Sens readying to take another step towards a Cup
BRUCE GARRIOCH
POSTMEDIA NETWORK
OTTAWA — The Senators won’t rest on their laurels.
As general manager Pierre Dorion and coach Guy Boucher met with the media Monday, the pair said they are pleased with the franchise’s most successful season in a decade but understand the Senators can’t afford to sit still.
After being eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final last Thursday, Dorion and Boucher shifted their focus to next season, going through seven hours of exit meetings with players Saturday.
The goal next season is to make the next step towards a Stanley Cup.
“I think we’re headed in the right direction. We can always improve,” Dorion said at the Canadian Tire Centre. “We can always get better. I don’t think we’re looking for anything specific. If we can improve this team we will.”
Ottawa won’t be trying to repeat the magic with the same group.
Before the playoffs started, Dorion called off all talks with agents to focus on the post-season. Yes, he wants to keep restricted free agents Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Ryan Dzingel, but isn’t sure what route the club will take with UFAs Tommy Wingels, Viktor Stalberg, Tom Pyatt along with veteran forwards Chris Kelly and Chris Neil
“A few days after we were done we started conversations again,” Dorions said.
There’s no question Boucher wants Pyatt back while the future of Wingels and Stalberg, who were deadline rentals, is uncertain. Since Kelly and Neil haven’t just been good players on the ice for the Senators — they’ve made contributions in the room and in the community as well — Dorion wants to sit down with both players individually.
Both have expressed a desire to play next year but they may not be in the club’s plans judging by how little they played in the playoffs.
“I will meet personally with Chris Neil and Chris Kelly in the next few weeks to find out what their plans are,” Dorion said. “If they’re in relation with our plans are, then we’ll go from there.”
Not only will Dorion be working on contracts, he has to get plans in place for the expansion draft next month. One of the first calls Dorion made when the season ended was to Vegas GM George McPhee to discuss possible trades. The Senators can sweeten the pot to ensure the Knights don’t select a player the club would like to keep.
The only player Dorion committed to protecting Monday was goalie Craig Anderson and he isn’t sure how the Senators will roll the dice with its expansion list.
“We’re going to lose a player,” Dorion said. “That’s part of the deal. Las Vegas paid a lot of money to get in this league. Are you mad about? No. That’s part of the deal. You accept it and you move on. We’ve got enough depth that I don’t see any big, radical changes coming to this team next year.”
Dorion admitted he will look at the possibility of asking alternate captain Dion Phaneuf to waive his “no move” clause so the Senators can protect Marc Methot.
“It’s something we’re going to talk about internally in the next week,” Dorion said. “We know we have quite a few good defencemen and we know if we end up losing a defenceman we know we have guys that come in and replace them.
“I’m not sure (what’s going to happen) yet. There’s a lot of things, a lot of discussions to be had. If ever we were to go that direction, I think we should let Dion know first.”
Dorion said he expects defenceman Thomas Chabot, who had a standout season in the QMJHL with the St. John Sea Dogs, to push for a position next year along with prospect Ben Harpur, who saw some playing time in the playoffs.
“We’ve got, probably one of the best defencemen outside the NHL (in Chabot), who’s going to look for a spot next year,” Dorion said.
The message from the players in exit meetings was to try to keep as much of the group together as possible.
“Last year, a lot of guys said, ‘We can be a good in a few years’ and in some ways that frustrated me a bit,” Dorion said.