9:29 AM: The Ottawa Senators may have to wait another game for the complete trio of Brady Tkachuk, Joshua Norris, and Shane Pinto to return. The Senators announced they’ve recalled forward Angus Crookshank from their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, indicating they’ll use him as a replacement again tonight.

It’s a quick turnaround for Crookshank after being recalled and reassigned a few days ago. He skated in 14:04 of action in Ottawa’s loss to the Winnipeg Jets on February 26, putting three shots on net and adding one hit and one blocked shot.

That is the only NHL contest of the year for the North Vancouver native. Crookshank has spent the entire season in Belleville, scoring 18 goals and 33 points in 45 games. His offensive production is good for fourth on the AHL Senators in scoring, although it’s a slight decline from his 24-goal, 22-assist output from a year ago.

Crookshank’s status for tonight’s contest against the San Jose Sharks may ultimately be decided in warm-ups. There’s a strong expectation that Tkachuk will return tonight, with the latter being game-time decisions. Travis Green and the rest of Ottawa’s coaching staff will likely have all four players skate before the game and announce the completed lineup shortly before puck drop.

The Senators are in desperate need for this wave of replacement. They’ve dropped their last five games, dating back to before the 4-Nations break, while getting outscored eight-to-23. That imbalance is largely thanks to the absence of Tkachuk and Norris, the team’s top two goal scorers. Tkachuk has 21 goals and 44 points through 56 games, while Norris has 19 goals and 31 points in 50 games. They’re closely followed by Shane Pinto, who has managed 11 goals and 22 points in 46 games and grown to a second-line role. Tkachuk leads the Senators in shots-per-game, while Pinto and Norris rank third and sixth among the team’s forwards. Their return should instantly spur a Senators team that’s managed just 26.8 shots-per-game over their losing streak.

The wave of returnees will force the Senators to shake up their lineup once again. Forwards Angus Crookshank and Jan Jenik are likely the first on the chopping block, after making their first and second NHL appearances of the season in Ottawa’s last game. Neither has managed any scoring.

Ottawa will also need to shelve a defender after icing seven in their last effort – but deciding who could be a challenge. Top-four defender Nick Jensen left Ottawa’s Friday practice early nursing a limp, per Garrioch. No update on Jensen’s pain was provided, but Garrioch adds the defender was already playing through an injury. Tyler Kleven was also absent from practice with what head coach Travis Green referred to as a “strain”. Green did not rule out Kleven for Saturday’s matchup. Both defenders have found a routine groove on Ottawa’s right-side. Jensen has 18 points in 53 games this season. He also ranks second on the team with a plus-11. Kleven hasn’t been as lucky, with just four points and a minus-five in 58 games.

Feb. 26: Despite a mild three-day break since their first game back from the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Ottawa Senators still required a few extra forwards for tonight’s game. Ottawa announced they’ve recalled Angus Crookshank and Jan Jeník from their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators.

The two will replace Brady Tkachuk and Shane Pinto in the lineup against the Winnipeg Jets. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like they’ll be needed for long, as multiple reports out of Ottawa indicate Tkachuk and Pinto fully participated in the Senators’ optional skate this morning.

Jeník is the only one of the duo who’s suited up for Ottawa this season. The former high-end prospect for the Arizona Coyotes is in his first year with the Senators organization after being acquired via trade this past offseason. Unfortunately, Jeník’s scoring production has noticeably declined this year. He’s scored seven goals and 13 points in 30 games with AHL Belleville after averaging 0.72 points per game over five years with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners.

Meanwhile, Crookshank has spent the entire 2024-25 campaign with AHL Belleville after making his NHL debut last season. The former 126th overall pick has scored 18 goals and 33 points in 48 AHL contests this year, ranking first on the team in goal-scoring. It will be his first NHL contest since April 2, 2024, should he suit up tonight against the Jets.

