Two more games played, two more games in the loss column.
The Ottawa Senators continue their long and arduous push to the merciful end of the 2019/2020 season. There were times earlier in the year where this team was described as fun, as entertaining but it feels like that shine as long worn off.
As expected, this team is bad. And because most of the current roster is made up of players that are not long for this place, it’s hard to really stay engaged. It’s a necessary evil in this rebuild but it sure is unpleasant.
So with 30 games left and a must-lose game coming up tomorrow against the Anaheim Ducks, let’s see if we scrounge together enough news and/or notes to keep ourselves occupied.
-Raise your hand if you were expecting a breakout offensive season from Mark Borowiecki. Okay now put your hand down you liar. The defensive defenceman and UFA-to-be is enjoying a career year, already seven points clear of his previous high. His seven goals have long since eclipsed his previous high of three. Borowiecki has talked a lot about how much he enjoys playing for this Coaching staff and it’s clear that they are finding ways to get the most out of him. The fact that he’s in a contract year and facing an uncertain future in the NHL is probably a pretty big motivator too. It’s going to be interesting to see what direction the Senators go with Borowiecki. While there would likely be some interest on the trade market it does sound like the Senators are open to the idea of bringing BoroCop back for another year or two.
-After a red-hot month of December that earned him a trip to the NHL All Star Game, Anthony Duclair has cooled off a little bit. Okay, he’s ice cold. It’s been 14 games without a goal for Duclair and watching him over the weekend, it’s pretty clear that he’s gripping the stick right now. The good news is he’s still generating plenty of chances (34 shots on goal in those 14 games) and it really feels like it’s only a matter of time before he breaks out of this slump. If there’s a silver-lining in this recent slide, it’s that it might make that next contract a little more affordable. Duclair is still in line for a pretty significant raise on the $1.65 mil he’s making this season but the way he was playing in December, it looked like he might really cash-in this summer. The Senators definitely have interest in keeping Duclair around but because he’s an RFA, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them use their leverage to get another team-friendly deal.
-It’s been a bit of an up and down year for Craig Anderson. His numbers are pretty underwhelming (7-12-2, 3.19 GAA, .901 sv%) and it appears that he’s mostly lost the starting job to Marcus Hogberg. He’s looked pretty sharp in last couple outings though, including a win over the Buffalo Sabres and an overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He looked damn good on Saturday night actually. While there’s no doubt Hogberg has earned more playing time, it also makes sense to run with Anderson a little bit and see if he can get his game going leading up to the deadline. The Senators are certainly willing to listen to offers on Anderson but he’s unlikely to generate much interest from the bench. Either way, it’s sort of sad to think that Craig Anderson’s time in Ottawa is likely coming to an end.
-Despite the fairly regular attempts by the organization to remind me, I keep forgetting that the Ottawa Senators are about retire another number. On February 18th, Chris Phillips will have his number 4 raised to the rafters at the Canadian Tire Centre. Only Brad Shaw and Sean Hill wore it before him and Chris Phillips will be the last. Suspect there’s going to be a lot of debate about the decision to retire his number over the next couple of weeks but it’s a well-deserved honour for a player that spent his entire career in Ottawa and holds the franchise record for games played. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to jersey retirement so ultimately, it’s up to each individual organization to establish their own criteria. Considering what this franchise has been through over the last couple years, it’s not all that surprising they would place an increased emphasis on things longevity and commitment to the organization.
-The Senators are on the ice for practice this morning and they have been joined by a familiar face. Nick Paul is back as a full-participant which means he’s getting closer to a return to the line up. Nick Paul was enjoying a career-year before that ugly ankle injury slowed him down. Here’s hoping he can pick up where he left off. Like most of the roster, Paul is also looking for a new contract next season.
Here’s how DJ Smith has ’em lined up at practice today.
Tkachuk-Pageau-Brown
Namestnikov-Tierney-Duclair
Ennis-Anisimov-Batherson
Chlapik-White-Sabourin
Chabot-Hainsey
Reilly-Zaitsev
Borowiecki-DeMelo
Wolanin-Goloubef
