On Saturday, the Ottawa Senators scored a convincing win over the rival Toronto Maple Leafs.
Playoff hopes are all but gone at this point but a win over the Leafs is always nice, no matter how insignificant it may seem in the standings. The Leafs also did the Senators a bit of a favour last night, beating the Detroit Red Wings 1-0.
Seven points back. And one more game played. Hmm.
The Senators had Sunday off and will return to the practice ice at 10:30 AM this morning. Light schedule for the team in the first half of the week. They take on the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night and then have a couple days off before a road game in Buffalo on Friday. They’ll return to the Canadian Tire Centre to take on the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.
With just 12 games left in their season, a quick round-up of some news and notes heading into this week.
-On Saturday, Zack Smith scored his 21st goal of the season. He’s now scored in five straight games and has nine goals in his last 12 games and 12 goals in his last 18 games. It’s been an incredible run for Smith and he’s quickly become one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing season. And predictably, his career year has some fans wondering what Zack Smith might fetch on the trade market should the Senators decide to go that route in the summer. It makes for good discussion but I really don’t think that’s a possibility the Senators would entertain at this point. Smith is entering the final year of his contract and will earn $2.35 mil next season. Maybe his name comes up at next year’s deadline if he isn’t signed to an extension but I’m pretty sure Management sees this guy as an important piece on the roster next year. An inflated shooting percentage doesn’t change that.
-I bet when the trade deadline passed earlier this month you thought you had heard the last of Jonathan Drouin for awhile? Well not so fast. Rumours continue to swirl around Drouin, especially now that he’s back playing in the American Hockey League. A handful of teams have been keeping a close eye on the Syracuse Crunch in the last week or so and the Senators are one of those teams. This deal is likely going to wait until the summer but the Senators will definitely be in the mix. Lots of teams involved though. I keep hearing Colin White’s name as a possible piece in a Drouin deal. Sure would like it if the Sens could find a way to get a deal done without White involved.
-We’re getting close to the point where it’s possible Patrick Wiercioch has played his last game in an Ottawa uniform. He was a scratch again on Saturday night and is probably going to the be the odd-man out again on Tuesday. Wiercioch has been battling a nagging injury the last couple weeks and when he has had a chance to play, he really hasn’t been at his best. Wiercioch is in the final year of his deal, earning $2. 7 this season and is scheduled to be a restricted free agent at the end of the season. With six guys locked in (Karlsson, Phaneuf, Methot, Ceci, Wideman, Borowiecki) and Freddy Claesson knocking on the door, it’s tough to see how the Senators can bring Wiercioch back next season. They talked to teams about moving him at the deadline but just couldn’t find a legitimate offer.
-Same thing goes for Alex Chiasson. He’ll be a restricted free agent at the end of the season and was also shopped a little bit at the deadline. At the time, it was framed as though teams were calling the Senators about Chiasson but I’m pretty sure it was the other way around. The bottom six is starting to get a little bit crowded so it would be pretty tough for the Senators to bring Chiasson back for another year. Chiasson was a key piece in that Jason Spezza deal but Management may have to swallow their pride on this one. Hard to see how he fits in next year.
-As a disappointing season winds down, the calls for the Senators to reevaluate the Head Coach position have grown louder and louder. Fans are understandably disappointed with the way this season has gone and a lot of the blame seems to be falling at the feet of Dave Cameron. This is going to be a tough decision for the Senators. Paying another guy to not coach the team certainly wouldn’t sit well with the Owner, especially when that guy happens to be a good friend of his. Cameron signed an extension in July of last year. The extension takes him through to the end of the 2016-2017 season.
