From possible, to likely and finally to inevitable.
It appears that hard-working defenceman Mark Borowiecki has played his last game with the Ottawa Senators.
It’s certainly not a surprising development but like just about everything related to this team, it’s all a tad more dramatic than it needed to be.
It started with a heart-felt but strange interview before the deadline, included an unnecessary declaration from the General Manager after the deadline, resurfaced in another strange interview earlier this week and ultimately ended with some quotes from the man himself.
“I think this is the right move for both sides. We both kind of agreed mutually this might be the best path forward.”
There will be, and already has been, fan angst and finger pointing about who’s at fault but what matters is the Senators are going to lose a good hockey player, a great leader and an even better person. His departure will leave a void in the team’s leadership but have limited impact on the on-ice product and will create an opportunity for a younger player.
From Ottawa’s perspective, everything outside of the “Senator for Life” comment makes sense. It made sense that they wanted to wait on an extension last year, it made sense that they would want to see if there was interest at last year’s deadline and it made sense that they would plan to circle back on a possible extension during the off-season. It’s also not surprising that the global pandemic would shift their approach this off-season.
It sounds like Dorion’s biggest mistake here was not keeping Boro in the loop along the way. Meanwhile Boro’s agent interpreted the silence and made the best of the situation, getting the word out that there early that he was going to be a free agent in a little over a month’s time.
Fact is, there are few players in the National Hockey League that work harder than Mark Borowiecki and few players that sacrifice more on the ice. He has absolutely earned the opportunity to call his shot through free agency.
Hope he cashes in next month and that he and his family are happy wherever they land.
-25 days. That’s all that separates us from one of the biggest days in the history of the Ottawa Senators. On Tuesday, October 6th, the league will host Round 1 of the Draft with then remaining rounds taking place the following day. They had originally been aiming to hold the Draft that weekend but with an already condensed off-season, both league and players seemed to agree that it was best to hold it as soon as possible. Works for me!
-In a recent column, Bruce Garrioch hinted at the possibility the Senators could consider using their third first round pick, the one that originally belonged to the New York Islanders, in a trade for a starting goalie. As much as I feel that the Senators should be prioritizing a goalie addition this summer (especially if Nilsson isn’t 100%), using a first round pick to acquire one would be a mistake. There will be decent options available through free agency and you would think cheaper trade possibilities too. Rumour has it the Penguins are looking for a first round pick in a Matt Murray trade.
-Earlier this week, TSN reporter Frank Seravalli sent out a cryptic tweet about a dispute involving the Ottawa Senators and their coaching staff and yesterday, he told the rest of the story. And while it’s not a great look for the Senators, it provides a glimpse of just how precarious the financial outlook is for many NHL teams. Things were already pretty grim for the Senators before a global pandemic shut down the league so it’s not surprising that they would be one of the teams feeling the most heat from an extended pause. It’s worth pointing out that pay cuts were pretty common across the private sector over the last six months but it’s certainly concerning that the league had to step in.
