Ottawa’s Erik Brannstrom Suffers Broken Hand
It’s almost becoming comical at this point. On Thursday, the Ottawa Senators placed top-four defenseman Nikita Zaitsev in COVID Protocol, where he joined fellow defensemen Josh Brown, Victor Mete, and Nick Holden. Later that night, fellow top-four defender Artem Zub was knocked out of Ottawa’s match-up with the Los Angeles Kings with an upper-body injury. Now, just 24 hours later, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that young defenseman Erik Brannstrom suffered a broken hand in last night’s game as well and is out indefinitely.
It was just the second game of the season for Brannstrom, 22, who has still been trying to carve out a role for himself with the Senators. It could explain why Brannstrom not only played the whole game on Sunday, but skated in an abnormally high 18:56, perhaps trying to impress his coaches who were already short on blue line options. Whether this had any impact on the extent of the injury remains unknown. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch follows up on Dreger’s report by adding that the Senators are currently waiting for a determination on whether Brannstrom will need surgery or not. He believes that the blue liner will miss at least two months. It’s a critical setback for the 2017 first-round pick, who has not yet played up to expectations despite ample opportunity in Ottawa.
It will be hard for the Senators and their fans to focus on the long-term damage of the Brannstrom injury though when the short-term impact is so immense. The loss of Brannstrom on top of Zub plus the current COVID absences leaves the Senators with just seven healthy defenseman in the pro ranks, only four of whom are currently in the NHL. Fortunately, workhorse No. 1 defenseman Thomas Chabot is among the living, but the depth falls off immensely behind him. Veteran utility defenseman Michael Del Zotto, who has played in just six games this season, is the next best option, while the other two healthy NHLers are Dillon Heatherington, who made his season debut on Thursday, and Lassi Thomson, who made his NHL debut on Thursday. In Belleville, top prospect Jacob Bernard-Docker is almost a guaranteed recall before the Senators game on Saturday and an unheralded player such as Jonathan Aspirot or Maxence Guenette will likely receive the call as well. In turn, Belleville will have to load up on loans and tryouts in order to get by without their own defenders. The entire Senators organization needs their defense to get healthy as soon as possible.
Senators Notes: Norris, Captaincy, Center Depth
Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion delivered an interview with TSN on Sunday, giving a sort of state of the union address surrounding a variety of pressing issues around the organization. One of these is the contract status of pending restricted free agent Josh Norris, who’s in the final year of his entry-level deal that he signed in May of 2019. Norris emerged as the team’s number one center last season, scoring 35 points in 56 games in his first full NHL season. Dorion relayed that he spoke to Norris’ agent, Craig Oster, on Friday, expecting to begin talks with Norris “at some point in time.” While the quote carries a high degree of vagueness, dialogue this early, especially when initiated by the general manager, is always a promising sign on the path towards completing a contract. Norris has already scored a goal this season through his first two games.
More from the Senators organization:
- Dorion notes that an announcement about the team’s captaincy is not imminent, saying the club will continue to discuss and “take their time” on the decision. Many speculated that star winger Brady Tkachuk could be the next to sport the ‘C’ for the Senators, especially after signing a seven-year contract to stay with the club earlier this week. It appears as though the team isn’t quite ready to make that call, as young defender Thomas Chabot also makes a compelling case to be named the club’s captain. Ottawa’s captaincy has remained vacant ever since the departure of Erik Karlsson in 2018.
- Speaking with TSN’s James Duthie, Dorion mentions that he’s open to holding trade talks about acquiring a center to help the team’s depth down the middle. While Ottawa’s emergence out of their rebuild hasn’t guided them to a playoff spot as of yet, the team’s messaging adamantly reveals that internally, they feel ready to take the next step. It’s unlikely that Ottawa is at the point where they’re willing to mortgage futures to swing a huge deal, but as Dorion mentions, if it’s the right fit, a smaller but still notable acquisition isn’t off the table this season if they find themselves in the race.
Snapshots: Krejci, Lundqvist, Chabot
When David Krejci announced he was leaving the NHL to play at home in the Czech Republic this season, he left the door open to an NHL return. However, that return won’t come this season after the Extraliga season comes to an end. In an interview with iROZHLAS earlier this week, the veteran indicated that he would not return to the NHL to join Boston for the stretch run but wouldn’t rule out playing back in the NHL in 2022-23. Krejci would have to clear waivers in order to sign that late in the season anyway and it’s unlike that Boston or any other team would have been able to get him through unclaimed.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- How close was Henrik Lundqvist to attempting to return to Washington last season? In an interview with Goteborgs-Posten (translated by the NHL’s website) the veteran netminder was only three days away from flying out to rejoin the Caps before being diagnosed with pericarditis, ending those comeback hopes in the process. Lundqvist opted to retire earlier this summer and mentioned that he will need another surgery on his heart at some point in the future.
