and finishing 27 points out of the relegation zone.

Other notable European signings over the past few days with NHL pedigree:

  • Former Maple Leafs defenseman Kristiāns Rubīns has signed a one-year contract with HC Plzeň of the Czech Extraliga. The 26-year-old Latvian went undrafted after coming to North America to finish his junior career with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League but stuck it out and inked a minor-league deal with the Toronto Marlies in hopes of one day making the jump to the NHL. It paid off, yielding an entry-level contract in 2020 before making his NHL debut in 2021-22, posting a -2 rating and 4 PIMs while averaging 11:45 per game across a three-game stint. However, it wasn’t enough for the Leafs to issue him a qualifying offer, and he became a free agent the following summer. After spending 2022-23 on a two-way deal with the Senators and Flames, he headed to Europe last summer to play for the SHL’s MoDo Hockey. There, the 6’5″ defender posted 10 points in 44 games in a top-four role. He now takes his services to Czechia for the first time in his career, joining a blue line that includes projected 2024 first-round pick Adam Jiříček.
  • One-time Panthers winger Henrik Haapala will play in Sweden for the first time in his lengthy professional career next season, inking a one-year pact with the SHL’s Malmö Redhawks. The undersized but dynamic playmaking winger has an illustrious career in his native Finland that includes one Liiga bronze medal, three silver medals, and two championships. His title-winning 2016-17 season with Tappara saw him lead the league in scoring with 45 assists and 60 points in 51 games, earning him his first NHL shot with Florida the following season. However, Haapala spent most of the year in the minors and only managed five NHL appearances, recording a lone assist. Now 30, he had 18 points in 28 Swiss National League games last season, split between Genève-Servette and Lausanne HC.
  • Former Senators depth forward Jack Rodewald is remaining in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League next season on a one-year deal with Admiral Vladivostok. The 30-year-old Winnipeg native played 10 NHL games with the Sens from 2017 to 2019 but failed to record a point and averaged just 7:09 per game. Since heading to Europe in 2020, he’s suited up for Czechia’s HC Oceláři Třinec, Finland’s TPS, and the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star and Traktor Chelyabinsk. He split last season between Kunlun and Traktor, recording eight goals and 21 points in 59 contests.

Taylor Leier, Jack Rodewald Sign In Czech Republic

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A pair of former NHL players have decided to take their services overseas as NHL.com’ Brennan Klak reports that former Philadelphia Flyers forward Taylor Leier and former Ottawa Senators forward Jack Rodewald have signed with HC Ocelari Trinec of the Czech Republic.

Neither player saw NHL action last season. Leier hasn’t made an NHL appearance since the 2017-18 season when he played in 39 games for the Flyers. He scored one goal and tallied five points that year, but spent 2018-19 with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL and then was swapped to Buffalo at midseason for Justin Bailey. The 26-year-old never played for the Sabres, however, spending the next year and half with the Rochester Americans. He appeared in just 27 games for the Americans last season, posting 11 goals and 17 points.

The 26-year-old Rodewald played with the Senators more recently, getting into six games in 2018-19, but has only appeared in 10 total NHL games. He signed with Ottawa in 2017 and showed well in his stints with the Belleville Senators of the AHL, scoring 23 goals in 2018-19, prompting his call-up to Ottawa. However, the Senators decided to trade Rodewald to Florida last season for collegiate forward Chris Wilkie. However, Rodewald struggled with the Panthers’ AHL affiliate, posting just five goals in 43 games.

The Unleashed 2020: Potential Group VI Unrestricted Free Agents

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Though most players have to wait until after their 27th birthday to become an unrestricted free agent, able to sign with any team in the league without compensation, there are a few other ways to get to the open market. Players that complete seven full seasons in the NHL are eligible for UFA status, as are restricted free agents that do not receive qualifying offers. There is another way however, offered to those players who don’t get a long opportunity in the NHL but have put in several years at the professional level: Group VI unrestricted free agency.

Earlier this month, CapFriendly compiled a complete list of players on track to become free agents early. To refresh your memory on how a player qualifies for Group VI free agency, they must meet three requirements:

  1. The player is 25 years or older (as of June 30th of the calendar year the contract is expiring).
  2. The player has completed 3 or more professional seasons – qualified by 11 or more professional games (for an 18/19 year old player), or 1 or more professional games (for a player aged 20 or older). This can include NHL, minor league, and European professional league seasons played while under an SPC.
  3. The player has played fewer than 80 NHL games, or 28 NHL games of 30 minutes or greater for a goaltender.

