FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Decent effort. Reasonably entertaining hockey game. No points. That’s probably the ideal scenario for the Senators in these final games and they nailed it last night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa was in control most of the way and while the Senators pushed back late in the third and had a couple good looks late in the game, they were never really at risk of accidentally winning the game. All the teams around them won too further solidifying Ottawa’s spot at the bottom of the standings. Go Sens Go, am I right?!
-In an otherwise disappointing season, Ryan Dzingel has been one of the few pleasant surprises on this year’s team. Before this season, it was clear that Dzingel and the speed to create scoring chances at the NHL level but there were legitimate concerns about his ability to finish those chances. The game has clearly slowed down for him a bit mentally this year. Just looks a lot more calm with the puck on his stick. And as a result, the percentages are starting to swing in his favour a little bit. Dzingel scored his 16th of the season continuing his push for a 20 goal season. He’ll make just $2.1 mil next season and his a UFA in the summer of 2019.
-It seems like most people are in agreement that if there is a slam-dunk trade to be made in the next few days, it’s veteran defenceman Johnny Oduya. He’s an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and while his time in Ottawa has been mostly disappointing, he’s still viewed as a veteran depth guy who can provide a little insurance for a contender. Or something like that. The Senators are likely to wait until the last minute to see what they can salvage in terms of a return and you would think the teams with more than a passing interest will pursue other options before settling on Oduya.
-After Oduya, it really seems like the next most likely deal involve Derick Brassard. There aren’t many quality centres on the block at this year’s deadline and that has multiple teams calling the Senators to try to make a deal. It seems like a situation where Dorion should be able to get a bit of a bidding war going. The Penguins are interested. The Jets are in the mix. And the Sharks have made a call. It’s not unrealistic to think the Senators could land a first round pick and a decent prospect in a Brassard deal. Brassard scored his 18th goal of the season last night.
-One thing is certain leading up to the deadline- changes are coming. Like, if each year you wrestle with the idea of taking Trade Deadline Day off, this would be the year to do it. Unless of course Dorion makes all his moves over the weekend, I suppose. The latest version of Insider Trading suggested that it’s possible that the Senators could completely clean house at the deadline. Meaning Karlsson, Hoffman, Brassard, Pageau, Smith and the aforementioned Johnny Oduya. Add to that Bobby Ryan who we know they would love to move. Cody Ceci’s name has been kicked around in the past. That is a remarkable amount of activity to try to squeeze into a few days especially when you consider it’s basically a two-man front office.
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