Senators better than a few weeks ago
Deadline additions should give team shot to make playoffs and possibly even advance
Mission accomplished for the Ottawa Senators.
Pierre Dorion’s first trade deadline as an NHL general manager was, by many accounts, a success. With a playoff berth within reach, he decided to send a message to the Senators that he believes in what they’ve done so far this season and is hopeful they can go even further.
Armed with the go-ahead from owner Eugene Melnyk to do “whatever it takes” to get the Senators to the post-season, Dorion was one of the NHL’s most aggressive buyers, making four deals in the last two months to help change the look of the team for the final six weeks.
First, he brought in Tommy Wingels from the San Jose Sharks in January. Then, in the last 72 hours, Dorion dealt for wingers Alex Burrows from the Vancouver Canucks and Viktor Stalberg from the Carolina Hurricanes before making one final move Wednesday.
Just moments before the clock struck 3 p.m. EST, Dorion sent disgruntled 22-year-old winger Curtis Lazar to the Calgary Flames with minor-league blueliner Michael Kostka in exchange for a second-round pick in 2017 and defenceman Jyrkki Jokipakka.
With the exception of the Lazar deal, all these trades were made by adding without subtracting from the current roster. You could even argue Lazar, who had only one assist in 33 games this season, wasn’t a regular player for the Senators because he wasn’t being used much by coach Guy Boucher.
The Senators didn’t go into this deadline wanting to make wholesale changes and Dorion didn’t. He wanted to show his team that he believed it could make the playoffs and, with a little help from the management, the Senators may even go further than the first round if they qualify this spring.
“I feel we’re a better hockey team than we were a few weeks ago,” Dorion told reporters at Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday. “Our first goal is to make the playoffs. We’ll see what happens after, but I think we’ve addressed a lot of our needs.”
Getting Burrows from the Canucks in exchange for prospect Jonathan Dahlen was the biggest move the Senators made this week. The 35-year-old was signed to a two-year extension and it looks like he’ll make his debut on the club’s top line Thursday night at home against the Colorado Avalanche.
Stalberg, a pure rental, will help the Senators on the third or fourth line and will be there to kill penalties, while Jokipakka is a capable replacement with Fred Claesson if Ottawa has injuries on defence down the stretch. None of this was change for the sake of making change by Dorion; it was all planned and calculated.
Boucher has been looking for more depth and if anybody didn’t know that, all you have to do is look at the fact the Senators have been playing only 10 forwards most nights this season.
Make no mistake, the work Dorion did in the last few days was the result of being aggressive in the marketplace all season. He’s been on his phone for months trying to figure out who was going to be available this week and there have been many frustrating days trying to make a trade all season.
Even before the Senators faced the Florida Panthers on Sunday night in Fort Lauderdale, Dorion wasn’t optimistic he was going to be able to close any deals. He wanted to make sure he didn’t overpay for anybody and, if Lazar was going to be moved, Dorion wanted good return.
None of these moves were blockbusters. In fact, they’re far from it. But getting Burrows and Stalberg playing regularly should make an impact. The Senators also signed free agent Chris DiDomenico out of Europe and if he has the trust of Boucher on the fourth line, then he’ll be just fine.
The Senators could have stood still at the deadline and they would have been just fine. However, there has been inconsistency lately, as witnessed in the club’s 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. Injuries haven’t helped and they certainly played a role in the decisions made by Dorion this week.
People have been yelling and screaming about the price the Senators paid to get Burrows, even though many have never seen Dahlen play and are buying into what they’ve read on the Internet to make a determination on a 19-year-old who might never play an NHL game.
Dorion went into the deadline with a goal of trying to make his team better going into the post-season. It’s fair to say the Senators are better, but nobody will know for sure until they face the Avalanche on Thursday — and beyond.
It’s up to Boucher and the players to get the job done now.