The Draft is now less than three weeks away and there’s plenty of talk surrounding the Ottawa Senators.
With their desire to trade a goalie well known at this point, the Senators are likely to be one of the most popular teams on Draft weekend. Bryan Murray’s phone has already been ringing and it’s going to keep ringing right up until June 26th. The Sens select 18th in the first round and also have a couple 2nd round picks to play with. Should be an interesting weekend for the organization.
And as we do our best to kill time until then, I thought it would be a good time to open up the ol’ SensChirp Mail Bag. It’s mostly filled with requests for another Duck Hunt (soon 🙂 ) but there were also some interesting questions in there about the off season. Thanks to everyone that took the time to send in a question. I wasn’t able to get to all of them this time around but I will hang on to the ones I missed for a future mail bag.
Here goes nothin’!
- Do we know anything about the strength of the offers being tabled right now? Like has one team really made a press or are they all low ball offers?
Last week it sounded like the Senators were mostly gathering initial offers. Murray said as much to the media, stating that he expects to get every team’s best offer in the next couple weeks. The thing about this goalie trade is I really don’t think it’s going to be as simple as, “what do you want for Lehner or Anderson?” The Senators are willing to add a piece or two if it means getting back what they need in the deal, which in the eyes of management, is a legitimate top six forward. Whether or not they can get that remains to be seen. At one point I heard the San Jose Sharks were the most interested. Last week there was more chatter about the Calgary Flames. And we know the Sabres and Oilers will be involved.
- How close are the Sens to their contract limit of 50? How long do they have to get Tobias Lindberg signed before he becomes a UFA?
Good question on the contract limit. I have been using this new site, General Fanager, as a resource lately and according to my count, the Senators have 34 guys under contract. They have another ten guys that are restricted free agents and 8 guys scheduled to be unrestricted free agents. Obviously it will depend on what they do with some of those free agents because clearly there isn’t room for everyone. The Senators made an offer to Tobias Lindberg and listening to Murray discuss it the other day, they seem confident they’ll be able to get him signed. Regarding timelines about how long the Senators have to get him signed, there seems to be some debate. Looking at the CBA, it does indicate that with players drafted from outside North America, section 8.6 (d) states that teams “shall retain the exclusive right of negotiation for his services through and including the fourth June 1 following his selection in the Entry Draft”. A CBA expert can tell me otherwise but I think that shows that the Senators still have some time to get that deal done.
- Which players do the Sens seem to have interest in for the draft?
When it comes to Draft Day, I always think of two key words from a Senators’ perspective- Character and local. Always seem to be two important elements the organization considers when selecting a prospect. This year is unique though because I think they also recognize the need to add a little bit of skill into the organization. There’s an obvious need for talented defenceman in the system but they’ll be using that “best player available” approach. Although as Dorion mentioned on TSN1200, you can rule out the Senators selecting a goalie. At least in the early rounds. When it comes to specific names, I haven’t heard much. Travis Konecny is an obvious option with his ties to the area although there are apparently some concerns about his ability to stay healthy. Oliver Kylington is a name that comes up a lot. He’s probably going to be on the board at 18 but his stock is falling lately so 18 may be a little high to take a chance on another talented Swedish defenceman. A long-winded way of saying, I’m not really sure what they’ll do at 18. And when you consider the fact that they also have a couple 2nd round picks and are rumoured to be looking to add another if they can, it really could be an exciting and somewhat unpredictable Draft weekend for the Senators.
- Is there any hope of trading Legwand? What teams would potentially be interested?
We talked about this a little bit last week but yes, I do think there’s a chance Legwand could be traded. The fact that he’s in the final year of his deal makes him at least worth looking at. Primarily, he seems like an option for a cap floor team looking for a little bit of a veteran presence. Legwand was well-liked here in Ottawa and has been a respected player everywhere he has played. The Arizona Coyotes seem like a good fit here and I’ve heard rumours they might be interested. Murray has also talked about the possibility of adding a bad contract in with the goalie deal and Legwand would fit the bill there. We shall see.
- With Murray stating this year will be his last year as General Manager, who do you see as his replacement? And when do you expect Daniel Alfredsson to join the management team?
I really feel like Pierre Dorion is being groomed for the role. The Senators have been big on the internal promotions lately and I expect that’s the direction they’ll go again once Bryan Murray decides it’s time to transition into a more senior role with the organization. This has been reported in the past but Bryan Murray is expected to have a huge say in naming his replacement, when the time comes. As far as Daniel Alfredsson goes, it’s only a matter of time. I had heard last season that it could happen as early as this off season but it sounds like Alfie is taking his time. There’s a job waiting for him whenever he’s ready though.
- Which defenceman do you think will be traded since we can’t carry 8 again next year?
Every year the Senators say they don’t want to carry eight defenceman again and then every year they do it anyway. Ok, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration but generally speaking, they seem to be fine with carrying eight if they have to. Karlsson, Methot, Wiercioch, Ceci, Borowiecki, Gryba, Cowen and Phillips are all under contract for next year. Not much coming down the pipe but it would be nice to have room for a guy like Chris Wideman (if he sticks around) and Freddy Claesson, who the organization is extremely high on. I could see Wiercioch or Cowen being dealt. I could see Phillips starting the season on the LTIR. And I could see a guy like Gryba moved for a pick to open up a spot. Murray has a few options. But again, as we’ve seen in years past, they will carry eight if they have to.
- What do you believe a realistic return on Lehner or Anderson would be?
This is a really good question and one I think Senators Management is asking themselves right now. The goalie market is always pretty unpredictable but I can tell you it’s pretty rare to see a team pay a huge price for a goalie. The Senators are hoping that by making a young top prospect like Robin Lehner available, maybe the return is a little higher than usual. Right now, Ottawa has set the bar at a young prospect with top six potential or a legitimate top six forward as the return in a deal involving one of their goalies. And as Murray stated, he may be willing to add a piece to make that happen.