The break in the schedule for the 4 Nations Face-Off initially meant Hartman was due to miss more than a month of action after he drove Stützle’s head into the ice immediately following a faceoff, which got him tossed from the game – a 6-0 loss – for intent to injure. As a result, he earned an in-person hearing with the Department of Player Safety. The NHLPA filed an appeal on Hartman’s behalf two days after their decision, which Bettman heard over the break. Hartman can again appeal to an independent arbitrator since the reduced length is still at least six games. That process will take longer than the remainder of the suspension, so doing so would only result in him getting some money back in his pocket.

Bettman rarely reduces a suspension. He’s only done it twice in the past nine times they’ve come across his desk, most recently decreasing a suspension to then-Maple Leafs forward Jason Spezza from six to four games in December 2021. Bettman notes the reduction to eight games came at the request of the NHLPA, saying neither Hartman nor the NHLPA contested the fact that a suspension was appropriate for his actions.

The full ruling, available here, is incredibly detailed. While Bettman calls Hartman’s recent track record of suspensions (four within the last 22 months) “an unenviable record and a pattern of malfeasance,” he did agree with the NHLPA’s assertion that an increase of seven games from Hartman’s most recent discipline “is excessive in this case and that the quantum of increase should be reduced.”

Hartman, 30, has struggled this season with 7-10–17 through 48 games. He missed a significant chunk of games in October with an upper-body injury. His 0.35 points-per-game pace is his lowest since his first campaign in Minnesota in 2019-20, although a career-worst 6.5% shooting rate has a lot to do with that and should rebound somewhat after he returns to the lineup.

PHR is looking at every NHL team and giving a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2024-25 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia.  We’re currently covering the Atlantic Division, next up is the Senators.

Ottawa Senators

Current Cap Hit: $88,257,127 (over the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Ridly Greig (one year, $863K)
D Tyler Kleven (one year, $917K)
F Zack Ostapchuk (two years, $825K)

Potential Bonuses
Kleven: $600K
Ostapchuk: $82.5K
Total: $682.5K

Greig has already signed an extension so we’ll cover him later on.  Ostapchuk has had his first extended NHL look this season but has primarily been limited to duty on the fourth line with very limited output.  He should be able to reach some of his games played bonuses but he’s likely heading toward a low-cost second contract barring a big uptick in his output and role next season.

Kleven is holding down a regular spot on Ottawa’s third pairing but his deployment has been limited thus far.  As a result, he’s not on track to reach his ‘A’ bonuses while his next contract should be a low-cost bridge deal although passing the $1MM mark isn’t out of the question.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

D Jacob Bernard-Docker ($805K, RFA)
F Nick Cousins ($800K, UFA)
G Anton Forsberg ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Adam Gaudette ($775K, UFA)
F Claude Giroux ($6.5MM, UFA)
F Noah Gregor ($850K, RFA)
D Travis Hamonic ($1.1MM, UFA)
F Matthew Highmore ($775K, UFA)
D Nikolas Matinpalo ($775K, RFA)
F Cole Reinhardt ($775K, UFA)

Giroux was brought in to be not only a veteran mentor to what was (and still is) a relatively young core group but also to be a key contributor in their top six.  Mission accomplished on both fronts.  He was third in team scoring in his first season and fourth in scoring last year.  At 37, he’s starting to slow down offensively but he’s still a top-six player, at least for now.  One of the big questions for next season as he heads into his next contract is how much longer he can play at that level.  A two-year offer probably isn’t off the table but it’d likely reflect the expectation of a diminished role in the second year which could result in a small dip in pay.  But if Giroux is open to a one-year deal, something around this price point is doable while he’d also be eligible for performance incentives.

Gregor has been non-tendered for two straight years with his former teams wanting to avoid giving him salary arbitration eligibility where his more productive years (23 points in 2021-22, 10 goals the following year) will come into play.  That seems like the probable outcome here as well but without those rights, he could still check in a bit closer to $1MM.  Cousins had to wait until late August to get this contract and not much has changed in terms of his role and production.  He’s effective enough to stay above the minimum salary but he’s probably only a tier above PTO territory so another low-cost one-year deal is likely.