- After finishing behind only Drew Doughty in average ice time per game, it appears that Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot will have a slightly lighter workload next season. Head coach D.J. Smith told Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that his intention is to have the 24-year-old carry a lighter workload; the scribe pegs that target around 23 minutes per game. That would be a sizable drop from the 26:17 he logged last season; in fact, the only time that he has averaged below 23 minutes a game was his rookie season in 2017-18.
2021 King Clancy Trophy Nominees Announced
The NHL has announced the 31 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually presented to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Last year’s winner was Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild.
Each team submits one nominee. This year’s are:
Anaheim: Cam Fowler
Arizona: Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Boston: Charlie Coyle
Buffalo: Jack Eichel
Calgary: Mikael Backlund
Carolina: Jordan Staal
Chicago: Connor Murphy
Colorado: Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
Columbus: Cam Atkinson
Dallas: Esa Lindell
Detroit: Dylan Larkin
Edmonton: Kyle Turris
Florida: Sergei Bobrovsky
Los Angeles: Trevor Moore
Minnesota: Mats Zuccarello
Montreal: Jonathan Drouin
Nashville: Pekka Rinne
New Jersey: P.K. Subban
NY Islanders: Anders Lee
NY Rangers: Chris Kreider
Ottawa: Thomas Chabot
Philadelphia: Scott Laughton
Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby
San Jose: Kurtis Gabriel
St. Louis: Ryan O’Reilly
Tampa Bay: Alex Killorn
Toronto: John Tavares
Vancouver: Tyler Motte
Vegas: Marc-Andre Fleury
Washington: Garnet Hathaway
Winnipeg: Blake Wheeler
Senators Notes: Chabot, Brown, Murray, Prospects
Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot left Monday’s game against Winnipeg due to an upper-body injury. Head coach D.J. Smith told reporters today, including Ian Mendes of The Athletic (Twitter link) that it’s unlikely that Chabot will return this season. While the injury isn’t believed to be serious, Ottawa has been eliminated from playoff contention so there isn’t a lot to play for. Chabot had been weighing the idea of playing at the upcoming World Championships but his presence there may be in jeopardy.
Smith also indicated that blueliner Josh Brown is likely to miss the final four games as well due to an undisclosed injury. His first season with the Senators will end on a quiet note as the former Florida defender had just a single assist along with 30 PIMS in 26 games this season.
More from Ottawa:
- While Matt Murray was expected to be their goalie of the future when they acquired him from Pittsburgh last summer, Postmedia’s Ken Warren suggests that at this point, it’s unlikely that he will be protected from Seattle in expansion this summer. With both Filip Gustavsson and Joey Daccord also requiring protection and showing some promise in limited action this season, he posits that one of them will be held back from the Kraken with the expectation that Murray’s deal – which carries a $6.25MM AAV through 2023-24 – will be too expensive for them to willingly take on.
- Prospects Ridly Greig and Roby Jarventie are currently quarantining in Belleville and will see some AHL action down the stretch, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Greig, a first-round pick last year, got a brief look in the minors at the start of the season before having to return to the WHL where he had 10 goals and 22 assists in 21 games with Brandon. As for Jarventie, the 33rd pick last year recently signed his entry-level deal and had 14 goals and 11 assists in 48 games with Ilves of the SM-liiga this season.
North Notes: Klefbom, Chabot, Canucks, Lowry
Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom has missed the entire season due to a shoulder injury, one that he recently underwent surgery on. While the surgery went well, the blueliner told reporters, including Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, that there remains no timeline for when he’s able to play next season, if he’s able to return at all:
He said I might play again but there’s always going to be risks and we’ll see where I’m at after the rehab and it’s time to make a decision. We’re going to follow up, many, many times. I’m not giving up on the NHL. I’ve been playing with pain for many games for a long time but when you’re at home in your apartment or house and you can hardly sleep or put your clothes on, it gets mentally tough.
Klefbom had been an anchor on Edmonton’s back end coming into this season, averaging over 23 minutes a night over his six full-time NHL campaigns and carries a below-market cap hit at a $4.16MM AAV. However, given the uncertainty surrounding his ability to return at least at the start of next season, the 27-year-old could be left unprotected in this summer’s Seattle expansion draft, something that Klefbom himself acknowledged could make sense given his situation.
More from the North Division:
- Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot is open to playing at the World Championships, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Normally, such a statement wouldn’t carry much weight but with the pandemic, there are questions as to how many NHL players will be willing to make the trip to Latvia for the tournament which, as things stand, remains set to start on May 21st.
