With training camps now less than two weeks away from beginning, Senators center Shane Pinto is one of the nine remaining restricted free agents across the league. However, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays that while the sides are hopeful that a deal can be reached by the start of camp, they are not particularly close to an agreement. The 22-year-old is coming off his first full NHL campaign and it was a productive one as he posted 20 goals and 15 assists in 82 games while logging nearly 16 minutes a night in ice time. It’s worth noting that Ottawa’s cap situation is particularly tight as CapFriendly puts them with less than $900K in room. Even on a one-year agreement to keep the AAV as low as possible, Pinto should be earning a fair bit more than that. Once a deal eventually gets reached, GM Pierre Dorion will have some work to do to open up some cap space.
Senators Rumors
2009 NHL Draft Take Two: Ninth Overall Pick
Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.
We’re looking back at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now. Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?
The results of our redraft so far are as follows, with their original draft position in parentheses:
1st Overall: Victor Hedman, New York Islanders (2)
2nd Overall: John Tavares, Tampa Bay Lightning (1)
3rd Overall: Ryan O’Reilly, Colorado Avalanche (33)
4th Overall: Matt Duchene, Atlanta Thrashers (3)
5th Overall: Chris Kreider, Los Angeles Kings (19)
6th Overall: Nazem Kadri, Phoenix Coyotes (7)
7th Overall: Mattias Ekholm, Toronto Maple Leafs (102)
8th Overall: Evander Kane, Dallas Stars (4)
With Dallas originally taking Scott Glennie at the eighth spot, this selection certainly represents a significant improvement in outcomes for the Stars with 31.5% of the votes from our readers going to the power forward. That was twice as many votes as the next-highest player.
Kane was originally drafted fourth overall by Atlanta after a dominant showing with WHL Vancouver and they moved him right to the NHL. While it took him some to adjust to playing at the top level, his third season was a breakout campaign as he picked up 57 points in the franchise’s first season with Winnipeg. To date, that is his career-best in a single season.
However, Kane wasn’t without controversy during his time with the Jets and he later admitted that he requested a trade basically every offseason. Eventually, that request was granted – while he was on the injured list, no less – as Winnipeg moved him to Buffalo in February of 2015 in what some would call a blockbuster move at the time. Zach Bogosian also went to the Sabres as part of the swap with Tyler Myers, Joel Armia, Drew Stafford, Brendan Lemieux, and a first-round pick all coming to Winnipeg.
Things weren’t much better for Kane in Buffalo. The injury struggles continued while he produced at close to the same level as he did with the Jets. With his contract coming to an end in 2018 and the Sabres out of contention, he was moved to San Jose at the trade deadline.
This time, the change of scenery helped as Kane played well enough down the stretch and in the playoffs to earn a seven-year, $49MM contract. In his first two full seasons with the team, he had 56 goals and it looked like he had found a long-term home.
However, he didn’t make it past the halfway point of the deal. The relationship between Kane and the Sharks soured amid off-ice allegations that were investigated by the league and found to be unsubstantiated. Then, Kane submitted a fake vaccination card in 2020, resulting in a 21-game suspension and an immediate assignment to the AHL upon its conclusion. Two months later, they terminated the contract, citing a breach of contract and failure to adhere to COVID protocols. Kane and the NHLPA filed a grievance which was settled last September.
In the meantime, Kane caught on with Edmonton in 2022 and was quite productive down the stretch with 39 points in 43 games, earning himself a new four-year deal that still has three years remaining. Injuries limited him to just 41 regular season games in 2022-23 but he was still an important part of their top six and projects to be in that role for the foreseeable future.
Now, we move on to the ninth selection, which was held by the Ottawa Senators. They initially took Jared Cowen out of WHL Spokane but he was only able to hold on to a depth role for a handful of years before calling it a career in 2016. Clearly, he isn’t the best option available in our redraft. Who is? Make your selection for the Sens below.
