-First off, congratulations to Senators prospect Curtis Lazar on yesterday’s Memorial Cup win. The Legend of Lazar has been building rapidly this past season to the point where an overwhelming number of fans have him penciled into their opening night lineup. Lazar’s triple overtime winner kept the Oil Kings alive and gave them a chance to upset Guelph in the final. Not a bad way for Lazar to in all likelihood, end his Junior career. See ya soon, Curtis.
-As much as I enjoy watching Montreal’s season come to an end, I am ready for the off season to officially begin. The inevitable Rangers vs. Kings/Hawks final will obviously be worth a watch but the real fun starts just a month from today when teams gather for the NHL Entry Draft in Philadelphia. As it sits right now, the Senators do not have a pick in the first round. But with a Spezza deal in the works, there is a good chance Ottawa does end up picking at some point in the opening round in Philadelphia. I’ve barely glanced at the draft eligible class this year but you can start getting up to speed here, here and here.
-We’ve talked about a few of the important RFA names for the Senators this off season but another one to keep an eye on is Eric Gryba. With 90 games of NHL experience under his belt, Gryba has solidified himself as a capable everyday NHLer. He’s coming off a pretty solid 2013/2014 campaign and is certainly one of the team’s six best defenceman. With that said, things are getting pretty crowded on the back end with Mark Borowiecki on a one way deal next season. The team wants to keep Gryba in the mix but making room for everybody will be a challenge. I expect Ottawa to move a defenceman this summer.
-Over on Hockeybuzz, Travis Yost has an article on the dramatically declining production of Colin Greening. It’s worth a look. Greening is coming off a dreadful season and is entering the first year of his three year, $2.65 mil a season deal. With Michalek likely on the way out, the LW (MacArthur, Hoffman…?) is starting to look pretty thin for the Senators so they’ll certainly need more out of Greening next year. Greening was involved in trade rumours at times last year and I believe at one point, the Edmonton Oilers were seriously considering a deal for the Newfoundland native. Wonder if the Oilers revisit that this off season?
-Andy Strikland was on the Fan 960 in Calgary last week and briefly discussed the Spezza to St. Louis rumours. The interview is here but basically Strikland confirms that St. Louis does indeed have interest and also suggests that St. Louis is high on the list of teams Spezza would like to go to. There isn’t technically a list of teams Spezza “would” go to so this has to be information directly from Spezza or someone close to him.
-Dan Boyle’s name has come up as a potential UFA target for the Senators and I fully support this option. With that said, Boyle isn’t going to be taking an sort of hometown discount to play in his hometown and at this stage in his career, is likely looking to play with a contending team. It’s a call Bryan Murray should make when free agency opens in July though.
