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Senators Claim Boris Katchouk Off Waivers

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The Ottawa Senators have claimed forward Boris Katchouk off of waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks. Katchouk has been with the Hawks for the last three seasons, totaling 117 games and 26 points with the club.

Katchouk has largely served in a full-time NHL role since making his debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021-22, playing in just nine AHL games since. That includes six games with the Rockford IceHogs this season, where Katchouk has scored three goals and five points. But while he’s stayed on an NHL roster, his role hasn’t grown much – with Katchouk regularly rotating into the lineup as a depth winger. He’s totaled 155 career games over the last three seasons, averaging just under 11-and-a-half minutes each game and scoring a total of 32 points.

Katchouk will now join a Senators lineup that recently traded winger Vladimir Tarasenko, forcing them to rely on call-up Jiri Smejkal to fill their fourth line. Smejkal has managed just one assist in 10 games this season, adding 19 points in 39 AHL games. It’s his first year in North America, after spending the last seven years touring across Europe’s top leagues, playing in the KHL, Czechia Extraliga, Liiga, and SHL. He’s proven productive in every league, though he hasn’t yet found his scoring groove in Canada. Some healthy competition could be exactly what he needs, now battling with an experienced depth forward in Katchouk.

Sens Seeking Second-Round Pick For Brannstrom

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One player that the Senators have been believed to have been shopping is defenseman Erik Brannstrom.  Ottawa has placed a fairly high asking price on his services, however, as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the team is seeking a second-round pick for the 24-year-old. Playing time has been difficult to come by for Brannstrom this season as he’s averaging under 16 minutes a night through 55 games where he has just three goals and ten assists.  Owed a $2MM qualifying offer in June, Brannstrom could be a potential non-tender candidate for the Sens which means it wouldn’t be surprising if the asking price comes down today, ensuring they get something for a player they could very well lose for nothing in three months.

Senators Still Trying To Move Chychrun

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  • One defenseman who has seen his name pop up in trade speculation for the last few seasons is Jakob Chychrun of the Ottawa Senators. Although it appeared that Chychrun had finally found a long-term home in Ottawa, the new front office does not seem as convinced. TSN’s Bruce Garrioch is reporting that although nothing is imminent on the Chychrun front, General Manager Steve Staios continues to work the phones regarding a Chychrun deal.

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Ottawa Senators Announce Multiple Roster Moves

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6:00 PM: The Ottawa Senators have recalled forward Jiri Smejkal and defenseman Max Guenette. The pair will serve as fill-ins for the injured Matthew Highmore and Thomas Chabot, who are bearing with a lower-body and upper-body injury respectively. Ottawa has also sent goaltender Mads Sogaard to the minors.

Panthers Acquire Vladimir Tarasenko From Senators

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11:33 a.m.: The Senators confirmed the trade and all its parts in a team release Wednesday morning.

10:45 a.m.: The Panthers are nearing a deal to acquire pending UFA winger Vladimir Tarasenko from the Senators, according to reports from Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Florida is sending a 2025 third-round pick and a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick to Ottawa, who retains 50% of Tarasenko’s $5MM cap hit, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. The 2024 fourth-rounder will upgrade to a 2026 third-round pick if the Panthers win the Stanley Cup.

Since no roster players are being sent back to the Sens, the Panthers must place a player on waivers and assign them a non-roster designation in the interim to create space. They have no open roster spots or waiver-exempt players to assign to AHL Charlotte. Swallowing Tarasenko’s reduced $2.5MM cap hit still leaves Florida with roughly $3.2MM in space ahead of Friday’s trade deadline.

Tarasenko joins his fourth team in the past two seasons and, based on previous reporting from Garrioch, ends up in his preferred destination. The 32-year-old has complete no-trade protection as part of the one-year deal he signed with Ottawa last summer, which he waived to approve the move to Florida.

In acquiring Tarasenko, Panthers GM Bill Zito addresses his squad’s most significant need on paper – another winger to ride shotgun with Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk. 30-year-old Nick Cousins, who has just five goals and 10 points in 51 games, has been shouldering top-six minutes with Anton Lundell and Evan Rodrigues finding chemistry together on Florida’s third line.

