Gudbranson comes home to Ottawa in Ducks deal
The Ottawa Senators are bringing Erik Gudbranson home.
With NHL free agency set to get underway Friday, general manager Pierre Dorion took care of one need by acquiring the veteran defenceman from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a fifthround pick in 2021.
Selected No. 3 overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2010 NHL Draft, Gudbranson spent last season with the Ducks and he'll be a good fit in Ottawa's top four. The native of Orléans will bring experience and leadership to the back end, which is why he'll be a strong addition.
Gudbranson carries a US$4million cap hit but will make a salary of $3 million.
“Erik Gudbranson provides another sizable presence to our defence corps,” said Dorion. “He's a reliable veteran who plays an intimidating style of game and someone who will add a combination of grit, energy and, most importantly, leadership to our lineup.”
Gudbranson will be a good fit here with Mark Borowiecki headed to unrestricted free agency when the market opens. He started his career in Florida but also made stops in Vancouver, Pittsburgh and Anaheim.
AND, ON TO FREE AGENCY
The NHL's free agent frenzy is normally reserved for Canada Day.
But there's been little normal about 2020 and so, as a result, the signing season will open Friday at noon just before Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving.
Dorion, assistant GM Peter MacTavish, coach D.J. Smith and the club's staff will gather at Canadian Tire Centre to shop the market. Nobody is sure what the landscape of free agency is going to look like when it begins.
As a result of the spread of the novel coronavirus around the world, the NHL — like all professional sports — is facing huge financial challenges and that will impact the market. Players looking for term and huge money could be in for a rude awakening.
The league has already stated it hopes to start on Jan. 1 but commissioner Gary Bettman has that date written in pencil and there's no guarantee it will happen. Still, teams have to go about their business and Dorion will be among those shopping around when the market opens.
Speaking with reporters Monday, Dorion indicated the Senators will see if there's any fits for the organization.
The Senators could use help in the middle and some toughness up front depending on how they intend to use some of the top prospects in the organization.
“If we can add some quality pieces that can help with this rebuild it's something we'll definitely look at,” Dorion said.
“I don't think we'll be big spenders. We want to give an internal chance to some of our young players who were on a first-place (AHL) team in Belleville with lots of scoring and good young players that deserve to make our team next year.”
When Dorion speaks about internal opportunities, he's talking about the likes of young forwards Josh Norris, Drake Batherson, Alex Formenton, Logan Brown and Vitaly Abramov. On the back end, defencemen Erik Brannstrom and Christian Wolanin should be ready to make the next step.
WAIT AND SEE
It will be interesting to see what happens with winger Anthony Duclair when he enters the market Friday.
The Senators decided not to put a qualifying offer on the table because Duclair has rights to arbitration and the risk is there for the club to lose control of the situation.
Duclair made US$1.65 million last season and it's not known what term or money the Senators put on the table. However, the belief is the offer was a serious attempt to keep him in the fold.
He had 23 goals and 40 points in 66 games last season so he likely would have scored well in arbitration.
However, in most cases players who file for arbitration never get there because the two sides work out a deal beforehand. Just speculating here but if the Senators had made what they felt was their best offer and there was no agent to negotiate with, maybe the organization felt it wasn't going to be able to bridge the gap.