If you can’t access the poll above, click here to vote.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Anton Forsberg Fully Recovered, Ready For Training Camp
Ottawa Senators goaltender Anton Forsberg is geared up for the upcoming training camp, telling The Athletic’s Ian Mendes he’s fully recovered from a double MCL tear sustained during a goalmouth collision in February.
NHL Executive Committee Approves Senators Sale To Michael Andlauer
One more hurdle has been cleared as the sale of the Senators nears a formal conclusion. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Michael Andlauer met with the NHL’s Executive Committee and has been given the green light to finalize his purchase of the team for a reported $950MM. Andlauer’s bid was the winning one in a long process that concluded back in mid-June.
A source tells Garrioch that the transaction is likely to be completed in the next few days. From there, it will then go to a vote of the Board of Governors who must have a vote of two-thirds approval to formally ratify the transaction. At this point, there is little reason to think they won’t give the green light to the transaction.
Andlauer is well-known to the Board as he already is an alternate representative of the Canadiens as he presently owns a 10% share of the team. Garrioch notes that Andlauer is hoping to complete a sale of that chunk of the team to majority owner Geoff Molson (who sits on the Executive Committee) soon. However, if an agreement can’t be reached on that front, Andlauer’s portion would then be placed into a trust.
Andlauer won’t be buying the team outright as his bid has several partners. Those include Anna and Olivia Melnyk (who will retain a 10% stake), local businessman Jeff York (whose portion has more than 20 local investors), the Ottawa real estate-based Malhotra family, Toronto-based investment group Yorkville Asset Management, Paul and Michael Paletta of Burlington-based Alinea Group holdings, and OHL Oshawa owner Rocco Tullio.
Once the sale is made official, the Sens are expected to bring back long-time executive Cyril Leeder who is likely to replace Anthony LeBlanc who resigned as president of business operations last month. Meanwhile, there have been discussions for franchise icon Daniel Alfredsson to return to the franchise in some capacity.
While it still might be another couple of weeks before everything is made official (in terms of the transaction being completed and then ratified by the Board of Directors), it appears that this long sale process following the death of long-time owner Eugene Melnyk is about to come to a conclusion.
Senators Notes: Pinto, Arena, Korpisalo
There doesn’t appear to have been progress on contract talks between the Ottawa Senators and restricted free agent forward Shane Pinto, says The Athletic’s Ian Mendes. Pinto’s agent, Lewis Gross, declined to comment when Mendes reached out to him for an update last week, and Mendes anticipates “radio silence” in the near future. While the Senators would certainly love to have Pinto under contract when training camps kick off a month from today, they technically have until December 1 to sign Pinto to a deal for him to maintain eligibility to play in the NHL this season.
Drafted 32nd overall in 2019, Pinto’s stock rose sharply this season after he shouldered some top-six minutes at times with Joshua Norris limited to just eight games with a shoulder injury. That being said, his production didn’t jump off the page. He did score 20 goals, finishing sixth on the team, but he added just 15 assists to finish with 35 points in 82 games. He likely won’t command a significant number on a short-term extension, but anything above the league minimum is incredibly tough for the Senators to make work at the moment. After signing Vladimir Tarasenko to a one-year, $5MM pact earlier this month, CapFriendly projects the Senators with just $895K assuming a bare-minimum roster of 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
More on the Sens:
- Mendes also mentioned another area of interest for Senators fans, the status of a potential new arena, which remains in flux with Michael Andlauer set to take over as the team’s majority owner. Ottawa mayor Mark Sutcliffe had spoken to Mendes earlier in the summer, referencing a Canadian Department of National Defense building downtown as another potential site as compared to the long-rumored LeBreton Flats plot. However, with the government’s lease on the building slated to run through 2035, construction could take quite a while to start before the Sens see their new home. That’s not to say a solution won’t be found sooner, but Mendes believes Andlauer’s initial priorities will lie with the team on the ice, putting discussions on a new, more centrally located home on the back burner for the time being.
