When Pierre Dorion and the Ottawa Senators emerge from their months long slumber, they’re going to have their hands full.
At last check, the NHL playoffs are expected to wrap up some time in late September. Original projections had the Stanley Cup being awarded in early October but it’s starting to look like things could end a little sooner than originally anticipated.
The original timeline looked something like this although right now it sounds like they are a couple day ahead of schedule…
October 4: Club-elected salary arbitration deadline
October 6: 2020 NHL Draft. RFA Qualifying Offers are due at 5 p.m the same day.
October 9: Start of Free Agency
That’s going to be one hell of a week.
And because the Senators seem to be taking a self-imposed although probably wise “wait and see” approach to contract negotiations, they’ll have a lot to do once they get to work. Right now, the Senators have a handful of key RFAs that will need new contracts.
Restricted Free Agents
Connor Brown
Anthony Duclair
Chris Tierney
Jayce Hawryluk
Rudolfs Balcers
Nick Paul
Filip Chlapik
JC Beaudin
Andreas Englund
Christian Jaros
There are a couple decisions to made in that group but presumably the organization has plans to bring all of those guys back. Either on one or two-way deals. Most of the negotiations should be fairly straightforward but the first three names on the list are going to be a little trickier.
The team will also make some quick decisions on their unrestricted free agents. Pierre Dorion mentioned early on in the league pause that he reached out to some of these guys but it’s pretty clear that things have gone cold.
Unrestricted Free Agents
Mikkel Boedker
Michael Peca
Scott Sabourin
Ron Hainsey
Mark Borowiecki
Craig Anderson
The Senators likely have interest in bringing back one of Mark Borowiecki or Ron Hainsey but not both. Boedker has already committed to a new team in Switzerland while Michael Peca or Scott Sabourin could make sense on a two-way deal but they too may have other options.
League-wide, teams seem to be taking a fairly cautious approach to contract negotiations right now. With so little known about what next season might look like, teams want to see some firm plans before making a commitment.
If that’s the best idea the league has right now, you can see why teams are hesitant to sign contracts for next season. Hard to imagine a plan like that working over a full season.
For the Senators though, it’s going to leave a frantic stretch once the league locks a plan in place. Oh and there’s the biggest Draft in the history of the franchise to worry about too.
Enjoy the downtime, folks. Busy days ahead.
