Just when you think you have one part of “The Plan” figured out, those pesky Insiders throw you for a loop.
With the NHL Trade Deadline now less than a month away, everyone is well aware of Ottawa’s situation. Two of their best players, Mark Stone and Matt Duchene, are approaching unrestricted free agency. And while the Senators are frantically trying to get a deal with one or both of those guys, the clock is ticking.
That seemingly leaves poor Ryan Dzingel, the team’s other UFA-to-be, out in the cold.
A 20 goal scorer this year and the team’s goal leader last year, it seemed sort of inevitable that Dzingel would be on his way out. With so much money being thrown at Stone and Duchene, it sort of made sense that the team explore trade options with Dzingel. And it sounded like there was already a decent amount of interest in his services.
Not so fast, says Darren Dreger.
Dreger was on TSN 1200 yesterday afternoon (you can listen to the segment here) and suggested that there may have been a recent shift in the organization’s stance on Dzingel. And that they may actually try to get something done with Dzingel before the deadline.
A few things…
When someone says they are hearing there may have been an organizational shift, that almost certainly comes from Pierre Dorion himself. I mean, there isn’t really anyone else there. Second, the timing is a little concerning and sort of suggests that maybe the Senators are looking at “Plan B”. As in, what do we do if we can’t get something done with Duchene AND Stone. Third, it’s probably a good idea to at least find out what an extension would like with Dzingel. Something shorter in term with an average in the $4.5 million dollar range might be worth considering.
He has been an important player for this team over the last couple seasons especially and at 26 years of age, he’s smack dab in the middle of his prime. He skates well so the drop off shouldn’t be as dramatic as he ages and he seems like one hell of a good guy. On top of all that, he would certainly be more affordable than the other two.
Will be interesting to see how this one evolves over the next week or so.
If that wasn’t enough, Dreger also mentioned yesterday that the Jake Muzzin return may be enough to entice the Senators to look at dealing Cody Ceci at the deadline.
For what it’s worth, I continue to hear that the Senators are very much open to a trade involving Ceci.
-Today is Bell Let’s Talk Day which means social media will be buzzing with the #BellLetsTalk hashtag. It’s an important day that helps with a few things including breaking down the stigma associated with mental illness, encouraging conversations about mental health (for a day anyway) and just as importantly, raising important funds for mental health programs in this country. We have a little tradition here on SensChirp where we put the powers of the comment section to good use. Every comment posted on this article adds 5 cents to a donation I’ll be making to the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health. Avoid spamming though because the Disqus comment section often deletes those automatically.
-For those that missed it last week, our good friend Robertson Davies’ Beard dropped by with a fun little contest and it’s time to decide the winner. RDB has selected the following six nicknames and it’s up to you to decide the best one. Have at it, folks!
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