The NHL’s off season is beginning to wind down. Most of the free agents have found new homes and teams are beginning to finalize their rosters for the 2014/2015 regular season.
While in the Nation’s Capital, it appears as though there is still one more significant roster change to come.
During his July 1st wrap-up press conference, Sens GM Bryan Murray emphasized that he’s got another deal in the works. And while his comments last week made it sound like a deal was imminent, there still hasn’t been much new on that “mystery trade” Murray and his staff are working on. Murray provided a short comment on the trade after the Legwand signing and confirmed talks are ongoing.
In speaking with people over the last few days, it’s clear the Senators are still working on something but details are certainly hard to come by. Buffalo and Chicago are among the teams that have come up as possible trade partners but that’s mostly speculation at this point. Ottawa has 8 defenceman on the NHL roster and would certainly like to lower that number to seven before the season starts.
With Legwand signed to a contract late last week, the Senators primary target seems to be a winger that can score goals and play with a bit of an “edge”. Assuming Ottawa has set their internal budget at around $56 mil and with a Lehner contract still to come, it seems like a deal would likely be a money in/money out kind of trade.
We’ll see what Murray and his staff come up with in the days to come.
-Senators’ Management has one eye on this potential deal and another on the team’s Development Camp which will wrap up this morning with the 3 on 3 tournament beginning at 9:30 AM this morning. Details on the teams for that tournament are available here. The team’s official website has had some great coverage of the camp. Definitely worth checking out. Have asked people in attendance about who has stood out so far and the first name mentioned is always Mark Stone. He’s clearly a step up on everyone else in camp. As of right now, there appears to be an opportunity for him in the team’s top six this coming season.
-The Five Hole For Food tour makes a stop in Ottawa this Wednesday! For those of you that don’t know, Five Hole for Food is a national, volunteer-driven, non-profit organization with an entrepreneurial approach aimed at raising food and awareness for Canadians across the country. They organize ball hockey tournaments across the country, all in support of local food banks. They’ll be on Sparks street on Wednesday. Read more about that event here.