Gaudette only got into two NHL games last season but he has been one of Ottawa’s better success stories this year, sitting inside the top five on the team in goals.  Nonetheless, he historically has had a hard time hanging onto a full-time spot which should keep his cost lower than someone with a shot at 20 goals.  A one-year deal in the $1.25MM range, one that can largely be buried in the minors if things don’t go well, would represent a nice raise for him while lessening the risk on the signing team.  Highmore and Reinhardt have been back and forth to and from the minors this season and are likely to remain at the minimum salary moving forward.

Hamonic has had a bigger role this year but his playing time is still rather limited compared to even just a few years ago.  He’s struggling to keep up and will be entering his age-35-year next season.  A one-year, minimum-salary deal with some low-cost performance incentives could still be doable but he could also be a PTO candidate.

Bernard-Docker became a full-timer last season but has been scratched a bit more often this year while injuries haven’t helped either.  He’s also arbitration-eligible which could work against him if Ottawa needs to keep this salary slot a little lower.  With a hearing, he could plausibly double this price tag but it wouldn’t be shocking to see him non-tendered if they can’t agree on a lower number before then.  Matinpalo is also arbitration-eligible but doesn’t have enough NHL experience to really command any sort of big raise.  A jump closer to $1MM is doable but probably not much more than that.

Forsberg hasn’t been able to come close to the level of performance from 2021-22, the one that earned him this contract.  He has been a bit better this year but his save percentage is still below the league average.  He might not get back to the level of third-string money but it’s quite possible his next AAV is half of this or less barring a big turnaround down the stretch.

Signed Through 2025-26

D Nick Jensen ($4.05MM, UFA)
F David Perron ($4MM, UFA)
F Shane Pinto ($3.75MM, RFA)

Perron was brought in over the summer with the hope he could be a reliable veteran secondary scorer.  That hasn’t really happened as when he has been in the lineup (which hasn’t been often between an injury and a family-related absence), his production has been quite limited thus far.  He’ll be 38 when this contract ends so he’ll need to rebound considerably to have a shot at matching this price tag a year and a half from now.  Pinto was at one point believed to be hoping for an offer sheet as early contract talks didn’t go well.  But, instead, they settled on a second bridge contract on a back-loaded deal that cranks the qualifying offer up to $4.5MM with arbitration rights.  If he can establish himself as a legitimate top-six forward by then, he’ll be able to get a fair-sized raise on that and the long-term deal he’s been seeking.

Jensen has been a nice fit in Ottawa after being acquired from Washington back in July.  He has settled in nicely as a second-pairing blueliner in recent years although he doesn’t produce a lot which will keep the price tag down.  A jump into the $5MM range on a long-term deal should be achievable if he plays like this over the rest of this season and next.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Michael Amadio ($2.6MM, UFA)
F Drake Batherson ($4.875MM, UFA)
D Artem Zub ($4.6MM, UFA)

Batherson has produced at or close to a top-line rate in the past three seasons heading into this one and is putting up points at a similar clip this year.  That makes him a nice bargain and if this keeps up, he could find himself closer to the $8MM range in 2027.  Amadio came over from Vegas after putting up back-to-back 27-point seasons.  He hasn’t fit in quite as well despite an uptick in playing time but as a bottom-six forward, it’s not a steep overpayment.

Zub has had some challenges staying healthy but when he is in the lineup, he’s a legitimate top-four blueliner, one that flies under the radar a little bit.  With his limited production, he’s not on a bargain contract but it’s not a bad one by any stretch.  Like Jensen, his next deal likely starts with a five.

Read more

[SOURCE LINK]

Feb. 9: The Ottawa Senators announced that they’ve loaned forward Cole Reinhardt to the Belleville Senators of the AHL. With the 4 Nations Face-Off set to get underway, the Senators don’t play again until February 22nd and have likely assigned Reinhardt to Belleville to get the 25-year-old some playing time.

