(UPDATE 3:49 PM)- Tim Murray was on the Team 12 00 and indicated that the Sens have already had a discussion with the camp representing UFA to be Justin Schultz. Murray stressed that the Sens can give him an opportunity to play right now and said he believe Ottawa is one of 3-5 teams with a legitimate shot at landing Schultz.
With the NHL Draft now in the rear view and the organization’s cupboards stocked with a fresh batch of prospects, Bryan Murray and his staff get ready for another busy week.
The Ottawa Senators kick off their annual Development Camp beginning tomorrow at Scotiabank Place and in just six days, the league will kick off a period that has appropriately been dubbed, Free Agent Frenzy.
In addition to the excitement that comes with Development Camp and free agency, you can bet that the rumours surrounding trades will continue to swirl. Bryan Murray was extremely active at the draft and you can expect that to continue in the week or so leading up to free agency and beyond.
Murray has identified a couple organizational needs and seems set on addressing them either through trade or through free agency when the market on July 1.
The Ottawa Senators continue to be mentioned alongside a couple other teams when it comes to Rick Nash. Over the weekend, the Columbus Dispatch reported that Ottawa was not one of the teams Nash would accept a trade to. Can’t help but feel like that story is being misinterpreted a little bit. Just because Ottawa was not on Nash’s initial list, which was submitted last season, does not mean he would rule out a move to the Nation’s Capital.
Obviously the Senators feel like that list could change, or already have some indication that he would be willing to consider the move.
Either way, definitely not ready to rule the Senators out of this just yet.
If Murray does miss out on Nash, who is expected to be dealt sometime after free agency opens, you can expect him to aggressively pursue other options. Hard to classify it as much more than a pipe dream but I do expect the Senators to consider a pitch for the biggest name on the market this offseason- Zach Parise.
Regardless, after an impressive turnaround season with a rebuilding team, it's fairly clear that Bryan Murray is trying to make a splash this offseason.
- The Sens kick off their Development Camp tomorrow at the Sensplex and will be joined by the 15th overall selection in the NHL Draft, Cody Ceci. The organization was thrilled to see Ceci fall to fifteen on Friday night, later admitting that they ranked him in their top five heading into the draft. Former 67’s bench boss Brian Kilrea had some high praise for Ceci saying, “"He'll be one of the top defencemen in the NHL… If you like Drew Doughty, you're gonna love Ceci." The full roster for the Development Camp will be announced later today.
- While the Senators look to address their need for an additional top six forward and another top four defenceman, they also have a couple free agents of their own to look after. Winchester, Konopka, Klinkhammer, Kuba, Carkner, Auld and Gilroy will all become unrestricted free agents as of July 1. Of that group, it’s believed the Sens have shown interest in retaining Winchester and Carkner and perhaps Kuba, but only if he’s receptive to a short term deal at a lower dollar amount.
