Turris still rooting for Sens
Three months later, Kyle Turris is still keeping tabs on his former team.
Every night, the Predators centre checks the box scores. Every morning, he looks at the standings to see just how far the Senators have fallen since he was dealt in a blockbuster three- way trade that sent Turris to Nashville and Matt Duchene from Colorado to Ottawa.
Even now, he can’t believe it. When the trade occurred on Nov. 5, the Senators were firmly entrenched in a playoff spot and looking very much like the team that had come within one goal of reaching the Stanley Cup final. But after back- to- back wins against Colorado in Sweden, Ottawa’s season came to a sudden and unexpected halt. The Senators lost seven straight and dropped 10 of 14 games in December. Today, a team that won six of 14 games with Turris in the line- up has now won 12 of 52 without him.
While Ottawa has the secondworst record in the NHL, Nashville entered Wednesday night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs with the second- best points percentage in the Western Conference.
You might think these two facts put a smile on Turris’ face. Instead, as he looks towards his first return back to the city on Thursday where he spent the past six years, there’s a feeling of sadness for the team that still occupies a place in his heart.
“It’s tough,” said Turris. “I have good friends on the team that I talk to regularly. I mean, you don’t want to see them go through that. It’s tough. I’m always checking the standings and the scoreboard. We’re in a tough race here in our division, so I’m constantly checking and I’ll see how Ottawa did here and there.”
Turris didn’t expect the Senators would be where they are now. Then again, he didn’t expect he would be in Nashville when the season ended last year.
“Not at all,” he said. “It didn’t cross my mind at all.”
With his contract expiring, the 28- year- old had hoped to re- sign in Ottawa for another six or seven years. But as the negotiations continued, the two sides moved further and further apart. Turris told the Canadian Press in December that, “it was tough because I think management did want to sign me, but I think that the owner didn’t and that was their decision.”
That quote seemed to strike a nerve with Senators fans, who are wondering if Senators captain Erik Karlsson will re- sign with Ottawa or be dealt as the team contemplates rebuilding a roster that is clearly not good enough to contend.
“It’s just a tough year,” Turris said of Karlsson. “He’s one of the best players in the world and it’s been a frustrating year for him … It’s a tough situation for him with the rumours going on about him. It’s all together a tough situation.”
As for Turris, he’s still getting used to a city that is nothing like Ottawa, as well as being on a team that after reaching the Cup final a year ago is considered a favourite versus an underdog.
“It’s new,” he said. “When I became a part of this team, I was really excited. They have such a good group and you see the success they had last year and the depth they have. It’s really exciting to be a part of.
“We have a great opportunity here this year and the years moving forward … but at the same time we have to take advantage of it because you don’t get this opportunity very often. We have to build off of it and we got to get hot at the right time and take advantage of it.”
So far, Turris has been doing his part. Though his production has slowed since he scored 17 points in his first 17 games since the trade, he has been a main reason for Kevin Fiala’s breakout year and, along with Ryan Johansen, has given Nashville a solid 1- 2 punch down the middle.
“He’s a good two- way player, but he’s been good offensively since his arrival,” said head coach Peter Laviolette. “Not only has he been able to contribute but a guy like Kevin Fiala has really picked up his game … the depth of our team gets better. He brings a lot to the table.”
For the Senators, this is nothing new. While Turris arrived to Ottawa in 2011 as a question mark after a couple of forgettable seasons in Arizona where he was leaning towards being a potential draft bust, he left as one of the team’s top forwards. He twice led the Senators in goals and helped them qualify for the post- season in four of six years.
“He had some really good years there, so I’d like to think it’s going to be positive for him,” said P. K. Subban, who knows what Turris is going through having returned to Montreal for the first time a year ago after being shipped out to Nashville in a headline- grabbing trade.
“I mean, he was one of their best players over the past time when I played against him in Montreal and a big reason why they went to conference finals and went on some deep runs. I would expect it to be positive for him.”
Turris is hoping for the same. “Yeah, like I said, I have so many good memories that I was lucky to share with a packed building most of the team,” he said. “It was a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to tomorrow night.”