Varone odd man out of Senators’ lineup

The Ottawa Senators lightened their load before heading to Western Canada.

Winger Phil Varone, who has suited up for only his third game in Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at home, was put on waivers Sunday and if he clears he’ll be sent to the club’s AHL affiliate in Binghamton today at noon.

Varone didn’t accompany the Senators when they left Sunday afternoon for Vancouver. The club is scheduled to practice today at 2 p.m. and there’s no word if the decision to send Varone down means they’ll call up forward Curtis Lazar, who missed most of camp because of a bout with mono.

Varone, who was brought to the Ottawa organization in a trade with Buffalo last season, played only seven minutes Saturday. The Senators don’t have any extra forwards but winger Matt Puempel was a healthy scratch Saturday.

Senators GM Pierre Dorion went to see Lazar play Friday in Albany and assistant Randy Lee was at the club’s home opener last weekend, so the organization has a good read on where Lazar is at.

The club also has the option of dressing seven defencemen.

At some point, the Senators are going to have make a decision on what to do with defenceman Thomas Chabot. He was a healthy scratch for the fourth time in five games Saturday and the 19-yearold has junior eligibility left, so he has to return to the QMJHL’s St. John Sea Dogs if he’s not kept here.

Coach Guy Boucher said it’s a situation he’s analyzing with Dorion and Lee. “He’s kind of stuck in between because the other guys are doing well,” Boucher said. “If we’ve had guys who were not doing well ... or he was clearly above some guys, he probably would have had more games and more ice time.

“We can’t make people pay when they’re doing well just because you want to give some kid some ice time. It’s about winning. The players on the ice are doing well so he’s got to wait his turn. If he has to wait his turn too much then we’ve got a decision to make.”

There are benefits to Chabot being in Ottawa. “Here he would learn the man’s game. In junior, he would get the ice time. Two things that he needs so that’s what we have to manage and evaluate in the next days,” Boucher said.