Senators have plenty of roster options
The answers will have to come from within for the Ottawa Senators.
As the clock ticks towards the club’s season opener Oct. 5th against the Washington Capitals at the Canadian Tire Centre, there’s a lot of questions left to be answered as the battle for jobs continues in Senators’ training camp.
While Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion has shown serious interest in Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Duchene, the indications are the two sides aren’t on the same page in trade talks which means nobody should hold their breath thinking the 26-year-old disgruntled centre will be dealt to the Senators anytime soon.
The Senators will likely start the season without captain Erik Karlsson, who had foot surgery in June, while centre Derick Brassard is iffy after shoulder surgery and winger Clarke MacArthur unlikely to play after he was unable to pass his physical, but the players who will fill those roles will come from the group pushing for spots in camp.
If you think Ottawa players are waiting for Dorion to swing a deal, think again.
“I don’t know if we’re pursuing trades or what we’re doing but I think there’s enough in the room than we find (the players to fill those spots),” said veteran winger Bobby Ryan Thursday. “I certainly feel the young guys are a lot further along than anybody was expecting and in some of the games they’ve looked really good.
“And, the guys who played here last year understand their roles and the opportunities early on to try to fill that void left by (Karlsson) and probably (Brassard) in the early stages. We have it, we’ve just got to execute it.”
That is going to be a challenge. “It certainly will be but I like our group against anybody,” Ryan said. “You can’t replace those three but I still like our team and our system and everything like that because we find a way to be competitive in every game. If we find a way to be in shooting distance when (Karlsson and Brassard) get back, we’ll be okay.”
Starting with Saturday’s visit by the Montreal Canadiens to Ottawa, the Senators have four pre-season games left to figure out where everybody is going to fit. Judging by the depth chart, forward Max McCormick will start the year with the Senators because he has been in the organization and understands his role.
Given the fact Chris VandeVelde, who is here on a pro tryout, has NHL experience, you have to think he has a pretty good chance to stay. That means prospects Logan Brown, Filip Chlapik and 2017 second-round draft pick Alex Formenton will have to make the most of their chances in the club’s next two exhibition games.
That’s because by the Senators face the Winnipeg Jets next Wednesday night at the MTS Centre and close out the pre-season against the Habs next Saturday at the Bell Centre, Dorion and Boucher pretty much want to have the club’s lineup in place so the focus can be on getting ready for the regular season.
“The last two games we’re going to try to play as much with our team as we can,” Boucher said. “Brassard won’t play any (pre-season) games so there’s going to be a spot there for sure so we’re going to have a young guy there and I suspect right now there’s going to be many guys fighting for that one or two spots.”
Boucher said if roster decisions had to be made today they’d be pretty difficult.
“Right now there’s not one guy — from the guys that are here and the guys we’re going to take from the other group for (Saturday at home) — they all have a legitimate chance of making (the team),” Boucher said.
Ideally, the club would like to make a some moves before heading to Prince Edward Island Sunday to face the New Jersey Devils Monday in Summerside.
“We’re going to keep the guys who are really close to making our team,” Boucher added. “Maybe some guys have done so well we have to keep them and then maybe some guys who might be fading out don’t. I’d love to tell you because then it would accelerate my process and I’d like to tell you right now I know exactly what I want, let’s go and we’ve got our team.
“It’s not a question of giving our guys some ice time, it really is a question of, who are we keeping? It really is that. None of them are closer than any other. They’re all as close and they’re all as far.”
The good news is the Senators have options.