- Free agent addition Joonas Korpisalo spoke to NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger over the weekend, saying he’s excited to get to work in Ottawa with an old friend in goalie tandem partner Anton Forsberg. The two netminders have won a pro championship together already, winning the 2016 Calder Cup while members of the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization. Korpisalo arguably had the best season of his career in 2022-23, starting a career-high 37 games while putting up a very respectable .914 save percentage, given he played the majority of the year on a Blue Jackets team with a rather hapless defense thanks to a score of injuries. On a more competitive team in Los Angeles after a late-season trade, Korpisalo excelled with a .921 mark down the stretch. That being said, the five-year, $20MM contract Ottawa signed him to this summer is widely viewed as a serious gamble, and rightly so – Korpisalo has just a .904 career average across more than 200 games of NHL experience and has no experience starting the majority of his team’s games.
Make Or Break Year For The Senators?
- Adam Proteau of The Hockey News writes that he believes both D.J. Smith and Pierre Dorion are on the hot seat for the Ottawa Senators heading into the 2023-24 NHL season. Over the last several years, the Senators have made a serious attempt in transitioning out of their relatively short rebuild, looking to compete at the game’s highest level once again. With aggressive trading, wise approaches at multiple drafts, and bringing in marquee free agents such as Claude Giroux and Vladimir Tarasenko, the team has only inched toward the playoffs, rather than leaped. As the organization transitions to a new principal owner in September, the pressure might be increased on the head coach and General Manager this season.
[SOURCE LINK]
Update On This Year’s August 15 Free Agents
Most NHL free agent business is dealt with in the early summer months. There is one important date later each year, however. August 15 marks the date when NHL teams lose their exclusive signing rights to most college-drafted players if they’ve graduated (or completed without graduating) college and are not yet signed to an entry-level contract.
Earlier this month, we published a list of players slated to hit the UFA market yesterday if not signed to an ELC within the coming days. However, the guidelines the NHL uses to determine a college graduate are some of the most complex sets of rules relating to contractual obligations in pro sports. That means it’s often impossible to glean a full list of players whose rights have expired (or not expired) until after the August 15 deadline has passed.
This year was no different, as CapFriendly issued multiple updates today on their X account regarding the list of August 15 free agents they’d made public earlier in the month. Three players who were slated to expire actually remained on their team’s reserve list: Calgary Flames 2018 fourth-round pick F Demetrios Koumontzis, Ottawa Senators 2018 seventh-round pick F Jakov Novak, and Senators 2018 second-round pick D Jonny Tychonick.
On the flip side, 12 players they expected to remain on teams’ reserve lists hit the free-agent market yesterday. With that in mind, we have a revised, accurate list of players who became unrestricted free agents yesterday. Asterisked players were not originally expected to come off their team’s reserve list.
Anaheim Ducks
*F Trevor Janicke (2019 fifth round, 132nd overall)
Arizona Coyotes
F John Farinacci (2019 third round, 76th overall)
*F Anthony Romano (2019 sixth round, 176th overall)
Boston Bruins
*D Dustyn McFaul (2018 sixth round, 181st overall)
Calgary Flames
*F Joshua Nodler (2019 fifth round, 150th overall)
Carolina Hurricanes
F Kevin Wall (2019 sixth round, 181st overall)
Chicago Blackhawks
F Jake Wise (2018 third round, 69th overall)
Colorado Avalanche
*F Matt Stienburg (2019 third round, 63rd overall)
Columbus Blue Jackets
D Robbie Stucker (2017 seventh round, 210th overall)
Detroit Red Wings
F Robert Mastrosimone (2019 second round, 54th overall)
*F Ethan Phillips (2019 fourth round, 97th overall)
Edmonton Oilers
F Skyler Brind’Amour (2017 sixth round, 177th overall)
Minnesota Wild
*D Marshall Warren (2019 sixth round, 166th overall)
New Jersey Devils
*D Case McCarthy (2019 fourth round, 118th overall)
*F Patrick Moynihan (2019 sixth round, 158th overall)
New York Islanders
D Christian Krygier (2018 seventh round, 196th overall)
F Jacob Pivonka (2018 fourth round, 103rd overall)
New York Rangers
*F Eric Ciccolini (2019 seventh round, 205th overall)
*F Riley Hughes (2018 seventh round, 216th overall)
Ottawa Senators
*F Luke Loheit (2018 seventh round, 194th overall)
Philadelphia Flyers
F Jay O’Brien (2018 first round, 19th overall)
San Jose Sharks
D Arvid Henrikson (2016 seventh round, 187th overall) Originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs
D Ryan O’Connell (2017 seventh round, 203rd overall)
Winnipeg Jets
G Jared Moe (2018 sixth round, 184th overall)
Of the list above, Krygier and Pivonka are remaining in the Islanders organization on confirmed AHL contracts for 2023-24, although they remain eligible to sign with another NHL team should one come calling. All others are either returning to school for 2023-24, have contracts signed in other leagues, or are not signed for next season.
