Gaborik ‘surprised’ to be part of Phaneuf deal
Marian Gaborik is hoping for a fresh start.
The 36-year-old Gaborik made his debut with the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabres at Canadian Tire Centre with centre Nick Shore. Both were dealt here from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for defenceman Dion Phaneuf and centre Nate Thompson.
Gaborik, who had suited up for only 30 games with the Kings this season, has no other choice at this point.
“I was surprised. That’s the way it goes. It’s a business,” said Gaborik, who scored in his Senators debut against the Sabres on Thursday night. “I had four unbelievable years with L.A., including winning the Cup (in 2014), and I have nothing but good things to say about the organization, group and the guys.
“Now, this is a new chapter. I’m looking forward to it and looking forward to the challenges with new teammates, new organization and new city.”
The reality is Gaborik has gone from a playoff contender to a team that has only one hope left: to get a higher pick in the NHL draft in June.
“Every player wants to compete in the playoffs and play for the Cup,” Gaborik said. “L.A. is in a pretty good position compared to Ottawa, but there’s 27 games left and we’ve just got to play game by game. You never know what can happen.
“We just have to create good habits here and make sure the team gets back on track. It’s important to play every game and compete.”
Gaborik, who carries a cap hit of US$4.875 million left on a deal that runs through the 2020-21 campaign, was dealt here largely because the Kings wanted to bulk up by getting Phaneuf on the blue-line, but also because they wanted to get the Slovak forward’s salary off the books.
He faces an uncertain future here, but Gaborik does have good memories of Ottawa — he was the MVP for the Eastern Conference during the 2012 NHL AllStar Game played at Canadian Tire Centre.
The Senators could opt to buy him out this summer at twothirds of what’s left on his deal. That would amount to about $7.2 million in real cash and about a $1.2-million cap hit over six years according to capfriendly.com.
Nothing should be ruled out at this point, but Gaborik was used in a top-line role against the Sabres with Matt Duchene and Mike Hoffman. While Gaborik isn’t the player he used to be, he entered Thursday’s game with 403 goals and 808 points in 1,019 career NHL games, so it’s best to see what he can do with offensive players.
Gaborik has no idea what might happen.
“I just came in this morning for the pre-game and we talked about the system a little bit,” Gaborik said. “I know who I’m playing with and that’s about it. It’s still early. I’ve to get settled down a little bit and then we’ll go from there.
“I didn’t expect it. It was a shock for sure. After the Carolina game (Tuesday), we got pulled into the coaches’ office and we found out. We know the business part of this is never fun, but it’s a business and we all know what we’re getting into. Life goes on. We’re professionals.”
He did get encouraging words from close friends Marian Hossa (Chicago) and Zdeno Chara (Boston), who both spent time here during their careers after the trio grew up together in Trencin, Slovakia.
“I talked with Hossa and texted with Chara. They told me they really enjoyed their time here,” Gaborik said. “I’ve heard only good things about this city and this environment. I’m looking forward to that.”
TRADE TALK
The clock is ticking toward the NHL trade deadline and there’s no shortage of interest in Ottawa players.
With the Senators and Sabres both preparing to make changes before dealing is done on Feb. 26, there were 10 scouts from nine teams represented at Thursday’s game.
It was interesting to see the St. Louis Blues and Vegas Golden Knights on the list because both have shown interest in Senators players.
It’s believed the Blues have shown significant interest in Hoffman, while the Knights have held talks with the Senators about forward Zack Smith.
The talk among league executives is the Blues are willing to offer a first-round pick and a top prospect in exchange for Hoffman, while if Smith is dealt, he’d likely fetch a second-round pick and a player.
With Hoffman enjoying success on a line with Duchene, the possibility of him getting dealt is becoming less likely. The indications are the Blues have also held talks with the Montreal Canadiens about Max Pacioretty and have kicked tires on Buffalo’s Evander Kane.
The word among league executives is the Sabres want three elements for Kane — including a first-round pick.
THE LAST WORDS
There was a little bit of angst in Ottawa when captain Erik Karlsson was on the ice for the morning skate briefly and then left with an undisclosed ailment. Coach Guy Boucher called it a “maintenance day” and Karlsson was in the lineup against the Sabres ... There’s only four active players with 400 goals and 400 assists in their career, including Gaborik. The others are Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, Washington’s Alex Ovechkin and Toronto’s Patrick Marleau ... The Tampa Bay Lightning sent out notice recently they’re interested in moving one of their top-nine forwards. There was no name mentioned, so speculate away
... On Thursday night, Gaborik became the seventh player in Senators history to wear No. 12. Of course, the last was centre Mike Fisher before he was traded in 2011, while the others were David Oliver, Pat Falloon, Dave Archibald, Graeme Townshend and Neil Brady. The latter scored the first goal in club history on Oct. 8, 1992, against the Habs.