- As it appears that the Canucks will be looking for a new AHL affiliate, it doesn’t appear as if it will be in their own backyard. Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province notes that Vancouver hasn’t held any discussions yet with the operator of the Abbotsford Centre, the arena that used to house Calgary’s farm team when it was in British Columbia. Teams have made more of an effort to get their affiliates closer to their NHL squads in recent years so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them look for a city out West after being in Utica, New York since 2013.
- Jets center Adam Lowry won’t play tonight after taking a hit to the head from Toronto forward Alex Galchenyuk on Thursday night, notes Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe (Twitter link). Lowry hasn’t been diagnosed with a concussion and the team is holding him out as a precautionary measure. Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice listed the 28-year-old as day-to-day.
North Notes: Virtanen, Dube, Anderson, Chabot
After being scratched two games in a row, speculation is beginning to form around Vancouver Canucks forward Jake Virtanen. In fact, with the team being in need of defensive help, the Canucks might be willing to move on from Virtanen and his $2.55MM AAV.
The Province’s Patrick Johnston writes that one possibility might be trading Virtanen to Montreal in exchange for defenseman Victor Mete. Johnston notes that Montreal was interested in Virtanen when the two clubs discussed a deal at the 2019 draft for the now-24-year-old forward. Virtanen, who finished with 18 goals last season, so far has struggled with just one goal in nine games this season, which of course, begs the question of whether Virtanen still has any trade value.
- There will be no hearing for Calgary Flames forward Dillon Dube for his hit Saturday(video here) against Montreal Canadiens forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. Dube had a high hit on Kotkaniemi in the head behind Montreal’s net. No call was made. Sportsnet’s Eric Engels adds that the NHL reviewed the hit, but determined, according to Rule 48.1, that head contact was unavoidable.
- While no official word has come from the Montreal Canadiens, Jonathan Bernier of Le Journal de Montreal reports (translation required) that forward Josh Anderson, who was pulled out of the lineup Saturday due to flu-like symptoms, tested negative for COVID-19. It is believed that Anderson’s symptoms were due to something he ate. Anderson has been quite effective this year with four goals and five points in eight games so far this year after being acquired from Columbus during the offseason. Sportsnet’s Eric Engels confirms that the Canadiens told him that Anderson tested negative on Saturday and are awaiting a test from Sunday morning.
- Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot will not play Sunday and is listed as day-to-day, according to Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. The team recalled Artem Zub earlier today in case Chabot, who was removed from Thursday’s game due to an undisclosed injury, wasn’t able to go, which Garrioch has now confirmed.
Senators Notes: Captains, Camp Roster, Brassard, Brannstrom
The Senators have wasted little time determining their leadership group, announcing (via Twitter) that they will go without a captain and go with three alternates again this season. It’s a brand-new trio from the ones that started the season in that role last year as all three departed either via trade or free agency. Wearing the ‘A’ this season will be defensemen Thomas Chabot and Erik Gudbranson as well as winger Brady Tkachuk. Chabot and Tkachuk are core pieces of Ottawa’s rebuild while Gudbranson, an Ottawa native, was acquired from Anaheim in the offseason. The team has not had a full-time captain since trading Erik Karlsson to San Jose back in 2018.
More from Ottawa:
- The Sens announced their training camp roster with some notable omissions. Recently-acquired veterans Derek Stepan, Cedric Paquette, and Braydon Coburn are all not on the max-sized roster nor is top prospect Tim Stuetzle who is still at the World Juniors. Stepan is still in Arizona with his wife recently gave birth to their third child while Paquette and Coburn are currently quarantining and won’t be able to join the team for on-ice drills for another week. Stuetzle will eventually make his way to camp as well but will also need to go through an isolation period which will eat up most of the remaining training camp time.
- Ottawa has one player in camp on a PTO deal in goaltender Francois Brassard. The 26-year-old was actually drafted by the Sens back in 2012 but never signed with the team. He spent last season with ECHL Maine, putting up a 2.76 GAA with a .908 SV% in 14 appearances. He is likely hoping to land an AHL contract with a successful tryout as the Senators already have five netminders on NHL deals.
- Defenseman Erik Brannstrom had requested that Ottawa allow him to try to play his off-side on defense but that request was denied, relays TSN 1200’s Shawn Simpson (Twitter link). The Sens prefer him to stay on his natural side although there is likelier an easier path to playing time if he was to switch.
East Notes: Bogosian, Chabot, Brassard, Lightning, Red Wings
After clearing unconditional waivers Saturday, the market for defenseman Zach Bogosian has become quite intense as teams are looking to pick up a veteran blueliner on the cheap with the trade deadline prices for rentals being extremely high at moment. In fact, three teams are currently the frontrunners for the veteran’s services, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, including the Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Arizona Coyotes.
