Hard work gets noticed, Sabourin inks Sens deal
There’s no place like home for Scott Sabourin.
The unrestricted free agent winger took a chance by accepting a professional tryout to come to training camp with the Ottawa Senators and Friday it paid off after he signed a one-year, two-way deal that will pay him $700,000 in the NHL or $100,000 if he’s sent to the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville.
The 27-year-old Sabourin, who grew up in Orleans and has been staying with his sister in Kanata during camp, has bounced around the American Hockey League for seven years and hasn’t suited up for an NHL game, but given the impact he’s made there’s a good chance he could appear in the club’s season opener Wednesday night in Toronto.
Sabourin will suit up in the club’s final exhibition game against the Montreal Canadiens Saturday night at the Bell Centre.
“Scott has been a welcome surprise to our training camp,” Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion said Friday. “He’s come in and played with a hard, competitive style that has earned him this contract. His physical presence is a nice addition to our depth.”
It made sense for the club to sign Sabourin to a two-way deal. He played for Smith in junior in Oshawa and can hold people accountable if the game gets out of hand. The Senators need a player who isn’t afraid to hold the opposition accountable in the organization and he brings that to the table.
“It’s been good. It’s been an exciting time and I’ve just tried to show up every day and put my work in and see what comes of it. So far, so good,” Sabourin said Friday. “That’s all you can do in this situation.”
Sabourin, who had 72 penalty minutes in 43 games with the AHL’s Stockton Heat last season, felt there was an opportunity here.
“The Sens are in a bit of a rebuild right now and they’ve got a lot of young players and it’s important for them to protect their investments,” Sabourin said. “That’s where I maybe come in handy.”
Smith has liked what he’s seen and he knows the kind of competitor Sabourin can be.
“He’s been really good,” Smith said. “He gets in on the forecheck, he’s hard to play against, he’s better on the wall than I expected and he’s certainly there looking out for our young guys. We’ve got a lot of them and he’s done a really good job of that.
“He’s going to play (again) Saturday and we’ll see how he does, but he’s a guy that’s getting better in practice and adjusting to the NHL pace. He’s got a little more skill than people give him credit for and I feel he can get on the forecheck to create havoc and energy for us.”
THE FINAL STOP OF THE PRE-SEASON
Sixty minutes is all that stands in the way of the Senators and final preparations for the start of the season.
The Senators are ready to turn the page on the exhibition schedule as they face the Habs to close out camp officially.
The Senators returned home Thursday after they were in Vancouver facing the Canucks in a 6-4 loss Monday in Abbotsford and a 6-2 victory at Rogers Arena Wednesday. Ideally, they’d like to get the season going now because after three weeks of preparations the club is ready to start the next chapter.
“We’re all creatures of habit and we like to be in our routines and in training camp that kind of gets thrown off a little bit,” Ottawa alternate captain Mark Borowiecki said after the club’s skate at the Canadian Tire Centre Friday.
Borowiecki has witnessed a noticeable difference since coach D.J. Smith took over.
“I think we work much harder, we hound pucks way better and we’re not giving up on plays nearly as much,” Borowiecki said. “Do we make mistakes? Sure, but you can live with that if guys are working hard and leaving it all out there. Guys are doing that.”
THE LAST WORDS
The Senators will be without winger Rudolfs Balcers against the Habs and he could be out for an extended period with a lower-body injury he suffered Wednesday in Vancouver. Balcers is being sent for further testing and Dorion indicated Smith would update reporters Saturday morning. bgarrioch@postmedia.com