After Tim Murray took to the air waves yesterday and declared an interest in defenceman Justin Schultz, fans are a buzz with the possibility of adding a 21 year old impact defenceman to the organization.
Murray explained that the Senators are one of what he believes is 3-5 teams with a real shot at landing the coveted free agent. There are obviously other teams that are going to be pushing hard to land Schultz but it’s a great sign that the Sens feel as though they are in the mix.
Other insiders and experts have listed the teams involved and seem to be overlooking the Ottawa Senators. The Oilers, Canucks, Leafs and Rangers are mentioned as the front runners but obviously the Sens Assistant GM knows something the rest of the so called experts do not.
The Senators are definitely in the running.
The team believes that the combination of available minutes and a chance to play on a team that is close to contending should be a huge draw for Schultz. The former Wisconsin Badger wants a chance to be an impact player and Tim Murray believes he has a chance to be that here in Ottawa.
The Sens also have a reputation for giving NCAA players a chance to play including Jesse Winchester, Bobby Butler and Stephane Da Costa.
While I would by no means call the Sens the favourite in the Justin Schultz sweepstakes, they are definitely at the table. As they have shown throughout this off season so far, Bryan and Tim Murray are committed to making this team better this off season.
- Sens Development Camp kicked off today with medicals and fitness testing this and on-ice workouts this afternoon. Mika Zibanejad is in attendance and indicated that he’s feeling better after suffering a concussion near the end of last season and according to a tweet by Allen Panzeri of the Ottawa Citizen, will play in Bingo if he can’t crack the Sens roster next season. Go here for the full Development Camp Roster.
- Steve Lloyd of the Team 1200 pointed out this morning that according to the team’s Development Camp Guide, goalie Robin Lehner has gone from 6’3/220lbs to 6’4/241lbs. That is one huge Swedish goalie.
- As mentioned on this blog yesterday, the Senators have shown an interest in retaining Jesse Winchester and Matt Carkner but have yet to reach out to UFA to be Zenon Konopka. Certainly sounds like Konopka will be headed elsewhere this off season.
- Meanwhile, Andy Strickland reports that the Sens have already begun talks to extend Chris Neil. Neil has one year left on his deal, paying him $2 million a season.
- Big loss for the Binghamton Senators was announced this morning as centre Corey Locke has signed an agreement to play in Finland next season. Locke was an impact player for the BSens and his contributions will be sorely missed. Locke played a huge part in Binghamton’s Calder Cup Run.
