Phaneuf happy to be back on ice with Sens after ‘interesting ’ summer
The Ottawa Senators No. 2 would prefer to look ahead, bubbling with enthusiasm before training camp opens next week.
At the same time, it was Dion Phaneuf’s Catch-22 decision — opting not to waive his no-movement clause — that resulted in the Senators biggest summer loss, the departure of Marc Methot to Las Vegas in the expansion draft. Days after being picked up by Vegas, Methot was traded to Dallas.
It was always a low-risk proposition that if Phaneuf had been exposed, Vegas would have picked up the four years and $28 million remaining on his contract. That was the argument Senators general manager Pierre Dorion tried to impress upon him way back in June.
But, Phaneuf held his ground, meaning that Dorion couldn’t protect Methot, Erik Karlsson’s defence partner.
If all of the above caused some fans to be critical of Phaneuf’s choice, he says he couldn’t be happier with where he is now.
“I know that I’m excited to be here,” Phaneuf said Tuesday, following an informal skate with many of his Senators teammates.
“I’m very happy to be back here for training camp. It’s always tough when you see teammates go. The fans have been incredible to me the whole time here and I’m excited to start again.”
Phaneuf, 32, isn’t overly keen on elaborating on the expansion draft process.
“It’s a part of the business, a tough part of the business, but it’s something you have to deal with,” he said. “It definitely made for an interesting summer for a lot of the league.”
Naturally enough, Phaneuf would have wanted his summer to be that much shorter. After losing to Pittsburgh in double overtime of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final in May and experiencing a sun-drenched summer in P.E.I., he’s anxious to get rolling again.
“You saw last year, we did a lot of good things and we’ve got unfinished business,” he said. “I really like the group, I like being part of this community, part of the organization.”
Thinking about the Chris Kunitz knuckler that floated past a screened Craig Anderson to end the season more than three months ago serves as inspiration.
“It makes you hungry,” said Phaneuf. “When we did our season-ending media, I would be lying if I said we weren’t kind of in shock, because we went through a great run and then it just comes to an end and you’re done.
“It definitely gives you that motivation, that hunger of wanting to get back. It’s not easy to get back there. We know how tough it is. But you’ve got to set your goals.”
Before the Senators can ponder another extended post-season run, coach Guy Boucher needs to figure out a replacement for Methot as Karlsson’s defence partner.
One option could be Johnny Oduya, the former Chicago and Dallas defenceman who signed as a free agent. Fredrik Claesson, who had a strong playoff after a surge in the final month of the regular season, could also see time with extended time with Karlsson.
There’s also the possibility that Phaneuf could end up beside the Senators franchise player; an ironic development given what happened in June.
“I’m not sure,” Phaneuf said, when asked about that possibility. “My job is to play. My job as a player is to do what the coach asks and play with who you’re asked to play with.
“I think I’ve learned over the years. You come to camp. You do your job.”
Since coming to the Senators from Toronto in a February, 2016 trade, Phaneuf has been paired primarily with Cody Ceci.
That duo has had its share of ups and downs, struggling in its own end for extended stretches.
Phaneuf, however, had a strong playoff. He scored one goal – an overtime goal against Boston – and had four assists in 19 games, but it was his physical edge in front of the net and in the corners that helped the club win so many tight games.
Much like forward Bobby Ryan, his post-season performance changed some opinions about his value.
He wants to begin the new season where he left off the last one.
“This is a fun time of year for a player because you’ve worked all summer, you’ve put all the work in to be back here again,” he said.