Pierre Dorion spoke to the media the other day ahead of Friday’s Draft and then was on TSN 1200 shortly after to discuss the team‘s strategy heading into the off season.
It’s been interesting to watch the difference in media style between Bryan Murray and Pierre Dorion. While Murray was always brutally honest, he had this unique ability to keep people guessing a little bit and drum up possibilities and fuel speculation. He did it on purpose and he seemed to enjoy it.
Dorion on the other hand is extremely straightforward. You really don’t get the sense he’s “working” the media in any particular direction and instead, he just answers the questions honestly and in the most simple of terms. What you see is what you get, sort of thing.
And it’s for that reason, that perhaps more than any other off-season, I sort of feel like I know pretty much how things will end up. Obviously not to the point where we know names or dollar figures but based on the couple media availabilities he’s given this week, the team’s priorities seem pretty clear.
As someone who always tries to stay plugged into the “rumour mill”, I can tell you that it’s as quiet as it’s ever been for the Senators leading up to the Draft. Either Dorion is doing an incredible job of keeping his big plans under wraps or this will be a relatively uneventful few days.
Here’s a handful of things I’ve heard from Dorion in the last few days…
-They’ll pick 12th overall. Not sure if it’s a case of managing expectations but Pierre Dorion has been quick to pour cold water on any talk of moving up in the Draft on Friday. They have talked to every team ahead of them at one point or another but obviously feel like the prices are way too high for their liking. And with all the talk around the league, I really can’t see that changing in the next couple days.
-The Cody Ceci contract talks are going well. While Ceci has been open about his preference for a long term deal, it seems like Dorion is sort of learning towards a shorter deal that keeps his salary as low as possible. Really think the Senators need to be careful with this contract and not overthink it. With Stone, Zibanejad, Pageau and Hoffman they recognized the leverage they had and used it as an opportunity to keep salary down but also, to make sure they know what they have in the player before making a decision on a long-term commitment. It’s a safe approach. A safe approach they should be using again with Cody Ceci.
-While the Senators are being careful with the Hoffman talks and taking extra care to keep things out of the media, the general sense I get is that things are going fine so far. Both sides legitimately want to get something done and I’ve said that all along. Again, Ottawa wants to keep the salary down if they can but it’s a little trickier with Hoffman considering his numbers the last two seasons and the fact that now he’s just one year out from free agency. I think Hoffman’s camp would have a hard time turning down something in the 4-5 year range at $5 million per but are the Senators willing to make that kind of offer? Worst case scenario and I emphasize the term worst- Hoffman signs another one year deal. They’d get a good season out of him next year but it would almost certainly be his last with the Senators. Dorion has been tight-lipped on this one but until a contract is signed, a trade remains a possibility too. This seems like the one area where a tame off-season is a little bit unpredictable.
-He said it a couple times but “most” of the RFAs will be back. The two biggest question marks at this point are guys on the NHL roster in Patrick Wiercioch and Alex Chiasson. Wiercioch won’t be getting a qualifying offer (at $2.7 mil) and will have an opportunity to see what’s out there as a UFA. I think they’re leaning the same way on Chiasson but it depends on their ability to upgrade at that position in free agency or through trade. Which leads to the next point…
-The Senators will target a forward in free agency or through trade although it won’t be a big money guy. Think in the $2-$3 million dollar range, depending on how much they spend on their own RFAs. Ideally, it will be a RW that can provide a little offence but can also play in the top six in a pinch and take the odd shift on special teams.
-They’ll be looking to add on defence too but again, they’ll be shopping from the bargain bin by the sounds of things. They obviously feel pretty good about their top four but someone who can play on that third pairing seems like a priority for Pierre Dorion. What’s interesting is the couple times where he’s addressed this topic it sort of sounds like it’s someone to play with Chris Wideman, which maybe means they see Borowiecki more as a 7th defenceman.
-In general, management is happy with their lineup heading into next season. While they would like to improve their depth by adding an experience forward with offensive upside and a bottom pairing defenceman, they don’t seem to be looking for any big additions this off-season. Part of that is budget related obviously but I think they legitimately feel that under the guidance of a new Coaching staff, if they can stay healthy, this team should be back in the playoff mix next year.
At this point, we’re all just getting to know Pierre Dorion, the General Manager.
He could be quietly (very quietly) working on a couple blockbuster trades this week and all the straightforward answers in the media have been designed to throw us off the scent. It’s possible. But at this point, I’m predicting a relatively quiet off season for the Ottawa Senators.
Prove me wrong, Pierre. Prove me wrong.
-The NHL Awards go tonight in Las Vegas and Senators Captain Erik Karlsson is in the running for the Norris Trophy for the league’s top defenceman. The media campaign has been strong for Drew Doughty but there’s still some hope that when votes were cast at the end of the regular season, common sense took over. Karlsson was the best defenceman last season and it wasn’t particularly close. We’ll find out if the voters felt the same way tonight. The show starts at 7:00 PM and is available on Sportsnet.