Carolina was already rumored to be looking for help on their blueline, but with the injury to Brett Pesce Saturday night in Toronto as well as the injury to Dougie Hamilton, the team is pushing even harder to add some depth. Pittsburgh is another candidate as they wait for the returns of Brian Dumoulin and John Marino. Arizona is a new candidate after the injury to Jakob Chychrun to an injury that looks to be serious.
Bogosian might serve as a band-aid for these teams, even though he has appeared in just 19 games this season.
- The Ottawa Senators could breathe easier today when they learned that defenseman Thomas Chabot, who left Saturday night’s game with a lower-body injury, suffered just a minor injury, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. Apparently the injury is just a bruise. The 23-year-old tried to test his knee during a TV timeout Saturday, but could not go on it. While Chabot’s offensive numbers have been down this season, five goals and 33 points in 62 games, the blueliner has logged a career-high in minutes at 25:43.
- Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports that New York Islanders forward Derick Brassard skated Sunday for the first time since suffering a samll fracture to his cheek after taking a puck to his head on Wednesday in Colorado. He is considered day-to-day, but has cleared concussion protocol, although he said that he is still dealing with some nausea. “I had a broken jaw so I had a plate [inserted],” Brassard said of a previous injury. “I got hit just above it. I’m lucky a little bit. When I was down, I thought my ear had split in half because of the pressure.”
- With injuries to defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Erik Cernak, the Tampa Bay Lightning, who already have been active before the trade deadline, could be looking to add to their defensive core, according to The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required). Tampa Bay already moved a first-round pick and top prospect Nolan Foote to New Jersey for forward Blake Coleman. However, since there is no word yet on the severity of Cernak’s injury, it’s possible that general manager Julien BriseBois could add even more as he’s “always on the lookout for an opportunity to improve.”
- MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that the Detroit Red Wings are holding out defenseman Mike Green and forward Andreas Athanasiou from Sunday’s game against Calgary. According to the Red Wings, they have both been scratched due to “asset management,” meaning both players are likely candidates to be traded by Monday.
Thomas Chabot Signs Eight-Year Extension
The Ottawa Senators have put their money where their mouth is, signing Thomas Chabot to an eight-year extension. Starting in 2020-21, Chabot’s new contract will carry an average annual value of $8MM and keep him in a Senators uniform until 2028. GM Pierre Dorion explained just how important it was to sign Chabot:
Thomas is an exceptional talent and an outstanding teammate, who is impactful both on and off the ice. He is the type of player that can develop into a core member of a championship-level team in the National Hockey League. He is an NHL all-star; an elite skater and puck-mover who plays with pace and determination. We are convinced Thomas will have a significant impact on the Ottawa Senators as we develop and grow into a highly competitive team over the coming seasons and we are extremely proud that Thomas will continue to be a key part of our team’s future success moving forward. Today is a great day for the Ottawa Senators franchise.
Chabot’s $64MM contract extension immediately becomes the biggest contract Dorion has signed in his time as Senators’ GM, dwarfing the previous $28.5MM given to Colin White last month. The deal will break down as follows:
- 2020-21: $7.0MM
- 2021-22: $7.0MM
- 2022-23: $4.0MM
- 2023-24: $8.0MM
- 2024-25: $10.0MM + 10-team NTC
- 2025-26: $10.0MM + 10-team NTC
- 2026-27: $10.0MM + 10-team NTC
- 2027-28: $8.0MM + 10-team NTC
The fact that Chabot is the player the Senators have broken the bank for comes as little surprise after the outstanding start to his young career. The 22-year old defenseman has 80 points through his first 134 NHL games, including a 55-point campaign last season that earned him an All-Star game appearance and Norris Trophy votes. Selected 18th overall in 2015, he has quickly become one of the best young defensemen in the entire league and will be the linchpin in any Ottawa turnaround. Getting him under contract before a third season and RFA standoff that could have put his cap hit into the stratosphere will only help down the line, though there will still be some who look at the contract with a dose of skepticism.
Given the Senators’ recent history of not paying their stars, the fact that this contract is heavily back-loaded will raise some eyebrows. The Senators will pay out just $18MM of the $64MM total by the end of 2022-23, leaving a huge chunk of the deal on the table over the last five seasons. That’s not how most long-term deals have been structured in recent years, with players wanting a good portion of the money up front, or at least in signing bonuses. While the 2022-23 salary can be explained away as protection against a potential lockout, Chabot won’t see the biggest financial terms until his actual unrestricted free agent years kick in down the line.
Even with that slight hesitation, the Senators and their fans should be ecstatic to have Chabot under contract for almost a decade. The deal will put him right alongside Jacob Trouba, Brent Burns and John Carlson for the fifth highest-paid defensemen in the league, a ranking he has shown capable of to this point. With still so much development in front of him there’s a real chance that Chabot could be bringing home some individual awards in the future, and hopefully leading the extremely young Senators team back to the postseason at some point.
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