Ottawa Senators’ Assistant General Manager was on TSN1200 this morning and had a few interesting things to say on a number of topics.
The full interview is available here but some quick thoughts on three of the “hot button” topics covered.
Negotiations with Bobby Ryan and Marc Methot
The question everybody was waiting for and as he has throughout the process, Pierre Dorion handled it like a pro. “These things take time” was the central theme in his response but perhaps more importantly, Dorion still sounded confident they find a way to get something done with both of them. I really do think the Senators wanted to get these contracts in place before the start of the season but that doesn’t mean they need to get worked over in the negotiations. I wasn’t crazy about the quote from Bobby Ryan the other day but Dorion’s answer helped calm things a little bit. There’s some posturing on both sides here but that’s the way these things work. What is most important is the clear message being sent by Management that they want to keep these guys in the fold.
Methot camp is seeking 6 years at $5.5M. Sens are balking.
— Wayne Scanlan (@HockeyScanner) September 10, 2014
A trade for a top 9 forward This is the second time Dorion has addressed this question on the radio and his answer sounded pretty similar to the last time around. The team is always looking for ways to improve the hockey club but they are more than content with the lineup they have right now. I always sort of felt the idea of adding a top 9 didn’t make a whole lot of sense unless they were able to move a couple bodies out. Dumping contracts on teams is next to impossible this time of year. I really don’t think there’s any trade for a top 9 forward coming.
The Next Captain Dorion mentioned that this is a decision that will largely be made by Bryan Murray and Paul MacLean but that all of the staff met yesterday and discussed options for the next captain. At this point the plan is to wait until at least the end of camp to make a decision. When pressed on the issue, Dorion seemed to suggest that there was no guarantee there would be a new captain this season. The idea of rolling three alternate captains is an interesting one but I think my preference is to name someone. Erik Karlsson and Chris Phillips are the lead candidates right now. And maybe the best quote from the interview…
“Undeniably, I feel we’re a playoff team,” Pierre Dorion on @TSN1200. — SensChirp (@SensChirp) September 10, 2014