The defending Eastern Conference champions are now deeper than ever, adding Tarasenko’s 17 goals and 41 points this season to an offense that already ranked eighth in goals per game. Even his middle-of-the-pack possession metrics should be an improvement over the struggling Cousins, who’s hurt both the Bennett and Lundell lines, per MoneyPuck. When flanked by Carter Verhaeghe, Bennett and Tkachuk have controlled 60.4% of expected goals compared to 51.8% with Cousins.

It’s likely not the return the Sens wanted for their highest-value rental, especially with salary retention included. The extent to which Tarasenko’s no-trade clause limited Sens GM Steve Staios’ options for a return is unknown. Two draft picks are better than none, though, and there was little reason for Ottawa to hold onto Tarasenko with the playoffs out of reach for a franchise-record seventh straight season.

Tarasenko’s absence should translate to an uptick in ice time for 21-year-old Ridly Greig, who’s averaged under 15 minutes per game, down the stretch. He’s been one of the Sens’ bright spots this season, posting a team-high +17 rating along with nine goals and 21 points in 49 games. Tarasenko’s most common spot alongside Drake Batherson and Tim Stützle will be filled by another veteran in Claude Giroux, at least out of the gate.

By retaining $2.5MM of Tarasenko’s cap hit, the Sens remain over the $83.5MM Upper Limit, requiring Joshua Norris’ $7.95MM cap hit on LTIR to stay compliant. He remains out indefinitely with an upper-body injury potentially related to the shoulder problems that sidelined him for nearly all of 2022-23.

Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest was the first to report that two draft picks were heading from the Panthers to the Senators.

Senators Expected To Scratch Vladimir Tarasenko For Trade-Related Reasons

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The Senators will likely scratch pending UFA winger Vladimir Tarasenko for trade-related reasons Wednesday against the Ducks, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports. Ottawa recalled winger Matthew Highmore from AHL Belleville in a corresponding transaction, a team announcement states.

In recent days, Tarasenko has generated interest from multiple teams. The Bruins, Oilers, Golden Knights, Hurricanes, Panthers, and Rangers have all inquired about picking him up before Friday’s trade deadline, Garrioch said Monday.

His one-year, $5MM contract contains a no-trade clause, so he can block a trade to any team he chooses. Per Garrioch, Tarasenko reportedly prefers the defending Eastern Conference champion Panthers as his post-deadline home, but it doesn’t appear he’ll force his way into a move to South Florida if another contender serves up an offer more to Sens GM Steve Staios’ liking.

Tarasenko, 32, has picked things up after a slow start in the Canadian capital, posting 17 goals, 24 assists and 41 points in 57 games. His 0.72 points per game matches last season’s rate split between the Blues and Rangers, albeit in a little less ice time. Tarasenko’s averaging 16:03 per game, his lowest usage in 10 years.

Interestingly, he’s been a much-improved player at controlling possession quality from his later days in St. Louis. He has a 0.2 expected rating, his first time in the black in an entire season since winning the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019.

As such, Ottawa will follow in the footsteps of the Kraken (Alexander Wennberg) and Coyotes (Jason Zucker) and scratch their most likely trade asset to avoid a pre-deadline injury. Tarasenko, who has four points in his last four games, will be a scratch for the first time since taking a brief personal leave in December.

He’ll be replaced in the lineup by the 28-year-old Highmore, who comes up from Belleville for the third time this season. The Nova Scotia-born winger made six appearances for the Sens in November and December, recording an assist, a -1 rating and one shot on goal while averaging a career-low 7:59 per game.

The former Blackhawks, Blues and Canucks depth forward is in his first season in Ottawa after inking a one-year, two-way deal ($775K NHL/$400K AHL) on July 1 last year. He’s spent most of the year with Belleville, scoring nine goals and adding 20 assists for 29 points in 40 games. It’s a significant step back from last year’s minor-league showing when he posted 61 points in 68 games with St. Louis’ affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.

