We’ll call it a holding pattern of sorts.
While Pierre Dorion and the Ottawa Senators are by no means done this off-season, it does seem like things have calmed down a little. After making a handful of moves to improve the team’s defensive depth at the NHL level and add some pieces to the team in Belleville, things have gone pretty silent.
That certainly doesn’t mean the Sens are done adding though.
The organization has been pretty vocal about their desire to add another centre that can play on the team’s top two lines and to this point anyway, nothing has materialized. You get the sense they might be waiting to see what happens elsewhere first.
Whether it ends up being someone like Adam Henrique, Ryan Strome or Nazem Kadri, it’s clear that the Senators are in no particular hurry. The uncertainty over Jack Eichel’s situation in Buffalo likely has an impact too as both the Anaheim Ducks and New York Rangers have been linked to Eichel. Ottawa made a call there too of course but to this point, it’s more of a comment section pipe-dream.
And so we wait.
While adding that missing piece up front is near the top of Dorion’s list, there are also a few restricted free agents that need new deals. The team has been quietly plugging away on new contracts for Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson but there are others.
And yesterday, we learned that one of those RFAs has filed for salary arbitration. The now 23-year old Victor Mete was one of 17 players to file for arbitration yesterday.
All part of the process, as the old saying goes.
Interestingly enough, it was as far back as May 12th that Friedman reported that the Senators had held meaningful discussions with Mete about a new contract. Obviously those talks hit a bit of a snag.
Mete has 199 games of NHL experience under his belt including all of 14 games in a Senators uniform. Grabbed off of waivers from the Montreal Canadaiens, Mete played a regular role for the Senators down the stretch, averaging just a shade over 17 minutes a night.
He looked good in those minutes too, picking up a couple points and giving Ottawa’s blueline some much needed speed and puck-moving ability. With the additions of Del Zotto and Holden, things are pretty crowded on Ottawa’s blueline but comments from Dorion certainly suggest they still see a role for Mete heading into next season.
Filing for salary arbitration is all part of the process and certainly doesn’t mean the two sides will actually end up at an arbitrator’s table.
Would be shocked if it made it that far.