The entire list of players at risk can be found below, but make sure you check out CapFriendly for more detailed information on how they could avoid the designation this summer.

*Indicates that the player could still play in enough games this season to become ineligible for Group VI free agency

Anaheim Ducks

Andrew Poturalski
Justin Kloos

Arizona Coyotes

(none)

Boston Bruins

Ryan Fitzgerald

Buffalo Sabres

(none)

Calgary Flames

Ryan Lomberg
Rinat Valiev
Jon Gillies

Carolina Hurricanes

(none)

Chicago Blackhawks

(none)

Colorado Avalanche

Antoine Bibeau

Columbus Blue Jackets

Doyle Somerby

Dallas Stars

Gavin Bayreuther
Dillon Heatherington

Detroit Red Wings

(none)

Edmonton Oilers

Colby Cave*
Shane Starrett

Florida Panthers

Danick Martel
Jack Rodewald

Los Angeles Kings

(none)

Minnesota Wild

Carson Soucy

Montreal Canadiens

Laurent Dauphin
Gustav Olofsson

Nashville Predators

Michael McCarron*

New Jersey Devils

Brandon Baddock
Dakota Mermis

New York Islanders

Jordan Schmaltz

New York Rangers

Boo Nieves*
Vinni Lettieri
Danny O’Regan
Nick Ebert

Ottawa Senators

Morgan Klimchuk

Philadelphia Flyers

Reece Wilcox

Pittsburgh Penguins

Riley Barber
Thomas Di Pauli
Adam Johnson

San Jose Sharks

Anthony Greco

St. Louis Blues

Mackenzie MacEachern*
Andreas Borgman

Tampa Bay Lightning

Daniel Walcott
Patrick Sieloff
Spencer Martin

Toronto Maple Leafs

Kasimir Kaskisuo

Vancouver Canucks

Ashton Sautner

Vegas Golden Knights

Valentin Zykov
Oscar Dansk

Washington Capitals

Liam O’Brien
Colby Williams
Tyler Lewington

Winnipeg Jets

J.C. Lipon

Florida Panthers Acquire Jack Rodewald From Ottawa

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The Florida Panthers have acquired more depth for their team as the team announced they have traded for forward Jack Rodewald from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for the rights to collegiate winger Chris Wilkie. The Panthers have assigned Rodewald to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL.

The 25-year-old Rodewald has spent the last three years in the AHL after a year in the ECHL, but while he lacks the upside of a top NHL prospect, has proven to be a reliable depth player for the Senators over the years and a solid option at the AHL level as well. The undrafted forward scored 23 goals and 47 points last season for the Belleville Senators, but has gone scoreless in six games for Belleville this season. He has made 10 NHL appearances over his career, but has failed to register a point in any of them.

For Ottawa, the move makes quite a bit of sense. The Belleville squad, laden with a bunch of young prospects, needed to make room on their roster to get more playing time for some of their players. The move of Rodewald should free up more time for several prospects, including Jonathan Davidsson, Max Veronneau and Vitaly Abramov. Rodewald will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

In exchange for Rodewald, the team acquired the rights to Wilkie, who is in his fourth year of college after spending two years at the University of North Dakota and now is in his second year at Colorado College. In 20 games for the Tigers last season, Wilkie scored six goals and 19 points and seems headed for an even bigger season this year as he already has three goals and six points in three games. A sixth-round pick in 2015, Wilkie may opt to sign a deal once his collegiate season is over this year, but he could also wait until August and become a free agent where he can choose any team to sign with that he wants, assuming there is interest.

What the move also does is free up a contract for the Senators who had 49 contracts before this trade. With Wilkie unsigned, the Senators’ contract number will drop to 48, giving the team a little more maneuverability to make trade or sign players later this season.

 

 

Training Camp Cuts: 09/20/19

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Like always, we’ll keep track of all the training camp cuts right here. It is important to note that today is the first day teams can place players on waivers for the 2019-20 season, meaning a flood of moves will likely come in over the next few days. Keep checking back to see the updated list:

Chicago Blackhawks (per team release)

F Nathan Noel (to Rockford, AHL)
F Graham Knott (to Rockford, AHL)
F Tim Soderlund (to Rockford, AHL)
F Dylan McLaughlin (to Rockford, AHL)
F Kris Versteeg (to Rockford, AHL)
F Tyler Sikura (to Rockford, AHL)
D Chad Krys (to Rockford, AHL)
D Jack Ramsey (to Rockford, AHL)
D Jake Ryczek (to Rockford, AHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