Reinhardt has seen 16 games of NHL action this season; however, his usage has been very light, averaging just 7:58 of ice time per game. Reinhardt has used the limited minutes to make his presence known, throwing 30 hits, however, his name has rarely appeared on the scoresheet as he has just one goal and a single assist in the NHL. He hasn’t exactly been put in a spot to provide much offense, as he has started 61.9% of his shifts in the defensive zone.

In the AHL, the Calgary, Alberta native has had a bigger offensive impact but hasn’t been much more than a depth scorer for most of his professional career. However, this season, he has been a point-per-game player, tallying seven goals and ten assists in 16 games, which nearly matches the 23 points he had in 56 games last season.

Reinhardt could very well be recalled in less than two weeks when the NHL break ends, but in the meantime, he should see significant minutes with Belleville.

The Ottawa Senators limped into the 4 Nations Face-Off break on a three-game losing streak but remain positioned to buy at the NHL Trade Deadline as they currently occupy the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Senators haven’t made the playoffs since 2017 and will likely opt to be a buyer at the deadline as they try to break their playoff drought. The team will also look to show their core that they are serious about winning after years of negative headlines surrounding the franchise. Ottawa isn’t a lock to make the playoffs with four teams within four points of them. However, a few solid moves could propel them to the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade.

Record

29-23-4, 4th in the Atlantic Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$880K on deadline day, 1/3 retention spots used, 47/50 contract spots used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: OTT 1st*, OTT 2nd, FLA 3rd, OTT 5th, OTT 6th, OTT 7th
2026: OTT 1st*, OTT 3rd, FLA 3rd, WASH 3rd, OTT 5th, OTT 6th, COL 6th

*Ottawa must forfeit their first-round pick in either 2025 or 2026 for the Evgenii Dadonov penalty.

Trade Chips

As surprising as this may be, the Ottawa Senators may not get too many runs at the playoffs with their current core due to poor drafting and asset management. Ottawa has one of the worst prospect rankings in the NHL (27th in the NHL as per The Athletic) and will be without a first-round pick in one of the next two drafts due to Dadonov penalty. The positive for Ottawa is that they have their young core locked into long-term deals, and with new management in place, they can still rebuild the farm system. What this all means for the Senators is that they don’t have a ton of desirable trade assets if they want to hunt for an impact player at this year’s deadline, and they also lack cap space, which will limit their ability to make moves.

The Senators benefitted immensely from the Erik Karlsson trade with San Jose back in 2018, acquiring the third overall pick in 2020 that became Tim Stützle as well as center Josh Norris (and several other pieces, including Dylan DeMelo). While Stützle has become a star, Norris has carved out a solid career as well when he is healthy. Norris has averaged 31 goals per 82 games. However, he has only played more than 60 games once in his career (66 games in 2021-22) and missed a combined 106 games between 2022 and 2024. The 25-year-old Norris has had his name pop up in trade rumors earlier in the season, and given his contract and injury history, it could make sense for Ottawa to try and move on from his $7.95MM cap hit. Ottawa also has Shane Pinto, who could slide into Norris’s spot if the Senators feel that he is ready.

Another chip the Senators could dangle is backup goaltender Anton Forsberg. Forsberg is an expensive luxury at this point and has been considerably outplayed by youngster Leevi Merilainen this season. The 32-year-old is in the final season of a three-year contract and is counting $2.75MM against the salary cap. In 21 games this year, Forsberg has posted an 8-10-1 record with a 2.89 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage. While on the surface, those numbers look pedestrian, the NHL is a league starved for goaltending, and Forsberg has registered a goals saved above expected of 1 this season (as per Money Puck). Ottawa could look to flip out Forsberg for a small asset and then use the cap savings to fill out a hole in their roster and call up Merilainen for the remainder of the season.

Ottawa could opt to move on from other veterans who have underperformed, such as David Perron or Michael Amadio, but given the tight salary cap situation for most teams this year, it would be wise to wait until the summer for such a move.

