With Michael Andlauer rolling into town yesterday, it’s officially the dawn of a new era in the Nation’s Capital.
Okay, maybe not officially. Andlauer won’t really be given the keys to the organization until late summer/early fall but it’s clear that he wants to hit the ground running once the sale is complete.
According to Bruce Garrioch, Andlauer was hoping to meet with both of the Mayors of Ottawa during his brief visit yesterday. By connecting with both Sutcliffe and Alfredsson along with certain members of the team’s Front Office, it appears as though the incoming Owner has his priorities in order. Mapping out the team’s future downtown and evaluating the Front Office should both be at the top of Andlauer’s To Do list early in his tenure so it’s nice to see him getting a bit of a head start on things.
Andlauer isn’t the only one with work to do though.
Pierre Dorion is rapidly approaching this own busy season and while there are questions about his future as GM, he needs to focus on the task at hand.
Identifying potential trade partners for Alex DeBrincat is obviously his primary focus right now but with the Draft just a week out, that’s not the only thing he has on his radar.
While the Draft looks like a quiet one for the Ottawa Senators right now, a DeBrincat trade could change that pretty quickly.
The Sens currently hold picks in the 4th, 5th and 7th round but there’s a very real chance they add to that collection over the next week.
On the UFA front, the team has already let both Cam Talbot and Nick Holden know that they won’t be receiving contract offers.
However, the door has been left open to Travis Hamonic and Austin Watson, and should he continue his career, Derick Brassard. Dorion talked to the Locked On Senators Podcast about both Hamonic and Watson and made it clear that there are options to bring both guys back on short-term deals.
Watson seems like he plans to see what’s out there on the open market but Hamonic could be locked up in advance of July 1st. Something to keep an eye on over the next couple weeks.
The Senators also have some homework to do with their own restricted free agents. Outside of the Alex DeBrincat drama, those look like pretty straightforward negotiations. Up front, Shane Pinto is the most intriguing of the bunch with both sides apparently discussing a range of options including a short-term bridge deal (the most likely scenario) and something longer term. Dylan Gambrell and Julien Gauthier are both RFAs but it’s not clear whether either player will be back next year. Egor Sokolov needs a new deal and will receive a qualifying offer.
On the backend, Erik Brannstrom also needs a new contract and based on the glowing reviews from both the Head Coach and the GM, the Senators see a spot for him on the blueline next season. Like Pinto, a shorter term deal seems to make the most sense. In goal, Kevin Mandolese (RFA), Dylan Ferguson (RFA) and Antoine Bibeau are all without contracts. Ottawa learned the hard way about the importance of organizational depth in goal last season but Mandolese may be the only brought back of that trio.
And that’s just their own internal homework.
While the Senators aren’t likely to be as flashy as they were last summer, there are still holes to fill. Depth scoring and goaltending are pretty clearly areas that will need to be addressed over the next few weeks, either through free agency or trade.
Oh and in case that’s not enough…
So as the title suggests, there are busy days ahead in Ottawa.
Discuss.
