They came. They saw. They conquered.
As expected, the Ottawa Senators made short work of this year’s Rookie Tournament. They dominated the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night and then toyed with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. Two impressive wins that send a message to the rest of the league that the Senators are the team to beat this year.
Well, the team to beat in this three-team rookie exhibition tournament anyway.
It was a strong start for a bunch of Senators though and a good reference point heading into the main camp later this week. With that in mind, another half-assed edition of Monday News and Notes!
-For many Sens fans, this past weekend was a first chance to see 4th overall pick Brady Tkachuk in action. It’s safe to as he made a strong first impression. Tkachuk was a force in that game on Friday night and showed exactly why scouts were so high on him heading into the Draft. He skates well for a big guy, has good hands and isn’t afraid to go to the front of the net to make things happen. There has been a lot made about his low goal total in the NCAA last year but watching him this weekend, he certainly looks like he has all the tools required to be an impact player in the NHL. And maybe as early as this season.
-Tkachuk wasn’t the only one turning heads this weekend. Two members of Team Canada’s World Junior were also in fine form. Both Alex Formenton and Drake Batherson looked like they were a step ahead of the competition most of the weekend. Formenton in particular looks like he could force his way onto the roster again this fall. The Senators have a tough decision to make with Formenton because it’s either the NHL or back to Junior. They’ll give him every opportunity to make this team over the next few weeks though.
-Watching those two games this weekend, it’s clear that there are a number of guys that are going to force the Coaching Staff into making some difficult decisions over the next couple weeks. In addition to Tkachuk, Formenton and Batherson, there was a group of maybe five or six guys that all seem like they could be in the mix for spots. Colin White, Filip Chlapik, Christian Jaros, Logan Brown and Maxime Lajoie all looked solid at times throughout the tournament and will be looking to crack the roster. Unlikely they all make it obviously but it should be good news for the team in Belleville as they look to bounce back from an ugly first season.
-The Vegas Golden Knights have finally made their move. After months of talks, they have added an impact player, doing the inevitable and acquiring the Captain of a Canadian team. That’s right, Vegas has traded for…Max Pacioretty. In a Sunday night shocker, the Golden Knights acquired Max Pacioretty in exchange for Tomas Tatar and Nick Suzuki, and a 2nd round pick in 2019. Obviously the Canadiens wanted to get this deal done ahead of Camp and were worried about the situation with Pacioretty becoming a distraction. Wonder if Dorion takes a similar approach.
-Speaking of Erik Karlsson, rumours continue to swirl around his future with the organization. Of course they have been swirling for a good six months now so it’s pretty easy to tune them out at this point. Most of the talk lately seems to be centred around the Dallas Stars. In previous conversations with Dallas, Dorion apparently focused on their top prospect Miro Heiskanen. Dallas had no interest in such a move. If the Stars are willing to change their position on including the Finnish defenceman not named Julius Honka, there might be a fit. It was also reported last week that at one point, a team was offering the Senators a package that included up to six pieces. While that sounds like a lot, it’s important that Dorion looks for quality over quantity with this trade.