If the Senators decided to move out draft picks or prospects, there would certainly be interest in a first-round pick, but that would leave Ottawa without a first-round pick in back-to-back drafts. Ottawa does hold three third-round picks next season and could move out one of those for a depth piece at the deadline. If Ottawa wanted to trade a prospect, Carter Yakemchuk would have a ton of trade value but would leave the Senators without their top prospect in an already-thin pool. Mads Søgaard is another name Ottawa could move on from, but at 24, he holds almost no trade value and would be viewed as a long shot by most teams.

With a shallow pool of prospects, limited roster pieces to move, and questions around their more desirable draft picks, Ottawa doesn’t have a ton of assets with much trade value, which will limit their ability to improve the team this season.

Team Needs

1) Depth Defensemen: Ottawa has been a good defensive team this season (10th in the NHL), but that doesn’t mean they don’t have holes in their defense core. One listen to any Ottawa-based radio program or podcast and you will hear a plethora of fans calling for the Senators to find a third pairing defenseman, preferably of the right shot variety. Veteran Travis Hamonic has played considerably better this year than last, but he still struggles on the possession front and probably plays too much for what he is at this point in his career. Ottawa has also used Tyler Kleven on the third pairing, and while the 23-year-old looks to have potential, his numbers have mirrored Hamonic’s.

The Senators don’t need to break the bank to acquire a defenseman, and there should be plenty available heading into the deadline. Rasmus Ristolainen is a name that has been kicked around in trade rumors (not involving the Senators), but Ottawa would be wise to steer clear of him and his $5.1MM cap hit. Another name is Carson Soucy out of Vancouver, but he too is expensive and has been among the worst defensemen in the NHL this season, as per Evolving-Hockey’s all-in-one goals above replacement stat (subscription required). A name that could make sense for Ottawa, if they can clear cap space, is Connor Murphy of the Chicago Blackhawks. Murphy was once considered a top-four defender but has been saddled with tough minutes on the rebuilding Blackhawks. Murphy carries a $4.4MM cap hit for this year and next season but would likely flourish in a depth role with the Senators.

2) Depth Forward: Ottawa has had to use several players in the top six this season who would benefit from playing in the bottom six. Some of them have posted elevated numbers (Adam Gaudette), but for the most part, there have been struggles. Ottawa appears to be conscious of this, as they have already been linked to Ryan Donato of Chicago, which makes sense for them, given his low cap hit for the rest of this season and his on-ice impact. Donato has 19 goals and 18 assists in 53 games this season and is also a physical presence, registering 89 hits. With some shuffling, Ottawa could fit his modest $2MM cap hit into their lineup. The issue that Ottawa might face with Donato is that his offensive production benefits greatly from playing in an elevated role with Connor Bedard on a less talented Blackhawks team.

The Senators have also been linked to Brandon Tanev of the Seattle Kraken, who would inject some energy and physicality into the bottom-six forward group but wouldn’t offer much more than depth offense. The 33-year-old has nine goals and eight assists in 55 games this season and has topped 30 points just once in his career. Tanev is the kind of player who could thrive in a physical playoff series, as evidenced by his 170 hits in 46 career NHL playoff games.

Ottawa will have some options for forward depth leading into the trade deadline, but it will all come down to whether or not they can free up cap space to add to their current lineup.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

“A few teams are starting to ask about when they can talk to him, and I think it’s some of the heavy hitters,” Friedman said. “I think Toronto’s one of them… I assume Ottawa’s around there, too.”

Haymes, 21, found his way onto our college free agent preview last year but returned to Dartmouth College for his junior season. Injuries have limited him to 12 of the Big Green’s 23 games, during which time he has seven goals and three assists for 10 points and a minus-one rating.

Most of his stock comes from last season’s breakout performance. As a sophomore, the Ottawa native led the team in scoring with 18-18–36 in 31 showings, earning himself a spot on the ECAC’s First All-Star Team and the All-Ivy League First Team in the process.

The 6’1″ pivot has 62 points in 73 collegiate games to date, making the jump to NCAA play relatively early in his development. He played just one season of high-level junior hockey with the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the British Columbia Hockey League in 2021-22, recording 49 points in 52 games there. A consistent offensive producer, he’s not close to seeing NHL minutes but has pro-ready size and, depending on how he finishes the season, will be a candidate for an NHL commitment as he transitions to AHL play.