Notably, this is the official confirmation that the Flyers’ exclusive signing rights of O’Brien have lapsed. As compensation for not signing a first-round pick to their entry-level contract, the Flyers will receive a compensatory second-round pick from the league in the 2024 NHL Draft.
2021 Draft Pick Ben Roger Commits To Saint Mary's University
- 2021 Ottawa Senators second-round pick Ben Roger isn’t turning pro after completing his junior career last season, instead opting to join the Canadian university circuit with Saint Mary’s. Ottawa no longer holds the 20-year-old defenseman’s NHL rights after they opted not to issue him an entry-level contract before June 15. Standing at 6-foot-4 and 201 pounds, the Roger selection was always a bit of a gamble given his lack of offensive upside and playing experience at the time of the draft. He lost the entire 2020-21 campaign due to COVID regulations, meaning he lost out on a crucial year of development. He completed his OHL career with 140 games split between the London Knights and Kingston Frontenacs, recording five goals, 27 assists, 32 points, and a -4 rating.
August Free Agency Update: Atlantic Division
As even most mid-tier free agents are now off the market, it’s a good time to look at how each team has fared on the free agent market this offseason. We’re publishing a list of one-way signings (i.e., likelier to start the season on the NHL roster) by team, per division, to keep you updated on NHL player movement since the new league year began on July 1.
Asterisked players denote a restricted free agent. Double-asterisked players denote the contract starts in the 2024-25 season. First up is the Atlantic Division:
Boston Bruins
*G Jeremy Swayman (one year, $3.475MM cap hit)
*F Trent Frederic (two years, $2.3MM cap hit)
F Morgan Geekie (two years, $2MM cap hit)
D Kevin Shattenkirk (one year, $1.05MM cap hit)
F James van Riemsdyk (one year, $1MM cap hit)
F Milan Lucic (one year, 35+ contract, $1MM cap hit)
F Patrick Brown (two years, $800K cap hit)
*D Ian Mitchell (one year, $775K cap hit)
F Jesper Boqvist (one year, $775K cap hit)
Buffalo Sabres
D Connor Clifton (three years, $3.333MM cap hit)
D Erik Johnson (one year, 35+ contract, $3.25MM cap hit)
F Tyson Jost (one year, $2MM cap hit)
Detroit Red Wings
*F Alex DeBrincat (four years, $7.875MM cap hit)
F J.T. Compher (five years, $5.1MM cap hit)
D Shayne Gostisbehere (one year, $4.125MM cap hit)
D Justin Holl (three years, $3.4MM cap hit)
F Klim Kostin (two years, $2MM cap hit)
F Daniel Sprong (one year, $2MM cap hit)
G James Reimer (one year, 35+ contract, $1.5MM cap hit)
F Christian Fischer (one year, $1.125MM cap hit)
D Gustav Lindström (one year, $950K cap hit)
G Alex Lyon (two years, $900K cap hit)
Florida Panthers
F Evan Rodrigues (four years, $3MM cap hit)
**F Eetu Luostarinen (three years, $3MM cap hit)
D Niko Mikkola (three years, $2.5MM cap hit)
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson (one year, $2.25MM cap hit)
G Anthony Stolarz (one year, $1.1MM cap hit)
D Mike Reilly (one year, $1MM cap hit)
D Dmitry Kulikov (one year, $1MM cap hit)
F Kevin Stenlund (one year, $1MM cap hit)
*F Grigori Denisenko (two years, $775K cap hit)
Montreal Canadiens
*F Alex Newhook (four years, $2.9MM cap hit)
*F Rafaël Harvey-Pinard (two years, $1.1MM cap hit)
Ottawa Senators
F Vladimir Tarasenko (one year, $5MM cap hit)
G Joonas Korpisalo (five years, $4MM cap hit)
*D Erik Brännström (one year, $2MM cap hit)
