After the two weeks he’s put together, it’s understandable if Pierre Dorion wanted to take the weekend to catch his breath.
Honestly, I think we could all use a little time to reflect.
Expectations were high coming into this off-season and the pressure was dialed all the way up. And a lot of it was self-applied pressure. Dorion was vocal about wanting to add to the roster and he let it be known that we was looking to acquire pieces that could help this rebuilding team take that next step.
The Sens GM has delivered in a big way.
By acquiring Alex DeBrincat, Claude Giroux and Cam Talbot, Dorion has sent a strong message to the young core, to the fan base and to the rest of the league. This is a team ready to make that leap from rebuilding to pushing for a playoff spot.
But that certainly doesn’t mean his work is done.
DeBrincat and Giroux join what will be one of the league’s most dangerous forward groups. Talbot gives them competition and stability between the pipes. But there is still a pretty glaring need on the backend.
For now, anyway.
The Senators are leaving no stone unturned in their pursuit of help on the blueline and it’s a search that will continue in the days and weeks ahead.
Earlier today, one potential target was crossed off the list. John Marino had been linked to the Senators in the rumour mill but he’s on his way to the New Jersey Devils. Although for what it’s worth, it sounds like he was fairly low on their list of options. The link to Ryan Bowness makes sense but according to Bruce Garrioch, the long-term deal scared them off a little bit.
There are other options out there though.
Ottawa would love to pry Jakob Chychrun out of Arizona but to this point, the asking price has been too high. Chychrun has ties to the area and comes with a reasonable price tag of $4.6 mil a season. He has three years left on his current deal too. While he can play the right side as a left shot, it’s not ideal. If the asking price comes down though, the Senators will certainly be in the mix.
MacKenzie Weegar, another local guy, has also been mentioned as a possibility although Florida seems reluctant to move him. He’s a UFA at the end of this season too.
Free agency is an option too although the pickings are fairly slim there. John Klingberg is the flashiest name on that front but there are some other UFAs that could fill a hole for the Senators if those other options don’t pan out.
As far as “worst case scenarios” go, letting one of Lassi Thomson or Jacob Bernard-Docker earn that spot isn’t a bad back-up plan. It just doesn’t align with the push your chips in the middle approach the Senators have taken to this month.
And so we wait.
The Ottawa Senators have never had an off-season quite like this one. Through trade and free agency, the Sens have added high-end pieces that should have an immediate impact in their lineup. But for it to be a truly perfect off-season, they need to find a way to add that elusive top four defenceman.
Only then will The Summer of Pierre be complete.
