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Ottawa Senators Sign Jiří Smejkal To Entry-Level Contract

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The Ottawa Senators announced the signing of undrafted Czech forward Jiří Smejkal to a one-year, entry-level contract Friday morning. The 26-year-old, who spent the last seven seasons playing in top professional leagues around Europe, brings an intriguing mix of size and skill to the Senators organization.

Smejkal, who stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 223 pounds, could crack the Senators’ bottom six out of training camp next season. In the release announcing the news, general manager Pierre Dorion expressed excitement about the impact Smejkal could have on the team.

Jiří’s signing is a good addition for us; it improves our depth and provides us with an additional bottom-six option at forward. He’s a big body who’s strong with previous experience playing in North America which should help his transition to a rink with smaller dimensions. We’re pleased that he’s committed to the Senators for the next step in his career.

The North American experience Dorion is referencing came in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, when Smejkal played junior hockey with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors and Kamloops Blazers. In 130 games, he recorded 17 goals and 42 assists for 59 points, 102 penalty minutes, and a -25 rating.

In the past two seasons, Smekjal was a standout performer in the Finnish Liiga with Pelicans and in the SHL with IK Oskarshamn, where he recorded a combined 48 goals and 40 assists for 93 points across the two leagues. He also represented Czechia at the 2021 and 2022 IIHF Men’s World Championships, registering three goals and four assists in 18 games.

While Smejkal’s recent goal-scoring production is impressive, his size and physicality could be even more valuable to the Senators in a checking role. With his ability to play a power-forward style of game, he could provide a needed presence in front of the net and in board battles. His point production overseas suggests he’ll bring enough offensive IQ to avoid being a liability on the ice.

Smejkal, who can play left wing and center, is a classic low-risk, high-reward acquisition, especially at a one-year term. Per CapFriendly, Smejkal will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024.

Snapshots: Gaudreau, Jonsson-Fjallby, Bell

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The Minnesota Wild were eliminated in the first round of the postseason and have now revealed what injuries their players were dealing with in the playoffs. According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, forward Frederick Gaudreau has been dealing with a significant abdominal injury and will require surgery. The injury has been nagging him for four months and he continued to play through it, but will now have surgery to repair the damage.

Gaudreau played all 82 regular season games and all of the team’s six playoff games, so the injury did not take him out of the team’s lineup. The 30-year-old forward scored 19 goals and 38 points for the Wild, adding some depth scoring and playing a gritty, defensively responsible role as well. He added three goals in six postseason contests as well. After proving his value this season, Gaudreau signed a five-year contract extension last month that kicks in next season and has a $2.1MM cap hit.

  • While Gaudreau was locked up by his team, one play that is now eligible to hit the open market is Winnipeg Jets forward Alex Jonsson-Fjallby. As capfriendly.com reports, the 25 year old will become a Group 6 UFA because of his age, and career games played. Had the Swedish winger played 75 career games before the end of this season, he would have retained RFA status and remained property of the Jets. He finished this season with 74 career games played.
  • The Belleville Senators have announced their new head coach. Per a team release, David Bell will take over behind the bench and becomes the third head coach in franchise history. The 46 year old was the team’s interim head coach since February 2, but was officially named the future bench boss for the 2023-24 season this week. He had been the team’s assistant coach since 2019 and has been behind the bench of an OHL or AHL team going back to the 2004-05 season.

Latest On Ottawa Senators Sale

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As the process of selling the Ottawa Senators nears completion, an unexpected name has reportedly entered the heated bidding war for the team. Ian Mendes of The Athletic reported Monday morning that iconic artist Snoop Dogg has aligned with a Los Angeles-based bid to purchase the team, competing with another celebrity-backed bid with Ryan Reynolds.

The process of selling the Senators franchise began after longtime owner Eugene Melnyk passed away in March of last year. Reynolds has been connected to the team’s sale all throughout the process, but Snoop Dogg’s name is a late and unexpected addition to ownership rumors.

Joining a group led by American entrepreneur Neko Sparks, Mendes reports Snoop’s potential involvement with the team focuses on “using his celebrity power and status to amplify and grow the Ottawa Senators brand,” potentially drawing multiple other celebrities into the fray. Mendes also reports the 51-year-old is “intrigued by the possibility of growing and marketing hockey to families from diverse backgrounds in the Ottawa area — and beyond — who haven’t necessarily been targeted by the sport in the past.”

It would certainly be a new and unique look for NHL ownership, one that some would argue is desperately needed. Mendes said that the group led by Sparks isn’t intimidated by rumors of a potential sale price of $1 billion and could become a serious player in sale negotiations.

