Since the July 15th trade of Roby Jarventie to the Edmonton Oilers for Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson and the extension of Mads Sogaard for two years, Senators General Manager Steve Staios has been silent.
This is not to suggest that Staios has chosen to stand pat this summer, given that he’s overhauled the goaltending, added some veterans, and changed up the bottom half of the roster from last season.
With a minimum of eight new faces guaranteed on the opening night roster and only four of the new names known for certain, it would appear, barring any last-minute activity via free agency or professional tryout, Staios is going to let the kids sort this out amongst themselves at training camp.
Here’s a best guess at the roster right now:
Forwards
Brady Tkachuk-Tim Stutzle-Claude Giroux
David Perron-Josh Norris-Drake Batherson
Ridly Greig-Shane Pinto-Michael Amadio
Noah Gregor-Open-Open
Defence
Thomas Chabot-Artem Zub
Jake Sanderson-Nick Jensen
Open-JBD/Travis Hamonic
Goaltending
Linus Ullmark
Anton Forsberg
It feels almost refreshing to say this, but the Senators crease feels like the most stable part of the roster heading into this season. Though both Linus Ullmark and Anton Forsberg are both going into the last years of their respective deals, as far as this season is concerned, it seems clear who will start the season and what the backup plan is.
On a priority basis, here is what needs to be resolved at each position between the start of camp and opening night against the Florida Panthers.
Fourth Line Center
There is more than just the fourth line center position to settle at training camp.
Josh Norris’ status needs to be crystal clear, and you’ll forgive Senators fans for not assuming that all is as rosy as sources are saying.
If he is fine, things get a whole lot simpler. But if he isn’t, at least there is a visible back-up plan. Ridly Greig is a center turned winger. Returning forward Michael Amadio has played center in the league and can backfill the third line position if Shane Pinto has to slide up the ladder. Or he can man the fourth line centre ice position in the event of injury.
The fourth line center position appears to be up for grabs between Adam Gaudette, Angus Crookshank, Zack Ostapchuk, and Stephen Halliday.
Newly acquired Xavier Bourgault could make some waves with a good camp. But he was drafted in the first round to be a scorer, not a fourth liner. And he’s coming off a down year while his competition all had stellar seasons.
Gaudette looks to have an inside track after leading the AHL in goals and having his best NHL years under Travis Green in Vancouver. Crookshank is the older and more developed prospect. He is also the one with some NHL game experience and seems more suited to a fourth line role.
Fourth Line Right Wing
It may seem presumptuous to assume that Zack MacEwen isn’t in the top twelve forwards given his one-way contract status. He spent a portion of last season in the AHL, so he is going to have to earn his way into Green’s good graces.
The runner up in the center ice battle mentioned above might simply be pushed to the wing.
The time may be now for a prospect like Ostapchuk. Last season started slowly, but he quickly caught up to the point that he was given seven game audition in Ottawa. Though he is a left shot, he has the size and grit to play a bottom six role. It really becomes a case of whether the organization views him as a top nine forward and wants to continue to groom him as such.
Crookshank could fill this void with a good camp, as his role with the parent club will likely never exceed that of a fourth liner and there is not a lot more for him to do in the AHL.
That said, unless a PTO is brought in at the 11th hour, there is not a ton of viable competition at this position.
Bottom Pairing Left Defence
Given that he is a left shot, the assumption has been, since the end of last season, that Tyler Kleven is being groomed for the bottom pair opening. It could be as simple as that. However, he still must show he can do it at the NHL level, and he is waiver-exempt. Erik Brannstrom was his one main obstacle and that has been removed.
If Kleven proves himself at camp, problem solved. If injury or underperformance sets him back, there doesn’t seem to be a viable plan B. Anyone on a PTO can be signed by any team at any time. Perhaps the Senators will be watching other training camps for options while giving their own prospects the reps.
Failing that, it’s in the hands of the 31st ranked prospect pool to fill out the roster holes for opening night.
