Senators’ roster set with many new faces
On with the show this is it.
The Ottawa Senators training camp has come to a close and when they gather Thursday at the Canadian Tire Centre to prepare to face the Toronto Maple Leafs Friday night the focus will turn to preparing in earnest for the first two rounds of the Battle of Ontario which will continue Saturday.
General manager Pierre Dorion, assistant GM Peter Mactavish, coach D.J. Smith and the rest of the hockey operations staff set the club's 23-man roster and six-man taxi squad they'll be allowed to carry during this shortened 56-game schedule the Senators will play in the all-canadian division.
There are 12 faces on the roster that didn't start the season with the club last year. Drake Batherson of New Minas made the cut and will start the season in Ottawa.
Of course, there will be no shortage of excitement about the NHL debut of No. 3 overall pick Tim Stuetzle being on the club's roster. He has been skating on a line with veteran Derek Stepan and newcomer Evgenii Dadonov this week because Smith wants to make sure the 18-year-old Stuetzle is comfortable.
“My goal was to make the team,” said Stuetzle after Monday's scrimmage. “I'm so excited to be here right now. If I'm going to play (Friday) and it's going to be a dream come true. It's an unbelievable feeling to be here.”
While there were no surprises when the roster was released Wednesday at noon, the one notable name not among the extra players is centre Logan Brown. By all accounts, the 22-year-old Brown didn't have the kind of camp that was expected of him and that's why the decision was made to assign him to Belleville.
There's no shortage of debate around the 22-year-old Brown amongst the fanbase but if he's going to suit up for this team this season he has to earn a spot. The same goes for winger Alex Formenton, who was among those skating with the Belleville group Wednesday as well.
The emergence of veteran Artem Anisimov in camp and Josh Norris' standout effort squeeze Brown out of the mix in the middle.
It would be no shocker if Brown is moved by the organization in the coming weeks because this was his fifth camp and he still didn't live up to expectations. A first-round pick in the 2015 NHL draft, Brown changed agents in the offseason and the belief in league circles is that was done to try to help facilitate a trade.
There's no question Brown has reached a crossroads in his career and if the Senators are to move him they'll want a good return.
Yes, Dorion will be asked about Brown's future during his availability with the Ottawa media Thursday, but it's also time to turn the page and talk about who's here.