Also of note to Senators fans, Mendes reports that longtime NHL Swedish defenseman Mattias Norström is consulting with the Sparks group on the transaction, paving the way for former Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson to take a significant role in the team’s hockey operations department.

Ryan Reynolds Group Preparing Huge Bid For Ottawa Senators

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Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch is reporting that the Remington Group led by Ryan Reynolds and real estate tycoon Christopher Bratty are preparing a billion-dollar bid in hopes of purchasing the Ottawa Senators. The Markham based group has apparently ramped up their attempts to secure the team as well as the Canadian Tire Centre, the Senators current arena in suburban Ottawa. This past Sunday Postmedia reported that the organization hired by the Melnyk family to sell the team had set a May 15 deadline for the final bids.

Sources have said that Reynolds and Bratty would like to close this deal sooner than later, and their actions would certainly echo that. They have already met with the National Capital Commission to discuss development of a downtown arena and entertainment district, and even met with Ottawa mayor Mark Sutcliffe. The mayor had concerns about the re-development of the 75 acres of land that houses the Senators current home arena, but it is believed that The Remington Group would be prepared to find new purposes for the land in Kanata.

The NHL has been upfront about the fact that they would like to see Ryan Reynolds involved with whatever ownership group should emerge. But one would have to think that if the latest reports are true the Remington Group must be the favorite to land the club. Reynolds is Canadian and would bring international attention to a club that has had issues attracting attention within the city it plays in. The Deadpool actor also has a bit of a track record with sports ownership, having purchased Wrexham FC in February 2021, and leading the club to plenty of early success.

While Reynolds and company are the front runners, there is plenty of interest from other groups with deep pockets and experience in sports franchise ownership. One of the most notable would-be Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé, the owner of the NBA club surprised a lot of people two weeks ago when he made an unexpected visit to Canada’s capital city.

NHL Announces 2023 Global Series

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The NHL is heading back to Europe, sending four teams to Sweden for the 2023 Global Series games. The Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Minnesota Wild will play a total of four games in mid-November.

The games will take place in Stockholm, Sweden, a city that has hosted more NHL games than any other outside of North America. The four matches will be:

  • November 16: Red Wings vs. Senators
  • November 17: Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings
  • November 18: Wild vs. Senators
  • November 19: Maple Leafs vs. Wild

The four teams have several Swedish-born stars on their current rosters and long franchise ties to the country. Hall of Fame former players like Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Mats Sundin, Daniel Alfredsson, and Borje Salming will certainly be represented in the sea of NHL sweaters, while current names like Jonas Brodin, Joel Eriksson Ek, Filip Gustavsson, Lucas Raymond, and William Nylander will surely wow the crowds.

The games will be played at Avicii Arena, the famous Globe that regularly holds some of Sweden’s largest events.

Final Bids For Senators Due In Mid-May

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  • Things have largely been quiet lately when it comes to the sale of the Senators but Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that it looks like final offers will be required by mid-May. At that time, the seven groups will have had to submit paperwork outlining proof of financing.  Expectations are that the club will sell for at least $800MM based on the strong interest in the franchise.

Ottawa Senators Want To Sign Alex DeBrincat To Extension

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Postmedia hockey columnist Bruce Garrioch tweeted today that the Ottawa Senators would like to sign Alex DeBrincat to a long-term deal, but they aren’t sure if he wants to stay. For his part, DeBrincat has been non-committal but did tell Garrioch today that he’d let the Senators know his intentions before the draft. Garrioch added that it is believed that DeBrincat would like to see where the Senators ownership situation goes before signing any long-term contract extension.

It makes sense from DeBrincat’s perspective to take a wait and see approach. He has put himself in a position to take a $9MM qualifying offer from Ottawa and then cash in next summer with any team of his choosing. For him to sign right now would mean he would be committing himself for the near future without knowing who will be signing his cheques.

DeBrincat had a steady, but unspectacular first year in Ottawa. He had 27 goals and 39 assists in 82 games, but nearly half of his production came on the power play. DeBrincat managed only 36 even strength points, a sharp drop from the 50 even strength points he produced in his last season in Chicago. DeBrincat also didn’t have great possession numbers at five on five and seemed to struggle without the benefits of the man advantage.

While it is not unusual for a player to struggle in his first season with a new club, it must give the Ottawa Senators some reservations about committing to another $8MM player. The Senators already have Thomas Chabot, Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle and Joshua Norris signed to contracts around that mark, with Jake Sanderson due an extension next summer. Adding a long term DeBrincat contract to the ledger could leave the Senators with precious little cap space to shore up their goaltending, or fix their bottom six, something general manager Pierre Dorion has talked about improving.

