I’m trying to enjoy the NHL playoffs but quite honestly, it’s been a bit of a chore.
It’s partly bitterness over the way Ottawa’s season ended. That was a series they should have won and easily could have with a couple bounces and calls going the right way. It’s partly because the hockey has been pretty terrible. A defence-first mentality has dominated these playoffs and the result has been some dreadfully boring hockey games. And I think it’s also because that push for a playoff spot was just so damn entertaining that any hockey is going to have a hard time living up to the standard set in the last couple months of the regular season.
But I digress…
The Anaheim/Chicago series should be the best yet and with a little bit of luck, the Montreal Canadiens will be eliminated tomorrow night. Or even better, in Game 7 on home ice. In the meantime, a quick round-up of some of the news and notes surrounding the Ottawa Senators in the last couple days.
-Now that the Calgary Flames have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Ottawa Senators are officially locked into the 18th overall spot in the NHL Entry Draft this June. And while there’s always a chance they could move up, down or even out, a quick look at the Draft rankings and Mock Drafts available shows that the Senators are definitely going to get a solid player. Remember the Senators also have two 2nd round picks in this year’s draft.
-With Matt O’Connor now officially on board, you can be sure Bryan Murray and his staff are already looking ahead to the summer when they’ll have to make a difficult decision on which goalie to trade. You’ll recall that well before the emergence of Andrew Hammond, there was already trade speculation surrounding Robin Lehner. That will only increase now with O’Connor in the picture. The Edmonton Oilers have certainly kicked tires on Lehner in the past. The Buffalo Sabres have also been linked to Ottawa goalies in the rumour mill the last little while. Of course, the Senators really can’t make any decisions until Andrew Hammond signs on the dotted line.
-Speaking of which, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun mentioned some pretty specific “rumoured” contracted terms when it comes to The Hamburglar. Those numbers are probably coming from within the organization in what almost seems like a bit of a negotiating tactic by the Senators. Hammond could gamble and hope he receives more on the open market but with Matt O’Connor now there as an insurance policy, the Senators can draw a pretty clear line in the sand here. Two years at a little over a million a season. Contract talks are expected to heat up once Pierre Dorion returns from the World Championships. I expect Andrew Hammond to stay.
-Interesting bit of news from TSN1200 earlier today. Agent Todd Reynolds was interviewed on Monday afternoon and mentioned that one of his clients, and Senators prospect, Mikael Wikstrand was expected to come to North America this season. This sort of goes against what we had previously heard from the Wikstrand camp who apparently recently signed an extension to play another season in Sweden. We’ll have to wait and see what happens here. We’ve heard in the past that the organization is really hoping he comes over as soon as possible. It would be great news for Wikstrand’s development if he could begin that adjustment to the North American game. Wikstrand had 20 points in 46 games in the Swedish Elite League this past season.
-Friedman touched on it in his most recent 30 Thoughts but one of the most important decisions facing the Senators this off season will be what to do with Jared Cowen. With so many important RFAs to get done, and a lower-than-cap internal budget expected, the Senators really can’t afford to pay $3.1 mil a season to a player that slots in at 6 or 7 on the depth chart. I know the organization still thinks (or maybe hopes, is a better word) that Cowen can turn it around but if a team calls Murray this summer, he’ll have to listen. We’ve talked about it before but it certainly a situation where the Senators would be selling low if they did decide to move Cowen. From Cowen’s perspective, it’s safe to say this is one of the biggest summers of his career. Once he recovers from that sports hernia surgery, Jared needs to do everything possible to be ready for camp in September whether it’s in Ottawa or elsewhere.