Regarding his potential suitors, the Maple Leafs have a more robust recent history of dipping into the NCAA market for undrafted free agents. 23-year-old Jacob Quillan, of Quinnipiac championship-winning goal fame, signed his entry-level contract with Toronto coming from the Bobcats last April. He’s spent most of the season in the AHL but made his NHL debut against the Senators last month. Alex Steeves was also plucked out of Notre Dame in 2021 and has since become one of the most prolific scorers in Toronto Marlies history, posting 95-100–195 in 224 career AHL appearances.

Hughes’ departure from Team USA’s roster follows on the heels of Dallas Stars’ defenseman Miro Heiskanen and Vegas Golden Knights’ defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. Both blue-liners are dealing with injuries (the former recovering from knee surgery) and have already been replaced on Team Finland and Team Canada.

With all due respect to Heiskanen and Pietrangelo, the Canucks captain is the highest-profile name to be removed from the competition. He’s missed the last four games for Vancouver due to a hand injury and the team is prioritizing their playoff hopes over Hughes’ participation in the tournament.

Although Heiskanen may ultimately be more valuable to his team, that’s only a testament to Team USA’s defensive depth. Hughes, who won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league’s best defenseman only one year ago, has scored 31 goals and 151 points in his last 129 regular-season games. The native of Orlando, Florida, last represented Team USA at the 2019 IIHF World Championships. If he does not play for the United States’ World Championship team this upcoming summer, he’ll have to wait until the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan to compete again.

Replacing Hughes on the roster is Ottawa’s Sanderson, who last played for Team USA in the 2024 IIHF World Championships. The Whitefish, MT native is only two and a half years removed from debuting in the NHL scoring 19 goals and 105 points in 211 career games. Given the rest of the talent on Team USA’s blue line, Sanderson should represent the team’s seventh defenseman although he’ll likely play in a handful of games.

The incident occurred in a 6-0 blowout on Saturday night that saw Ottawa dominate Minnesota. Near the end of the second period of the game, Hartman took a faceoff against Stützle and immediately jumped on Stützle after the puck hit the ice and drove him straight down, face-first into the ice. Stützle suffered a facial injury on the play and was bleeding from a cut above his eye when he left the ice. Hartman was given a match penalty on the play for attempting to injure Stützle, which put the play under automatic review. He was offered an in-person hearing earlier today.

The suspension is the fifth of Hartman’s career, which certainly played into the length of the suspension. He has also been fined an additional seven times. The DOPS described Hartman’s actions on the play as intentional, inherently dangerous and unacceptable. Hartman and Stützle had an incident earlier in the game when Stützle was given a two-minute penalty for slashing Hartman, which may or may not have played into Hartman’s actions.

Hartman’s last suspension occurred last April against the Vegas Golden Knights when he threw his stick on the ice from the bench toward an official after an overtime loss against the Vegas Golden Knights. Overall, Hartman has received four suspensions in less than two years.

Hartman now will have 48 hours to decide if he wants to appeal the suspension. His first appeal would be to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. The second appeal would be to an independent arbitrator.

Norris, 25, had only recently returned to the lineup after missing two games with an upper-body issue. He had four points in three games since returning, including a three-point outing against the Capitals last Thursday.

It will be Norris’ most prolonged absence from a primarily healthy season. Recurring shoulder issues and multiple surgeries limited him to 124 of 246 possible regular-season games over the prior three seasons. While he won’t play a full schedule for the first time since his rookie showing in the shortened 2020-21 campaign, he was previously on track to only miss single-digit games for the first time since then.

Thanks to the upcoming break in the schedule for the 4 Nations Face-Off, a multi-week interruption won’t result in too many missed games for the 2017 first-round pick. He presumably won’t play in the four remaining games before the tournament but could be in line to return on Feb. 22 against the Canadiens or Feb. 26 against the Jets, Ottawa’s only two contests left in the month after the break.

