The start of the Rookie Tournament- 53 days away. The preseason opener in St. John’s, Newfoundland- 62 days away. The regular season opener against the Nashville Predators- 79 days away. The home opener against the Colorado Avalanche- 86 days away.
Ladies and gentleman, the NHL off season is officially upon us. Roster moves have slowed down to a crawl and the usually active rumour mill has gone fairly silent. The Ottawa Senators still have Robin Lehner left unsigned but they’ll get that contract done in the not too distant future. So with that in mind, we take a look inside the SensChirp Mail Bag. Turns out it’s pretty quiet in there too.
- Which player do you think will be the MVP at each position? Who will be the most improved at each position?- Joseph
Forward…MVP- Bobby Ryan/Most Improved- Mika Zibanejad. Defence…MVP- Erik Karlsson/Most Improved- Jared Cowen
- Any trade rumours?- Roo
Things have gone completely quiet. It was mentioned at the time that the Senators were trying to hold off on making an announcement about Bryan Murray’s situation until they knew all the major moves were done. They want to give Murray a chance to focus on his health and that’s what he is doing right now. The Senators will continue to have conversations with other teams but right now, the rumour mill is quite silent.
- What are the chances of each rookie making the team?- Ryan
I would say Curtis Lazar is pretty much a lock to get that nine game audition. Other than that, I don’t see a whole lot of room for rookies with all the bodies on the roster right now. I think Matt Puempel, Shane Prince and Fredrik Claesson could all see games in the NHL this season though.
- Do you forsee a time when Eugene Melnyk sells the team?- Marnie
If you had asked me this question in the summer of 2013, I would have said absolutely. The team was in rough shape financially during the 2012/2013 season and the league was keeping a close eye on the situation here in Ottawa. Since then Melnyk has found a new arena partner in Canadian Tire, a new TV deal with TSN and made a series of other moves (selling shares in his other companies, selling his horses, etc.) that seem to have stabilized his situation a little bit. He doesn’t want to sell the team and is doing everything he can to hang on. So I think Melnyk is around for a while. I also think that there are freer spending days ahead, just not sure how far off that is.
- What is the craziest rumour you’ve heard from one of your sources?- Steve
Ryan O’Reilly. His name comes up all the time. At the deadline last year. Throughout the off season, his name has been mentioned. I have no idea what the Avalanche plan to do with O’Reilly but I know the Senators are very interested if they ever decide to move him. I also think 28 other teams would be in the mix. Always seemed like a pretty crazy rumour to me though. Oh, that and Daniel Alfredsson returning to Ottawa to buy the team.
- Where is Alfie? Why haven’t we signed Alfie? Who does Alfie hate us?- Steve
Alfie doesn’t hate you, Steve. He doesn’t hate any of us. Ok, maybe he hates one of us but I think we all know who that is. The last Daniel Alfredsson update suggested that he would wait until August to make a decision on his playing future. The Red Wings seemed to have interest in bringing him back but are in no rush to do so. It’s actually kind of sad to see Alfie left twisting in the wind, waiting for Detroit to make a decision. Until I see Alfredsson sign a contract with another team, I’ll keep thinking it’s possible he could return to Ottawa next season. And people will keep telling me I’m crazy for thinking that it could happen.
- Can you explain the Chris Phillips’ contract to me?- Joel
I can actually. After losing Alfredsson the summer before, the team wanted to keep a lifetime Senator here in Ottawa. At the same time, there were “leadership” issues in the team’s dressing room last year. MacLean was butting heads with a couple guys and at times believed that certain players were not taking their job seriously enough. I think at the same time, the team knew Spezza was possibly on the way out which would mean another veteran player gone. There’s more to a hockey team than what we see on game day. Players like Chris Phillips matter and can be important with so many young guys on the roster. With all that said, Phillips needs to used more like a 6/7 defenceman than a top four guy this season.
All seven of those burning questions have been answered. Any others? Feel free to ask in the comment section below and I’ll do my best to answer them throughout the day.