F Egor Sokolov (released from PTO)

Dallas Stars (per team release)

F Tony Calderone (to Texas, AHL)
F Josh Melnick (to Texas, AHL)
D John Nyberg (to Texas, AHL)
D Ondrej Vala (to Texas, AHL)
G Colton Point (to Texas, AHL)
F Diego Cuglietta (released from ATO)
F Parker MacKay (released from ATO)
D Tanner Jago (released from ATO)
F Corey Elkins (released from PTO)
F Brad McClure (released from PTO)
F Anthony Nellis (released from PTO)
G Tomas Sholl (released from PTO

Edmonton Oilers (per team release)

F Tyler Benson (to Bakersfiled, AHL)
F Cameron Hebig (to Bakersfiled, AHL)
F Kirill Maksimov (to Bakersfiled, AHL)
F Cooper Marody (to Bakersfiled, AHL)
F Ryan McLeod (to Bakersfiled, AHL)
F Anthony Peluso (to Bakersfiled, AHL)
D Caleb Jones (to Bakersfiled, AHL)
D Dmitri Samorukov (to Bakersfiled, AHL)
G Dylan Wells (to Bakersfiled, AHL)

Minnesota Wild (per team release)

F Will Bitten (to Iowa, AHL)
F Connor Dewar (to Iowa, AHL)
F Brandon Duhaime (to Iowa, AHL)
F Ivan Lodnia (to Iowa, AHL)
F Dmitry Sokolov (to Iowa, AHL)
D Brennan Menell (to Iowa, AHL)
D Stepan Falkovsky (to Iowa, AHL)
G Dereck Baribeau (to Iowa, AHL)
G Kaapo Kakhonen (to Iowa, AHL)
G Mat Robson (to Iowa, AHL)
F Alexander Khovanov (to Moncton, QMJHL)
F Olivier Archambault (released from PTO, will report to AHL training camp)
F Kyle Bauman (released from PTO, will report to AHL training camp)
F Mitch McLain (released from PTO, will report to AHL training camp)
F Tyler Sheehy (released from PTO, will report to AHL training camp)
D Nicholas Boka (released from PTO, will report to AHL training camp)
D Alex Breton (released from PTO, will report to AHL training camp)
D Jack Sadek (released from PTO, will report to AHL training camp)

New York Rangers (per team release)

F Jake Elmer (to Hartford, AHL)
D Brandon Crawley (to Hartford, AHL)
D Vincent LoVerde (to Hartford, AHL)
D Darren Raddysh (to Hartford, AHL)

Ottawa Senators (per team release)

D Maxence Guenette (to Val-d’Or, QMJHL)
F Tristan Scherwey (to Bern, NLA)
F J.C. Beaudin (to Belleville, AHL)
F Michael Carcone (to Belleville, AHL)
F Mark Kastelic (to Belleville, AHL)
F Jack Rodewald (to Belleville, AHL)
F Andrew Sturtz (to Belleville, AHL)
D Jonathan Aspirot (to Belleville, AHL)
D Nick Ebert (to Belleville, AHL)
D Hubert Labrie (to Belleville, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)

F Kyle Criscuolo (to waivers on 09/21)
D Tyler Wotherspoon (to waivers on 09/21)
D Nate Prosser (to waivers on 09/21)
D T.J. Brennan (to waivers on 09/21)
D Reece Wilcox (to waivers on 09/21)
F Cal O’Reilly (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Greg Carey (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Maksim Sushko (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Gerry Fitzgerald (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F David Kase (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Pascal Laberge (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Isaac Ratcliffe (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Matthew Strome (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Rob Michel (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D David Drake (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Josh Couturier (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Felix Sandstrom (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Kirill Ustimenko (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release)

F Chase Berger (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Jordy Bellerive (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Jan Drozg (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Ben Sexton (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Matt Abt (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Michael Kim (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Jon Lizotte (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
G Alex D’Orio (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
G Dustin Tokarski (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Calen Addison (to Lethbridge, WHL)

St. Louis Blues (per team release)

F Cameron Darcy (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Zach Nastasiuk (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Evan Polei (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Nolan Stevens (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Alexei Toropchenko (to San Antonio, AHL)
D Jake Christiansen (to San Antonio, AHL)
D Rob O’Gara (to San Antonio, AHL)

Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)

F Paul Cotter (to Chicago, AHL)
F Lucas Elvenes (to Chicago, AHL)
F Ben Jones (to Chicago, AHL)
F Jake Leschyshyn (to Chicago, AHL)
F Jermaine Loewen (released from ATO, assigned to Chicago, AHL)
F Tye McGinn (to Chicago, AHL)
F Gage Quinney (to Chicago, AHL)
F Jonas Rondbjerg (to Chicago, AHL)
D Brayden Pachal (to Chicago, AHL)

Ottawa Senators Re-Sign Jack Rodewald

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The Ottawa Senators have signed depth forward Jack Rodewald to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2019-20 season. The deal is worth $725K at the NHL level, and will keep him in the organization for at least one more year. Rodewald will be eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency next summer should he fail to play in at least 70 NHL games this season.

