Heading into those three games on the road in Dallas, Colorado and Arizona, the Ottawa Senators would have been more than content with four of a possible six points.
How they got those four points may have been less than ideal but that’s sort of the way this curious start to the season has gone for the Sens. They were outplayed most of the game in Dallas but won. In Colorado, they dominated for the first two periods and then barely held on for the win in the third period. And then in the final stop on the trip they played probably their best game of the month, and lost.
That’s hockey, sometimes.
In all, the Senators will be pleased with how the three games went and in general, have to be thrilled with the month of November. They remain second in the Atlantic Division, with Detroit, Boston and Tampa Bay all not far behind. And as we get set for another week of Senators hockey, a quick round-up of news and notes surrounding the team the last little while.
-Patrick Wiercioch was taken off the injured reserve list and now is officially ready to return to the line up. He was sat out on Saturday in Arizona but should make his return during the upcoming home stand. Cameron will have a pretty interesting choice to make this time around. Wiercioch plays the left side which means one of Jared Cowen or Mark Borowiecki would have to come out. Based on recent performance I would suggest it’s time for Borowiecki to take a seat but we’ll see what the Coach has in mind. Tough to take Chris Wideman out again though, that’s for sure.
-Chris Wideman has very quickly become a regular in the Senators line up. In a recent interview, Bryan Murray even went so far as to suggest that Wideman has been one of the team’s better defenceman when given the opportunity. You can see Dave Cameron’s trust in him growing to as at times in the third period against Arizona, Wideman was out there with Erik Karlsson in an attempt to generate a little more offence.
-Yesterday, the Senators announced they’ve returned defenceman Mike Kostka to Binghamton of the American Hockey League to make room for Patrick Wiercioch on the NHL roster. Kostka didn’t get into a game in his call up but did get a free road trip and perhaps more importantly, missed that six shot debacle in Binghamton the other night. The defence down there is pretty thin right now so they’ll be happy to have Kostka back. That team in Binghamton needs some serious help and unfortunately, I don’t know that it’s coming any time soon. They currently sit last in their division with a 5-12-2 record.
-For all the talk about the Senators need to add a defenceman, they have apparently also been testing the market a little bit in an attempt to move one. Patrick Wiercioch’s name came up at the deadline last year with the team coming dangerously close to dealing him to the Avalanche (in return for a package that included Stefan Elliot and a draft pick) but rumour has it the Sens have been quietly shopping him again this year. No interest to this point and I suspect his recent concussion won’t help things. I think Management recognizes that if they want to add a defenceman to the roster, they would probably need to move one first.
-It was interesting to hear Colin Greening’s name pop up in the rumour mill again last week. It probably had a lot to do with his call-up reminding people he existed but I also think Bryan Murray was once again trying to get creative in an attempt to move Greening. The Senators would obviously love to get that contract off the books and according to the most recent rumour, would be willing to add in a prospect to get it done. No specific information on that just yet but I suspect they may have some interest if they decide to go that route.
-Other than the casual search for a defenceman and the active efforts to move Greening’s contract, things seem pretty quiet for the Senators on the trade front right now. And actually, it’s like that around most of the league. Ottawa’s situation remains money in/money out which can make it especially tricky to make a trade these days. I think Murray and Dorion will continue their search for a defenceman but they don’t seem to be any particular hurry on that front.
-Mike Hoffman is putting together an incredible season. He has four goals in his last three games and six in the last six. Considering the start to the season, both Hoffman and his agent have to be seeing dollar signs already. I’ve seen Sens Management take some heat for not going long term with Hoffman this summer but I do think that decision was at least partly influenced by budgetary restrictions. They knew they could get Hoffman for a little bit cheaper this off-season by going to arbitration and they were willing to risk the long term pain to do it. Hoffman is still an RFA at the end of this season but he’s going to pull in $4-$5 mil on that next contract if he keeps up this pace.
-No updates recently on the injury front for the Senators. Clarke MacArthur is obviously the most concerning of the bunch and certainly the player the Senators miss the most. MacArthur has apparently had a couple light workouts but still remains without a timeline for his return. The Senators are being extra careful with this injury and rightfully so considering how things have gone for MacArthur recently. MacArthur is coming up on a month and a half since his last game.
-And lastly, congratulations to the Ottawa RedBlacks on a tremendous season. They ended coming up painfully short in the Grey Cup last night but that team has nothing to hang their heads about. They gave the Eskimos everything they could handle and if not for a couple fourth quarter pass interference calls, would have come away with the win. It was a hell of a ride for the RedBlacks though and one this city won’t soon forget.
