Phanuef trade just may be the beginning for Senators
Pierre Dorion has served notice he’s not done dealing.
The first move could be the tip of the iceberg.
Less than 24 hours after sending veteran defenceman Dion Phaneuf and centre Nate Thompson to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for winger Marian Gaborik and forward Nick Shore, Dorion told reporters Wednesday he’ll continue his discussions right up to the Feb. 26 NHL trade deadline.
Trying to get the Senators back to being a Stanley Cup contender, Dorion spoke to nine teams before holding a media briefing at the Canadian Tire Centre and not many players in the club’s dressing room should feel comfortable because more trades are on the way.
“We’re going to be doing a lot of things to make sure that we can field as competitive a team as we can whether it’s in the near future or whatever future you want to look at,” said Dorion.
“But, this is an exciting time for our fans because we know we’re going to do some good things for the organization. We know we’re going to do a lot of good things and we’re looking forward to it.”
You have to give Dorion credit because many predicted he’d “never” be able to move Phaneuf’s contract with a $ 7.5- million cap hit through the 2020- 21 campaign but the Senators knew the Kings were seriously interested when the two sides first talked during last June’s draft in Chicago.
It’s believed the Kings circled back again earlier this month on Phaneuf — and they weren’t the only team involved in the talks — and that’s when the two sides were able to get down to brass tacks. The commitment by owner Eugene Melnyk to pick up 25 per cent of Phaneuf’s contract played a huge role.
Not only does it save the club money, it gives Dorion flexibility in the future. Gaborik arrived in town Wednesday night and he’ll be in the lineup against the Buffalo Sabres at home Thursday, but the possibility exists he gets bought out at the end of the year.
Dorion doesn’t have to make that decision now and this gives the club a chance to look at the 36- year- old Gaborik before determining the next step. As for Shore, he’s a restricted free agent at the end of the season and will be a capable replacement for Thompson.
The attention now turns to what the Senators do next.
The club has had several calls on the likes of forwards Mike Hoffman, Zack Smith, Derick Brassard, Jean- Gabriel Pageau and Magnus Paajarvi along with defencemen Cody Ceci and Johnny Oduya.
The Winnipeg Jets had two members of their scouting staff at the club’s 6- 3 loss in Pittsburgh Wednesday. They’ve kicked tires on Hoffman and Brassard because they’d like to upgrade at forward. Oduya is almost a certainty to get dealt because teams will want a veteran for the playoffs.
There has been no mention of winger Bobby Ryan and his cap hit of $ 7.25 million through 202122 but moving Phaneuf means there’s hope that maybe Ryan could be included in a package to go elsewhere.
Dorion made no promises this team will look drastically different after the deadline.
“That’s hearsay, naysay, I don’t know. I can’t tell you that,” Dorion said. “We’re going to make good hockey deals if we make hockey deals and I think 30 of my counterparts know that.”
It’s not clear how deep the changes will go, however, the Senators are trying to put the pieces in place so they have longterm success.
“We’d like to compete for the playoffs next year, there’s no doubt about that but, at the same time, we want to have a team here that will be able to compete every year for the playoffs,” said Dorion.
Many have noted Dorion has been one of the NHL’s most aggressive GMs during this talking period. He hasn’t put a for- sale sign up to try to shop his players, but has been talking calls from across the league from teams that are trying to bulk up for the playoffs.
Dorion said he didn’t expect any more in trades in the foreseeable future but if you had talked to him Monday night he wouldn’t have predicted this deal would get done so quickly, despite all the discussions he’d had.
“Nine GMs I talked to today and I wasn’t able to make a deal,” said Dorion. “Nothing is imminent, but ( Tuesday) I didn’t feel anything was really imminent after my conversations from Monday.
“We’re going to take it day- byday, we’re going to do what’s right for the organization. We have a plan in place. We know how we’re going to go about the plan. I’m excited about the future of this team and I’m excited about the future of this organization.
“I don’t think there’s much more to add.”
The question is: How many more players on the club’s current roster will the Senators subtract?