Adding White, Harpur to everyday lineup offers fans glimpse of big-picture change
Senators are one of league’s oldest teams but that could change with a few trades
Give it whatever label you want — retool, rebuild, restructure — but the Ottawa Senators’ long-range plan is largely about removing age from the lineup.
They have too much of it. Following Friday ’s transactions, including taking Gabriel Dumont off injured reserve and flip-flopping Colin White and Max McCormick to and from Belleville of the American Hockey League, respectively, the Senators’ average age is 28.0. That makes them the National Hockey League’s fiftholdest team overall.
Whatever general manager Pierre Dorion is up to before the Feb. 26 trade deadline, the longterm aim will be about getting younger, saving money in the process.
The Senators have had only two players 24 years old and under, defencemen Cody Ceci and Thomas Chabot, play in at least half of their games this season.
Compare that to the Columbus Blue Jackets (12), Edmonton Oilers (10), Florida Panthers (nine), Carolina Hurricanes (nine), Colorado Avalanche (nine) and Vancouver Canucks (eight). The Los Angeles Kings are the only other NHL team with as few as two 24-and-under players who have dressed in at least half of their games.
Defenceman Ben Harpur, brought up from Belleville after Dion Phaneuf was traded Tuesday, is the only Senators draft pick from 2013-14 currently in the lineup.
Considering where the league has gone and with the Senators out of playoff contention, 30-yearold centre Derick Brassard and 29-year-old winger/centre Zack Smith are the types of players who could be moved if the return includes quality younger prospects and draft picks.
“I’m one of the older guys, which is hard to imagine (from when I came in),” Smith said. “That’s the trend, with a lot of young players with speed and skill. It seems like the kids coming up are more ready to jump in and more developed.” They’re also generally cheaper. Players under 24, either playing on entry-level contracts or on deals before they qualify for unrestricted agency, are less expensive, balancing out the higher contracts of older, established stars.
Teenagers, and those barely out of their teens, are no longer a rarity. A scan of NHL rosters reveals 39 players under age 21. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and Avalanche have five each.
Traditionally, NHL success was built around a solid, experienced core of veteran players, sprinkling the lineup with a touch of youth.
That was the root of the Senators’ success last spring, with head coach Guy Boucher relying heavily on the been there done that crowd.
Now, Boucher, or whoever is standing behind the Senators bench for the next few seasons, must embrace a dramatic change.
“I made my name picking up young guys and some guys that nobody wanted in junior and midget and the same thing in the (AHL),” Boucher said Thursday, countering critics who believe he doesn’t give younger players fair shakes.
Boucher added, however, that care had to be taken in developing players at the proper pace.
Friday’s decision to send White back to Belleville was about giving him more ice time to develop. If and when Dorion deals a veteran forward, saving cash that could be used to re-sign Mark Stone as a restricted free agent in the summer, White will likely be back.
There is also some promise on the horizon. Nineteen-year-olds Logan Brown and Drake Batherson and 18-year-old Alex Formenton have had strong seasons in major junior hockey. Perhaps they ’re only one, two or three years away from having an impact in the NHL. Filip Chlapik, 20, had a 10-game trial with the Senators after being called up from Belleville.
On defence, 21-year-old Christian Jaros has had an inconsistent, injury-plagued season in Belleville, but still figures into future plans. Christian Wolanin, 22, currently playing with the University of North Dakota, could be a sleeper.
In terms of securing more highend talent, though, Dorion must recoup the high draft picks relinquished in previous trades.
The Senators are without a first-round pick in June, lost to Colorado in the November trade that brought them Matt Duchene. However, they will almost certainly exercise the option to slide their 2019 first-round selection to Colorado in order to have a top selection this year.
The Sens are also without a 2018 second-round selection following the swap that brought Brassard to Ottawa for Mika Zibanejad in 2016.
There is also such a thing as being too young. The Blue Jackets, who have slumped after a quick start to the season, could benefit from adding a veteran or two. Perhaps Brassard, who began his career with that club, could fit the bill.
Maybe, just maybe, the Blue Jackets’ idea of re-tooling or rebuilding or re-structuring is different than the Senators’ approach.
It seems like the kids coming up are more ready to jump in and more developed.