Rodewald, 25, hasn’t been handed much in his professional career. Even his junior career got off to a terrible start when he recorded just 26 points through his first two seasons for the Regina Pats, before he eventually turned himself into a prime offensive option for the Moose Jaw Warriors. Undrafted, he needed to prove that ability again at the minor league level, but his first real opportunity wouldn’t come in the AHL. Instead Rodewald played his first full professional season with the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL, scoring 47 points in 62 games. He would impress at the Ottawa Senators training camp the following year and earn a spot in their minor league system. It still took until fall of 2017 to sign his first NHL contract, a deal that was now set to expire with just ten games played for Ottawa.

Still looking for his first NHL point, Rodewald nevertheless has developed himself into an excellent AHL performer just as he did at every level previous. Last season he recorded 23 goals and 47 points in 59 games for the Belleville Senators, trailing only top prospect Drake Batherson in scoring. While bringing that scoring touch to the NHL is still another huge step, it’s hard to write off a player who has come so far in such a short time. With another NHL contract in hand, he’ll push for a spot in Ottawa out of training camp, a team that should have plenty of opportunity available.

Snapshots: Barrie, Spurgeon, Senators

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The Colorado Avalanche are in the enviable position of having two first-round picks this year despite making the playoffs, and one of those selections is fourth overall. The team very well could be adding top defensive prospect Bowen Byram with that spot, giving them quite the young core on the blue line along with Samuel Girard and Cale Makar. That inevitably would lead to some speculating that the Avalanche will be looking to trade another defenseman, and A.J. Haefele of BSN Denver today tweeted that he believes Tyson Barrie is “in play.”

Haefele doesn’t mention the Byram connection, and perhaps that has nothing to do with it given Barrie plays the right side. With Erik Johnson already entrenched as a leader on the team and signed long-term, Barrie might be the one to go in order to give Makar more minutes on that side and the powerplay. The 27-year old Barrie had another excellent offensive season, recording 14 goals and 59 points in 78 games.

  • The Minnesota Wild have made sweeping changes to the core of their team since GM Paul Fenton took over, but one name they’re looking to keep is Jared Spurgeon. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Fenton and agent Eustace King met yesterday to begin talks on an extension, given the defenseman has just a single year remaining on his contract. Spurgeon is one of the game’s premiere two-way defensemen, recording solid offensive numbers while being a reliable shutdown option in his own end. Coming off a career-high 43 points any extension will be an expensive one, and likely include a substantial raise over the $5.19MM cap hit he currently carries.
  • Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports that the Ottawa Senators have issued qualifying offers to Cody Ceci, Christian Wolanin, Nick Paul, Colin White and Jack Rodewald, though all were expected. Ceci is still just 25 years old despite having played six seasons in the league, and is one of the more interesting players to watch on the Senators roster. He is a restricted free agent but could potentially settle for a one-year contract through arbitration and walk right into unrestricted free agency next season. His qualifying offer is $4.3MM, already a hefty contract for the Senators to swallow.

Atlantic Notes: Muzzin, Zadina, Scandella, Rodewald

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A lot of praise was sent towards Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas and the organization for pulling off an impressive trade when they acquired defenseman Jake Muzzin from Los Angeles for a what’s likely to be a late first-rounder and two above average prospects. The move didn’t take away any players off their current roster and only made them better.

However, Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun writes that Mike Babcock may not be integrating Muzzin properly so far. The 29-year-old averaged 21:32 of ice time in 50 games with the Kings. However, his ATOI is quite a bit less in Toronto with Babcock playing him just 18:37. The team has no intention of moving Morgan Rielly away from the left-side, but the team might be better off moving Muzzin to the right side and allowing him to play alongside Rielly. At the moment, Muzzin is playing on the second defensive unit. Regardless, the team needs to find a way of increasing Muzzin’s minutes.