Ottawa Senators Will Not Re-Sign Cam Talbot

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The Ottawa Senators will not re-sign pending unrestricted free agent goalie Cam Talbot, general manager Pierre Dorion told reporters today.

Ottawa acquired Talbot in an off-season trade with the Minnesota Wild, parting with breakout star Filip Gustavsson in return. He played in 36 games during a tough, injury-plagued season in Ottawa, posting a 17-14-2 record with a 2.93 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage. With his play dipping and his age climbing, the team has opted not to keep him on board for another season.

Dorion said that contract negotiations with Talbot were never close, telling reporters the team was only prepared to offer a one-year extension. Talbot had requested a two-year contract, which Dorion didn’t offer.

With Talbot out of the picture, the Senators will be looking to add a new goaltender to their roster to supplement a hopefully healthy Anton Forsberg and the promising Mads Sogaard. Dorion also said Ottawa will likely explore another goaltender trade in the offseason.

Ottawa’s team save percentage of .895 last season was 20th in the league in 2022-23, a number lessened by injuries at times to both Forsberg and Talbot. To make a playoff appearance next season, goaltending consistency will need to be an area of improvement.

Latest On Josh Norris, Anton Forsberg

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  • As relayed by Sportsnet’s Wayne Scanlan, Ottawa Senators netminder Anton Forsberg is doing well in his recovery from his season-ending injury and will be back on the ice by July. Forsberg suffered a torn MCL in February, which ended his season. The 30-year-old signed a contract extension to remain a Senator last summer and should be expected to remain in the team’s offseason plans for its crease, assuming his recovery continues to move in the right direction.
  • Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports word from Senators center Josh Norris that the 23-year-old’s shoulder is feeling good and that he expects to be back on the ice in the next month. Norris played just eight games this season due to a shoulder injury. It was initially reported that Norris would not need surgery, and the optimism that he could return peaked when he was activated and played three games in January. Norris did ultimately need to undergo shoulder surgery, though, and the operation ended his season. That means that 2022-23 ended up a lost season for Norris, who scored 35 goals and 55 points in 2021-22.

Senators Notes: DeBrincat, Holden, Smith, Watson, Hamonic

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With the Ottawa Senators’ post-season press conference occurring this morning, many players gave insights into their futures with the team. The most followed offseason storyline will undoubtedly be Alex DeBrincat, as the 25-year-old gifted sniper is a restricted free agent come July 1. The Michigan-born winger told reporters this morning he’d be “open” to a long-term extension but also noted he wants to take a few months to discuss his future with his agent and his family.

DeBrincat is due a $9MM qualifying offer this summer thanks to the backloaded structure of his previous contract, a three-year deal signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019. If Ottawa and DeBrincat reach a long-term extension, the number wouldn’t seem likely to be much higher (if any higher at all) than that. DeBrincat took a step back offensively during his first season with the Senators, recording 66 points in 82 games after hovering at a point-per-game pace during the previous two seasons.

More from the Senators news cycle this morning:

  • The team has informed defenseman Nick Holden he won’t be back next season, says Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Holden told reporters this morning he plans to test free agency after completing the 10th full season of his NHL career. The 35-year-old played 141 games with the Senators after Ottawa acquired him via trade in 2021, recording seven goals and 28 assists for 35 points while averaging 18:24 per game. With the emergence of rookie Jake Sanderson and the late-season addition of Jakob Chychrun, there was little opportunity remaining for Holden in Ottawa after his role decreased significantly this season.
  • Garrioch also says to expect Senators head coach D.J. Smith to join Team Canada’s coaching staff for the upcoming IIHF Men’s World Championship. This will be two years in a row for Smith on the national team’s coaching staff, also serving as an assistant at last year’s tournament. Before that, Smith’s only international coaching experience with Canada came as an assistant at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup.
  • Forward Austin Watson says he played games in March on a broken foot before the team shut him down for the season last week. The 31-year-old grinder amassed nine goals but just two assists in 75 games this season. Watson, an unrestricted free agent this summer, also told reporters “the door isn’t closed” on a reunion with the Senators, although the multi-year contract he desires may not be palatable to the team given his career trajectory.
  • Defender Travis Hamonic clarified that his season-ending injury sustained at the end of March was a knee issue, and he would have attempted a return if Ottawa made it to the playoffs. Hamonic, who is also a pending UFA, finished fourth in scoring among Senators defenders with 21 points in 75 games and recorded a -5 rating.

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