As long as Highmore’s recall lasts under 10 days and sees him play four games or less, he won’t need waivers to return to the B-Sens. He’ll likely factor in on Ottawa’s fourth line tonight with Mark Kastelic and Parker Kelly. Zack MacEwen, who was quietly moved to injured reserve yesterday, per CapFriendly, is out with a lower-body injury.

Senators Recall Rourke Chartier

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The Senators recalled forward Rourke Chartier from AHL Belleville on Tuesday, according to a team announcement.

Chartier’s recall signals that either bottom-six grinder Zack MacEwen or captain Brady Tkachuk will be unavailable for tomorrow’s game in Anaheim. MacEwen sustained a lower-body injury in the first period of Saturday’s loss to the Flyers, while Tkachuk is listed as day to day with an upper-body injury and could miss his second game in a row.

Injuries continue to hamstring the Senators, who remain in last place in the Atlantic Division with a 25-31-3 record. Anton Forsberg’s lower-body injury and Joonas Korpisalo’s illness forced them to dress their third and fourth-string goalies, Mads Søgaard and Leevi Merilainen, against Philadelphia. Top-six center Joshua Norris remains on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury. He has no timeline for a return, while veteran depth blue liner Travis Hamonic is on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury and is listed as week to week.

With Norris’ $7.95MM cap hit on LTIR, the Senators could make an additional recall before tomorrow’s game if MacEwen and Tkachuk are ruled out. Even after recalling Chartier, both absences would leave Ottawa with 17 skaters available against the Ducks.

Chartier, 27, has appeared in a career-high 34 games with the Sens this season, scoring twice and adding an assist. Initially joining the organization on an AHL contract in 2021 and inking an NHL deal the following season, he signed a one-year, two-way contract ($775K NHL/$300K AHL) to stay in Ottawa after briefly reaching unrestricted free agency last summer.

The 2014 fifth-round pick of the Sharks has not suited up for the Sens since a 4-3 overtime win over the Predators on Jan. 29. The following day, he was placed on waivers and subsequently assigned to Belleville for the first time this season. He’s impressed in the minors since his demotion, scoring seven goals and adding three assists for 10 points in 12 games while posting a -1 rating and staying out of the penalty box entirely.

Unfortunately for Ottawa, he hasn’t shown that level of offensive competence in the majors. He averaged more ice time in the NHL than you’d expect from his production – nearly 11 minutes per game – and had a mediocre 46.7 Corsi-for percentage at even strength with a -0.2 expected rating. The Senators have struggled to staff their fourth line with impact players for multiple seasons, and Chartier hasn’t been an anomaly.

The Saskatchewan native will be a UFA this summer. He may remain on the Senators’ roster for up to 30 days or play in up to 10 games before he requires waivers to head back to Belleville.

Senators Receiving Strong Interest In Vladimir Tarasenko

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Senators winger Vladimir Tarasenko is widely expected to be on the move in the next few days with Ottawa well out of playoff contention.  It appears there are several suitors for his services as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the Panthers, Hurricanes, Bruins, Rangers, Golden Knights, and Oilers are among the teams who have inquired about him with Florida being high on Tarasenko’s preferred list of options.

The 32-year-old has had a solid season with Ottawa, his first with them after signing a one-year, $5MM deal in free agency.  Tarasenko has 17 goals and 24 assists in 57 games so far, good for fifth on the team in scoring.  Notably, he’s putting up those numbers with a bit less playing time than usual; his 16:03 is his lowest ATOI since his sophomore campaign back in 2013-14.  Assuming Ottawa is willing to pay the contract down by the maximum of 50%, they’ll be well-positioned to land a quality return.

According to Garrioch, the return Sens GM Steve Staios is looking for a two-piece return in exchange for Tarasenko.  One is a second-round pick and the other is a prospect.

There are two things worth noting on Tarasenko’s side.  First is that he has full trade protection which means he has to sign off on wherever he’s going.  The second is that he recently switched agents for the second time in less than a year, leading to speculation that he might want a contract extension as part of any swap to avoid what happened back in July when teams didn’t meet his initial asking price which is how he landed with Ottawa on a one-year fall-back deal.

