As the dust settles on Pierre Dorion’s whirlwind media tour, Sens fans are still reeling from the overwhelming amount of breaking news we were bombarded with in the last 24 hours.
While that may be a slight (er massive) exaggeration, there were a few interesting storylines to emerge from yesterday’s interviews.
Dorion started off with an awkward zoom teleconference (is there another kind of zoom teleconference) and then followed that up with appearances on TSN 1200 and something called Unique FM 94.5.
There was a lot to take in. Which is why I’m going to do a quick recap of some of the most important developments of the day. While I recognize this is an extremely reckless use of the words “important” and “developments”, please keep in mind there hasn’t been a Sens-related thing to happen in like one million years.
So here goes…
Craig Anderson’s Time with the Senators is Up
Certainly not a surprise but by far the most significant news of the day.
When Pierre Dorion confirmed that the team won’t be offering the now 39 year old UFA goalie a contract, he was mostly confirming what we already knew. But it was still sort unfortunate to see it play out that way.
The league-wide shutdown combined with Anderson’s desire to continue his playing career didn’t really give the organization much choice but the best goalie in franchise history deserved a better send-off.
When the time is right, the Senators better give him the recognition he deserves. The Ring of Honour is a no-brainer.
Meanwhile, Ottawa’s goaltending situations is anything but certain heading into the new season. While Dorion seemed to suggest Anders Nilsson was still progressing in his concussion recovery, he did seem to leave the door open to Nilsson still being unavailable when the season starts.
Ron Hainsey Will Likely Be Back
Maybe not the update some were hoping for but it certainly sounds like the team would like to bring Ron Hainsey back for another year.
From the team’s perspective, I get it. He’s a low-maintenance guy with a ton of experience, including a Stanley Cup, that is well-liked by his teammates and that can help some of the young defenceman learn the ropes in the National Hockey League. And if one of those young defenceman is ready to assume a full-time role on the blueline next season, Hainsey can transition into that 7th defenceman role. Almost like a built-in player/coach, along the lines of luke
If the decision comes down to Ron Hainsey on a one-year deal or Mark Borowiecki on a three-year contract, which would you choose?
No Surprise Coming at 3rd Overall
When you discuss a particular topic long enough, it’s pretty easy to lose focus a little bit and start to consider every possible scenario, no matter how unlikely.
That’s why it was sort of comforting to hear Pierre Dorion all but dismiss some of those other wacky possibilities that have started to enter our minds in the lead up to the October 6th Draft. When it comes to 3rd overall, there is no big surprise coming.
“I think everyone knows what we’re going to do at 3, depending on what LA does. It’s no secret here.”
The Ottawa Senators will be taking whichever one of Quinton Byfield or Tim Stutzle is available when their turn comes along at 3rd overall.
At least…I think that’s what he meant?!
Meanwhile at 5th overall, Dorion really wasn’t tipping his hand. Although at one point, he did suggest that they were considering a number of different forwards and defenceman at that spot. As in, not a goalie. So maybe we can rule out a Yaroslav Askarov shocker at that spot.
At one point, he was also asked specifically about Jake Sanderson and whether the team considers puts any weight on the fact that he might be playing with Jacob Bernard-Docker at UND next year. While Dorion was certainly aware of that fact, it definitely didn’t come across as a major consideration.
Loading …Brady Tkachuk’s Extension is Complicated
As much as we would have liked to hear Pierre Dorion shock the world with details of an eight-year deal for Brady Tkachuk, that just wasn’t realistic.
Dorion talked about it in a couple of his appearances but the dramatic shift in the economics of the league combined with the number of other items on his off-season To Do list mean they’ll likely have to take a bit of wait and see approach with Tkachuk. The good news is the recent signings of Thomas Chabot and Colin White seem to indicate a willingness to commit to their young core so we have to assume (er hope) that when the time comes, the Eugene Melnyk money truck will be ready and waiting.
Matthew Tkachuk’s contract negotiation in Calgary should give the Senators a pretty good idea of what they are getting into here. This will be anything but straightforward and ultimately, something a little shorter-term may end up being the way they decide to go.
It’s not the Sens fan way but in the case of a 21 year old forward with many, many years of team control ahead, there’s just no need to worry about this right now.
