Training Camp is a myth.
Okay that’s definitely not true. Today at the Canadian Tire Centre in beautiful Kanata, Ontario, the Ottawa Senators will definitely begin something called Training Camp.
There will be hockey players, sticks and pucks. What it won’t have is legitimate competition for jobs.
Again, maybe a slight exaggeration. There are a couple spots that appear in flux to an outsider and there’s definitely some uncertainty in the depth chart but for the most part, we know what the team will look like in a few weeks from now in equally beautiful Buffalo, New York.
Training Camp begins at the CTC today.
What makes this year unique, at least compared to the last few years is the roster is mostly set. Even with a quick glance at the three groups, you can basically put together something pretty close to the Opening Night lineup.
Tkachuk-Norris-Batherson
DeBrincat-Stützle-Giroux
Motte-Pinto-Joseph
Kelly-Gambrell-Watson
Kastelic
Chabot-Zub
Sanderson-Hamonic
Brannstrom-Holden
Zaitsev, Bernard-Docker, Thomson
And that’s a good thing. It means that Pierre Dorion has added NHL quality pieces and in the process, bumped everyone down the depth chart a spot or two. A good starting point for a team that wants to be playing meaningful games down the stretch.
Maybe not great news for the so called “bubble guys” though. Unlike past years, it’s very unlikely that someone comes out of nowhere to steal a roster spot. For example, not even a Brandon Bochenski-like performance is going to get Egor Sokolov on the team. And even if Maxence Guenette starts slinging first passes that would make Wade Redden blush, he’s not stealing a spot. Guys like that will still battle for spots on the depth chart but something has gone terribly wrong if a player like that forces their way into the lineup.
That’s just the reality of this year’s Camp. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t stories to watch over the next couple weeks.
What will you be keeping an eye on through Camp and preseason? Also, when is Jakob Chychrun getting here?