Some of the above potential suitors would be hard-pressed to fit an extension for Tarasenko onto their books with their cap flexibility being limited to the final six weeks of this season, not next.  If that’s the case, that could certainly whittle down the list of potential suitors in a hurry unless some of those teams decide to do that now and figure out how to make the fit work on the cap down the road.

A year ago, Tarasenko was viewed as one of the big fish heading into the deadline, resulting in the Rangers giving up a first-round pick to add him (and Niko Mikkola) for the stretch run.  He isn’t quite in that territory this time around but for a team looking to add some secondary scoring, Tarasenko, a veteran of 97 career playoff appearances, could certainly be an impactful addition for a postseason contender.

Atlantic Notes: Tkachuk, Gadjovich, Johnson, Liljegren

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The Ottawa Senators have announced that team captain Brady Tkachuk will miss the team’s Saturday night game with an upper-body injury. This announcement came just over 20 minutes before game time. The nature of the injury isn’t clear, though Tkachuk did leave the team’s Friday night game early after colliding with Arizona Coyotes forward Liam O’Brien early in the third period. He managed roughly 19 minutes of ice time, six hits, and a +2 before exiting.

Tkachuk has been a major contributor this season, leading the team in goals with 26 and ranked third in points with 50. He’s also recorded 104 penalty minutes on the year – one of just three NHL players to cross the century mark in penalty minutes, with O’Brien leading the league in that category. Ottawa is not currently carrying an extra forward, likely meaning they’ll play Saturday down a player – which would make them eligible for an emergency call-up after the game. Rourke Chartier has served as the team’s de facto recall this season, playing in 34 NHL games and scoring three points, though he’s one of five different Belleville Senators forwards to play with Ottawa this season.

Other notes around the Division:

  • Florida Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich is expected to return when the team visits the New York Rangers on Monday, per the team’s Senior Digital Content Manager Jameson Olive. Olive describes Gadjovich’s injury as “minor”. Gadjovich also sat out of Florida’s Thursday night win over the Montreal Canadiens. He’s recorded four points, split evenly, and 90 penalty minutes in 31 games this season.
  • Buffalo Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson will continue to sit out of the lineup with illness, per Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News. Johnson also missed Buffalo’s Thursday night game, after being a surprise absentee from the team’s practice. He’s appeared in 50 games this season, with three goals marking his only scoring. Johnson is in the 16th season of his career, totaling 970 games and 340 points in the league.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren will be a game-time decision on Saturday, per TSN’s Mark Masters. The 24-year-old defenseman took part in the team’s practice on Saturday, making progress from an undisclosed injury that’s held him out of the team’s last two games. He has 16 points in 40 games this season.

Senators Recall Max Guenette And Leevi Merilainen

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The Senators have made a pair of roster moves in advance of their game tonight against Philadelphia, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Max Guenette and goaltender Leevi Merilainen from AHL Belleville.

Guenette’s recall is a bit of a surprise since the Sens had all six of their defensemen get through last night’s game without an issue so it appears Guenette is up for injury insurance purposes with Travis Hamonic listed as out week-to-week.  The 22-year-old has made one appearance in Ottawa this season and has spent most of the season in Belleville where he has 29 points in 48 games.

As for Merilainen, it also might seem a bit surprising that a second goalie was recalled.  Joonas Korpisalo was a late scratch on Friday due to illness, resulting in the Sens not dressing a backup goalie until Mads Sogaard arrived.  But with Anton Forsberg being banged up last night and not traveling with the team, another netminder was needed.  Merilainen has split the season between two minor leagues, putting up a .904 SV% in 16 AHL games and a .926 mark in 13 ECHL appearances.

With the two promotions, Ottawa’s roster is now at the maximum of 23 players.  Meanwhile, cap space isn’t an issue for them in the short term following Friday’s placement of Josh Norris on LTIR so they can afford to carry a full-sized roster, a luxury they haven’t had for most of the season.

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