D Travis Hamonic (two years, $1.1MM cap hit)
*D Jacob Bernard-Docker (two years, $805K cap hit)
F Zack MacEwen (three years, $775K cap hit)
Tampa Bay Lightning
*F Tanner Jeannot (two years, $2.665MM cap hit)
F Conor Sheary (three years, $2MM cap hit)
F Josh Archibald (two years, $800K cap hit)
F Luke Glendening (two years, $800K cap hit)
G Jonas Johansson (two years, $775K cap hit)
D Calvin de Haan (one year, $775K cap hit)
Toronto Maple Leafs
F Tyler Bertuzzi (one year, $5.5MM cap hit)
D John Klingberg (one year, $4.15MM cap hit)
*G Ilya Samsonov (one year, $3.55MM cap hit)
F Max Domi (one year, $3MM cap hit)
F Ryan Reaves (three years, 35+ contract, $1.35MM cap hit)
G Martin Jones (one year, $875K cap hit)
F Dylan Gambrell (one year, $775K cap hit)
Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly
Snapshots: Senators, Southeast Rookie Showcase, Makar
The sale of the Ottawa Senators to Toronto billionaire Michael Andlauer is in its final stages, with the $950MM deal set to be completed by next month, according to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The NHL aims to have the agreement signed by the end of this month or early September. Andlauer, 57, is expected to meet with the NHL’s executive committee, led by Gary Bettman and Bill Daly, for approval, followed by a conference call with the NHL’s board of governors which requires a two-thirds majority vote but is expected to be unanimous, says Garrioch. His partners in the deal include Anna and Olivia Melnyk, local businessman Jeff York, the Ottawa real estate-based Malhotra family, Toronto-based investment group Yorkville Asset Management, and others.
Once approved, Andlauer’s ownership of the Senators is expected to be a smooth transition – per Garrioch, he’s kept in continuous contact with Senators governor Sheldon Plener and has kept in touch with Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion throughout the sale process. Garrioch also expects former Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson to have a role in the team’s player development post-sale. There’s additional speculation about former Senators president Cyril Leeder returning to the role, as Anthony LeBlanc recently resigned as the club’s president of business operations.
Elsewhere from around the NHL this morning:
- Another rookie showcase-type tournament before training camps start has been confirmed. The Florida Panthers are hosting a four-team tournament including themselves, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, and Nashville Predators from September 15 to 18 at the Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida, home of the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. While not set in stone nor publicized, players with less than three seasons of pro experience and less than 50 NHL games under their belts are generally eligible to participate in rookie tournaments, although eligibility rules are set individually league-wide by tournament organizers.
- Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar is landing on the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 24, set for release in October. It’s the first such nod for the 2022 Norris Trophy and Conn Smythe winner. The 24-year-old is the first defenseman on the game’s cover in five years – Nashville Predators defender P.K. Subban was the last one, appearing on the NHL 19 cover. He becomes the third Avalanche to get the nod, succeeding Peter Forsberg on NHL 98 and Joe Sakic on NHL 2004.