SENS HAVE OPTIONS TO FILL HOLES IN LINEUP
Young talent has opportunity to shine with Karlsson, Brassard and MacArthur out
The answers will have to come from within for the Ottawa Senators.
As the clock ticks toward their season opener Oct. 5 against the Washington Capitals at the Canadian Tire Centre, the Senators still have a lot of questions to be answered as the battle for jobs continues in training camp.
While Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion has shown serious interest in Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Duchene, the indications are the two sides aren’t on the same page in trade talks. That means nobody should hold their breath thinking the disgruntled 26-year-old centre will be dealt to the Senators anytime soon.
The Senators will likely start the season without captain Erik Karlsson, who had foot surgery in June, while centre Derick Brassard is iffy after shoulder surgery and winger Clarke MacArthur is unlikely to play after he was unable to pass his physical.
The players who will fill those roles will come from the group pushing for spots in camp.
If you think Ottawa players are waiting for Dorion to swing a deal, think again.
“I don’t know if we’re pursuing trades or what we’re doing, but I think there’s enough in the room that we find (the players to fill those spots),” veteran winger Bobby Ryan said Thursday. “I certainly feel the young guys are a lot further along than anybody was expecting and, in some of the games, they’ve looked really good.
“And the guys who played here last year understand their roles and the opportunities early on to try to fill that void left by (Karlsson) and probably (Brassard) in the early stages. We have it, we’ve just got to execute it.” That is going to be a challenge. “It certainly will be, but I like our group against anybody,” Ryan said. “You can’t replace those three, but I still like our team and our system and everything like that because we find a way to be competitive in every game. If we find a way to be in shooting distance when (Karlsson and Brassard) get back, we’ll be OK.”
Starting with Saturday’s visit by the Montreal Canadiens, the Senators have four pre-season games left to figure out where everybody is going to fit. Judging by the depth chart, forward Max McCormick will start the year with the Senators because he has been in the organization and understands his role.
Chris VandeVelde, here on a pro tryout, has NHL experience, so you have to think he has a good chance to stay. That means prospects Logan Brown, Filip Chlapik and 2017 second-round draft pick Alex Formenton will have to make the most of their chances in the club’s next two exhibition games.
That’s because by the time the Senators face the Winnipeg Jets Wednesday at the MTS Centre and close out the pre-season against the Habs the following Saturday at the Bell Centre, Dorion and Boucher want to have the lineup in place so the focus can be on preparing for the regular season.
“The last two games we’re going to try to play as much with our team as we can,” Boucher said. “Brassard won’t play any (preseason) games, so there’s going to be a spot there for sure so we’re going to have a young guy there and I suspect right now there’s going to be many guys fighting for those one or two spots.”
Boucher said if roster decisions had to be made today, they’d be pretty difficult.
“Right now there’s not one guy ... they all have a legitimate chance of making (the team),” Boucher said.
Ideally, the club would like to make some moves before heading Sunday to Prince Edward Island, where they will face the New Jersey Devils on Monday in Summerside.
“We’re going to keep the guys who are really close to making our team,” Boucher added. “Maybe some guys have done so well we have to keep them and then maybe some guys who might be fading out don’t. I’d love to tell you because then it would accelerate my process and I’d like to tell you right now I know exactly what I want — let’s go and we’ve got our team.
“It’s not a question of giving our guys some ice time, it really is a question of, who are we keeping? It really is that. None of them are closer than any other. They’re all as close and they’re all as far.”
The good news is, the Senators have options.