11 games.
That’s all that stands between the Ottawa Senators and a long off season. Unlike last year when the Sens were playing hockey well into the month of May, this year they’ll wrap up on April 7th. So in less than three weeks, we can forget this whole unpleasant 2017/2018 season ever existed.
And while it will be a busy off-season in the Nation’s Capital, the idea of a few months without Senators hockey doesn’t sound so bad. This year has been a struggle for just about everyone and frankly, it’s been a bit of a chore to watch games since the middle of January.
11 more to go.
The Senators play five of their next six on home ice, beginning with a visit from the Florida Panthers tomorrow night. They’ll be on the ice for practice at 10:30 AM this morning.
Until then, another edition of Monday news and notes.
–Filip Gustavsson, acquired in the Derick Brassard trade, is expected to join the team in Belleville later this week. His Swedish Hockey League season came to an end over the weekend and now the organization is hoping to get him over to North America to play in some games down the stretch. Gustavsson, a 2nd round pick in the 2016 Draft, is the top goaltending prospect in the organization so it makes sense that they’d like to get a closer look at him in what’s left of the season. Although to be fair, Belleville probably isn’t the best place to showcase a goalie. No American Hockey League team has given up more goal than the BSens.
-Speaking of prospects, Aaron Luchuk, who was signed by the Senators earlier this season, wrapped up the Ontario Hockey League scoring title over the weekend. Luchuk finished with an incredible 115 points (including 50 goals) in just 68 games with the Barrie Colts. To call this a breakout season for the overager would be an understatement. Prior to this year, Luchuk had career-highs of 28 goals and 59 points, which he put up with Windsor Spitfires last year. It’s going to be interesting to see how his game translates at the pro level, assuming the Senators plan to find a spot for him in Belleville as early as next year.
-Pierre Dorion turned some heads last week when he was in attendance for two straight Edmonton Oiler games. It’s no secret that Dorion was hoping to do some more scouting down the stretch. Beats watching his own team, that’s for sure! But it was sort of interesting to see him take in consecutive Oiler games, especially when the two teams have been linked a lot over the last couple years. Bruce Garrioch mentioned that it was just one of several stops along his planned trip but that didn’t stop the rumour mill from kicking into high-gear, with many assuming it had something to do with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. It’s no secret that the Oilers like Mike Hoffman but I keep hearing that they also still have interest in Cody Ceci.
-All 31 NHL General Managers will gather in Florida for the annual General Manager’s Meetings this week and from a league perspective, there are a number of important items up for discussion. Goaltender interference, whatever that is, is at the top of the agenda. They are also expected to talk about the playoff format, long-term injured reserve rules and power play changes, among others. You can see a full rundown of the topics here. Something tells me Pierre Dorion will be a popular guy too with a few other GMs looking to get a sense of what they plan to do with Erik Karlsson this summer.
-Wonder if the Senators have any plans to give Colin White or Filip Chlapik another look down the stretch? While they keep saying they want those two to play big minutes at the AHL level, it would be good to have both those players finish their year here in Ottawa and feel good about themselves heading into the summer. Both guys will be expected to challenge for full-time NHL jobs as early as next season. Chlapik had 2 goals and an assist in Saturday night’s 4-3 win over Utica. While it was nice of the Senators to give Jim O’Brien some NHL games, the organization should be using these meaningless games to get a look at some of their legitimate prospects.
Right on cue…
Roster update: The #Sens have recalled forward Filip Chlapik and have reassigned forward Jim O’Brien to Belleville (AHL). @BellevilleSens
Mise à jour alignement : Les #Sens ont rappelé l’attaquant Filip Chlapik et retourné l’attaquant Jim O’Brien à Belleville (LAH).
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) March 19, 2018
