With the draft now just five days away, Sens Bryan Murray spoke with the media and provided a couple interesting bits of information before heading to New Jersey for Draft weekend.
As you’d expect, the Senators remain open to all options on Draft Day. They could stand pat and select at 17, trade up (although it will be tough), or even trade down if a couple of the guys they like remain on the board towards the middle of the opening round. A quick summary of what Murray had to say.
- We’ll start with some good news. As has been mentioned here all along, the club expects Daniel Alfredsson to return for another season. Murray indicated that he’s expecting a decision at some point this week, before the weekend.
- It was mentioned at the year-end media availability, so as expected, forward Milan Michalek has undergone work on his knee in preparation for next season. Apparently Michalek met with a specialist in Germany and will rehab for the next few weeks. Important to note that Michalek did not have surgery but rather something called “injection therapy” that has been tried by a handful of NBA players. The hope is that the team’s highest paid player on the roster can head into next season a little healthier than he has been in the past. Fingers crossed.
- Murray mentioned that there are four players the Sens like at 17th, if they do end up standing pat. Ottawa has had four players to town for interviews. Kerby Rychel and Adam Erne are two names that have been linked to Ottawa before. Have mentioned Horvat and Morin in the past but can’t confirm if they came to Ottawa for workouts.
- Murray has talked to a number of teams but feels like it will be difficult to move up. Says that could change on Draft Day but they’ll have to wait and see.
- With Sergei Gonchar gone to Dallas, there has been some talk about the need for an additional defenceman. During an interview with The Team 1200 this morning, Murray hinted that the spot is Patrick Wiercioch’s to lose and that like last off season, the team is hoping Wiercioch can get stronger this off season.
- The Sens are willing to deal. Murray discussed the team’s significant number of young NHL-ready players and suggested that it makes them an ideal trade target heading into the off season. He also mentioned that they’ll keep a close eye on a few cap teams that may need to move a high priced forward. Additional scoring remains a priority for Murray. Within the budget, of course.
Full audio from today’s media availability including comments from Bryan Murray, Tim Murray and Pierre Dorion is available here.