  • Peter Wallner of MLive.com writes that the hottest player currently on the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL is 2018 first-rounder Filip Zadina, who scored an overtime goal Saturday to pick up his fourth goal in four games. The 19-year-old winger who naturally struggled early on when he arrived in the AHL, seems to have found his stride. He has seven points in his last eight games and has had a plus-six rating, a big improvement considering he had a minus-16 rating previous to the run. He now has 15 goals and 29 points in 43 games. While there is no word on whether the team might bring him to Detroit at some point, with the team currently struggling, a recall is potentially possible, although the team might be wary of allowing him to play more than 10 games this year and burning that first year of his entry-level deal.
  • NHL.com’s Mike Morreale reports that Buffalo Sabres defenseman Marco Scandella is injured once again and did not go with the team on their current road trip, although he could rejoin them. Head coach Phil Housley said that Scandella will be evaluated for an undisclosed injury. “Being evaluated by doctors and we’ll know more hopefully when we get down to Florida,” said Housley. It’s very likely the team will place him on injured reserve until he is ready to return.
  • TSN 1200 reported that the Ottawa Senators activated Jack Rodewald from injured reserve Saturday and have already assigned the 25-year-old forward to Belleville of the AHL. Rodewald was injured in a game against Anaheim on Feb. 7 with a lower-body injury and was expected to miss two weeks. He had played in six games with Ottawa, but had failed to record a point. The team also activated forward Mikkel Boedker from a mid-body injury.

Minor Transactions: 02/06/19

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The NHL is almost entirely quiet tonight, with just two games on the schedule for this evening. The battle of Ontario rages between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, while some original six foes do battle as the Boston Bruins travel to face the New York Rangers. With most of the league off we’ve already seen some trades go down, and we’ll keep track of all the other minor moves right here.

  • The Arizona Coyotes have sent Adin Hill and Dakota Mermis back to the minor leagues for now, as they assess their injury situation and prepare for tomorrow night’s action. The Coyotes have been destroyed by injury this season, but it has at least allowed them to see what they have in some of their young prospects. Hill for instance has shown he could be in the running as a backup option moving forward, or at least as an injury fill-in should Darcy Kuemper or Antti Raanta continue to struggle with their health.
  • After trading Cody McLeod away to the Nashville Predators, the New York Rangers have recalled Vinni Lettieri from the AHL. Lettieri has dominated for the Hartford Wolf Pack this season with 27 points in 29 games, but amazingly is scoreless in 16 contests with the Rangers. The 24-year old will look to change that if given the opportunity down the stretch.
  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled both Jack Rodewald and Cody Goloubef from the AHL, giving them 22 players for tonight’s game against Toronto. Rodewald is an inspiring story, given that he played nearly a full season in the ECHL just a few years ago and is now playing big minutes for the Belleville Senators or spending time in the NHL.

Rudolfs Balcers Recalled By Ottawa Senators

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When the Ottawa Senators traded Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks in the fall, the immediate roster changes were hard to justify. Karlsson was heading west, while just Chris Tierney and Dylan DeMelo would be suiting up for the Senators in 2018-19. While Tierney and DeMelo are fine players, they would need an outstanding season to replace the impact that Karlsson had in Ottawa. Beyond those two roster players the team also received a package of draft picks and University of Michigan prospect Josh Norris, who will need to be signed at some point before actually joining the Senators organization. The most interesting piece though in the entire trade may have just been Rudolfs Balcers, a 21-year old minor league forward who had found great success as a rookie in the AHL.

Today, after getting off to another great start in the minor leagues, Balcers was recalled by the Ottawa Senators. Originally selected in the fifth round given his unusual route to professional hockey, Balcers has turned into a legitimate NHL prospect that was leading the Belleville Senators in both goals and points through the first part of the season. Drafted out of Norway in 2015, the Latvian left winger came over to the WHL for the 2016-17 season and lit up the Canadian junior ranks, scoring 40 goals in 66 games. That touch around the net has continued with another 37 goals in 103 AHL contests.

It’s not that the trade hinges on the future of Balcers, it doesn’t. The Senators were in a situation where they felt they needed to trade their pending free agent captain, and received a big package that includes a top prospect like Norris and another first-round pick. But the deal could very well look a lot better down the line if Balcers continues to produce at the NHL level and turns into a legitimate top-six forward for the Senators. With the team facing more tough decisions on Mark Stone and Matt Duchene, both unrestricted free agents at the end of the year, there could be plenty of room in the 2019-20 lineup for a player like him.

The team has sent Jack Rodewald back to the AHL to make room on the roster.

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