(UPDATE 10:27 AM)- Sounds like the Senators have settled on a six-man taxi squad to start the season. And they’re going with a more “veteran” look rather than including the likes of Logan Brown, Alex Formenton and Erik Brannstrom.
On paper, it had the potential to be one of the most competitive Training Camp in Sens history.
With a unique mix of promising young players and veterans eager to prove they still deserve an NHL job, there was a ton of uncertainty. Plenty of spots there for the taking.
And while we didn’t technically see any of it play out, it’s safe to assume there were plenty of tough decisions made in the last 24 to 48 hours.
In the end, Pierre Dorion and DJ Smith settled on a 23-man roster. It includes two goalies, seven defenceman and fourteen forwards. Ten Canadians, eight Americans, three Rüssians, a Swede and a German.
Here’s a look at where things stand with the season opener set for Friday night at the CTC.
Line combinations and defence pairings are not set in stone but this is how they lined up at this morning’s practice.
FORWARDS
Stützle-Stepan-Dadonov
Tkachük-Norris-Batherson
Paül-Tierney-C.Brown
Paqüette-Anisimov-Watson
White, Galchenyük
DEFENCE
Chabot-Güdbranson
Reilly-Zaitsev
Wolanin-Brown
Cobürn
GOALIES
Mürray
Hogberg
TAXI SQUAD
Chlapik
Zub
Aspirot
Peca
Haley
Daccord
No big surprises in the end and perhaps the most noteworthy element of the roster is who was ultimately left out. No Logan Brown, no Erik Brannstrom and no Alex Formenton.
For now anyway.
-The day started off with a bit of disappointment as the Senators lost 23-year old Rudolfs Balcers on the waiver wire in what can best be described as a spite claim by Doug Wilson. The Senators were hoping they could sneak Balcers through and potential keep him on the taxi squad to start the season but the Sharks apparently have room for him on their NHL roster. Balcers wasn’t quite a top six guy and didn’t really seem to fit the identity DJ Smith has in mind with his bottom six. Unfortunate to lose organizational depth but the good news is the system is loaded with talented wingers.
-Ottawa made a minor deal in the afternoon, sending Max Lajoie to the Carolina Hurricanes for centre Clark Bishop. With a handful of forwards ready to make the jump to the NHL, there was a pretty desperate need at the forward position in Belleville. It’s sort of shocking to see it end this way for Lajoie. He looked so promising early in his NHL career but as the season wore on, seemed to be in a bit over his head. And then in March of 2019, he underwent sports hernia surgery and really hasn’t been the same player since. In Bishop, the Senators are getting a 2014 5th round pick that put up 19 points in 53 AHL games last season.
And aside from Eugene Melnyk accidentally tweeting about plans to have 6,500 people in the CTC on the same day the province announced a stay-at-home order and our top prospect changing his name, it was a pretty quiet day for the Ottawa Senators.