Norris has consistently operated as the Sens’ second-line center this season, often skating with Drake Batherson on his right flank and, most recently, David Perron on his left. His 19 goals in 50 games are one back of captain Brady Tkachuk for the team lead, while his 31 points rank sixth. He’s averaging 18:24 per game, in line with his usage from his breakout 35-goal campaign in 2021-22, and winning 54% of his draws.

It hasn’t been as dominant of a campaign offensively as the Sens envisioned he would churn out when they signed him to an eight-year, $63.6MM extension after that 35-goal year, but returning to health and establishing himself as a solid top-six pivot is a win for a player whose career was on the verge of being entirely derailed by injury. He’s been among the Senators’ most physically involved forwards with 43 blocks and 126 hits and logs time on their top power play and penalty kill units.

He’s an important piece and, by extension, a significant loss for a streaking Ottawa club trying to hold third place in the Atlantic Division heading into the break. They’re one point ahead of the Red Wings and two points ahead of the Bruins and Lightning, although Tampa is the only one in the group with a game in hand. Overall, their .577 points percentage ranks sixth in the Eastern Conference and 13th in the league, putting them in position to end their seven-year playoff drought.

Norris could be flexed to injured reserve to open up a roster spot if the Sens need one, but an LTIR placement to increase cap flexibility can’t happen unless they project him to miss at least 10 games. That’s unlikely since the break in the schedule would hold him out past the trade deadline.

He’ll be replaced in the lineup by winger Cole Reinhardt, who Ottawa recalled from AHL Belleville on Sunday. Ridly Greig will shift to the middle to center Batherson and Perron tonight against the Predators.

Feb. 2nd: The Ottawa Senators have assigned goaltender Leevi Merilainen back to the minor leagues. This seems to be an indication that top goaltender Linus Ullmark is nearing a return from his long-term injury, as pointed out by TSN’s Bruce Garrioch. The NHL media site shows that Ullmark has been activated from long-term injured reserve. Ullmark has missed the team’s last 18 games with a back injury. Ottawa’s visit to Nashville on Monday could be his first game back.

Merilainen performed incredibly well in relief of Ullmark. He served as the team’s backup behind Anton Forsberg, but still appeared in 12 games and posted a dazzling 8-3-1 record and .925 save percentage. Should he not play in any more NHL games this season, Merilainen’s .925 would tie for the sixth-highest a Senators goaltender has ever recorded in a minimum of 10 games. Above him are three Craig Anderson seasons, and flash-in-the-pan years from Andrew Hammond and Robin Lehner. Ron Tugnutt (1998-99) and Dominik Hasek (2005-06) each posted .925 save percentages in 43 games of their own.

That’s certainly welcome company for Merilainen, who will now take his red hot play back to the minor leagues. He served as the Belleville Senators’ clear starter to begin the year, posting a 7-2-4 record and .901 save percentage through 13 games before his call-up. That still stands as the winningest record and highest save percentage on the AHL Senators, who have turned towards a rotation of goaltenders to fill Merilainen’s role. Malcolm Subban has been their more prominent fixture – playing in 11 games – though Michael Simpson, Mads Sogaard, and Mark Sinclair have each received their own shots at the AHL crease. All four fill-ins have posted save percentages below .890 – or in Sogaard’s case, below .860. Those numbers set Merilainen up for clear control of the Belleville crease upon his return – and continued strong play could force the NHL Senators to soon reconsider their choice of backup.

Ullmark will be rushed back to the NHL starting role in much the same way. The Senators have struggled immensely to find a consistent goaltender, and made a brazen move to acquire the former Vezina Trophy this summer. Aside from the long-term injury, the move has paid dividends extremely quickly. Ullmark recorded a 12-7-2 record and .915 save percentages in 23 games before getting hurt. After plenty of speculation around how he’d translate to a tougher environment, Ullmark has looked every ounce of cool, calm, and collected for the duration of his Senators tenure. This return from injury will give him a chance to continue that streak, and ramp up the Senators’ 7-2-1 hot streak over their last 10 games.