Dorion could study a deal for struggling Senators
LOS ANGELES — The Ottawa Senators arrived in La La Land in the wee hours of Monday morning so they can get adjusted to the three-hour time change.
That might not be the only change they need to adjust to in the coming days.
With eight losses in nine games as they prepare to face the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings in back-to-back games Wednesday and Thursday respectively, the Senators may have hit rock bottom with their horrible 5-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets Sunday night at the Bell MTS Place.
This was by far their worst defeat of the season. The Senators were terrible in their own end by surrendering 49 shots to the Jets and not really having much push back on Winnipeg. Of the 21 saves Connor Hellebuyck made for the shutout, none of them were memorable because Ottawa had few chances.
“There’s really not much to say,” said forward Nate Thompson following the loss in Winnipeg. “It was embarrassing. I’m embarrassed. There’s really nothing else to say.”
He’s right, the talk needs to turn to action.
The Senators haven’t looked anything like the team that advanced to within one goal of the Stanley Cup final last spring and they’re well aware there’s plenty of outrage from the fanbase in Ottawa that isn’t happy with the general manager Pierre Dorion, coach Guy Boucher or just about anybody on the roster.
Yes, the answers have to come from within, but don’t be surprised if Dorion decides a bigger move needs to be made by either making a trade or calling up a player or two from the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville in the next couple of days to see if the Senators can get some kind of spark for this roster.
The Senators are down, but they certainly aren’t out with only five points separating them from a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division and 67 games left to be played before April rolls around. Still, the time is now on this pivotal seven-game road trip to get this turned around before its too late.
While the players were given their CBA mandated day off Monday, the belief is Dorion is getting plenty of calls from other general managers around the league willing to help if he wants to make a deal that might help improve the Senators and get this ship turned around to try to get back into the playoff picture.
You have to think Dorion spent part of the day huddled with Boucher and the coaching staff to try to find answers. The Senators will be back on the ice Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. eastern time before busing from downtown Los Angeles Wednesday to face the Ducks in Anaheim.
Since dealing for centre Matt Duchene from the Colorado Avalanche hasn’t had the desired effect just yet, the Senators may need to look at making a change on their defence because the club’s play in its own zone has been horrific at times and Sunday was a good example where they hung their goalies out to dry.
Sure, the Senators could sit still and hope this gets turned around, however, it’s more likely there’s a roster move of some sort in the coming days because Dorion has never been afraid to make changes and he’s described by many as one of the most aggressive GMs in the league when it comes to working the phones.
Depending on the kind of trade Dorion wants to make the most tangible asset the Senators have is defenceman Cody Ceci. The 23-year-old is highly-regarded by many teams in the league but the Senators have never been willing to trade him in the past and the last thing Dorion wants to do is make a change for change sake.
You can bet teams are calling to see if the Senators have any interest in moving Ceci, who has been a lightning rod for criticism. The Avalanche wanted Ceci as part of the deal that brought Matt Duchene here last month, however, Dorion wasn’t going to give him and got Nashville involved to help make the deal reality.
The fact is the Senators record should be better than what it is right now.
This roster has too much skill and talent to miss the playoffs. Last year, the club went to Round 3 led by a dazzling effort from captain Erik Karlsson and on the strength of outstanding goaltending from Craig Anderson.
Both have struggled to find their way this season and on that front they’re not alone. Winger Mark Stone has been the club’s most consistent forward, but it’s hard to say Derick Brassard, Mike Hoffman, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Zack Smith — to name a few — are playing with any kind of consistency.
“We have to move on and get ready for the next game,” said Boucher. “We knew this was going to be a really tough trip for us and we’ve got to rebound.”
Time is of the essence for the Senators.