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Jakob Chychrun To Miss Multiple Weeks

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When the Senators acquired Jakob Chychrun from Arizona just prior to the trade deadline, the hope was that his addition would help lead a late playoff push.  That push just got considerably more difficult now as head coach D.J. Smith told TSN 1200 (Twitter link) that the blueliner will miss at least a couple of weeks with a lower-body injury.

Chychrun had made a nice impact on Ottawa’s back end since the trade, collecting five points in a dozen games while averaging more than two blocks per contest in 21 minutes a night of action.  For the season, he has played in 48 games between the Sens and Coyotes, picking up 33 points (the second most of his career) with his strong showing early on helping Arizona land three draft picks (including Ottawa’s first-round pick this season) in the swap.

Earlier this week, the Senators signed prospect Tyler Kleven to a contract that begins this season, giving him the opportunity to get into some NHL action down the stretch.  With Chychrun potentially out for the remainder of the regular season, it might not be long before he’s making his professional debut.  Meanwhile, Ottawa has ten games left in their push for a Wild Card spot and currently trails Pittsburgh by five points for the final seed.  They’ll be dealing with a considerably weaker back end to try to make that happen.

Injury Notes: Chychrun Doubtful To Play Saturday

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Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen is reporting that Jakob Chychrun of the Ottawa Senators is doubtful to play Saturday against the New Jersey Devils. Ottawa head coach DJ Smith was quoted by TSN’s Claire Hanna as saying that Chychrun, “tugged something there a little bit, we’ll see how he reacts to treatment here.”

Chychrun left Ottawa’s 7-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning yesterday after taking a hit in the third period. He was in obvious discomfort as he skated to the Senators bench before heading down the runway to the locker room. Smith said after the game that he didn’t believe it was an injury, but rather that it was cramping.

Forsberg, Kelly, Will Not Play In Regular Season

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  • The same thing can be said about Anton Forsberg and Parker Kelly of the Ottawa Senators, as Claire Hanna of TSN reports they have been ruled out for the rest of the regular season. The Senators, of course, could still technically make the playoffs, though they’d have to leapfrog three teams to do so. Both players are already signed for next season, so they can work toward full health for 2023-24.

Ottawa Senators Sign Tyler Kleven

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The Ottawa Senators have officially signed prospect Tyler Kleven, ending his college career after three seasons at the University of North Dakota. The contract will start this season, with Kleven joining the Senators tomorrow.

General manager Pierre Dorion released the following:

We’re very pleased that Tyler has recently made the decision to begin his pro career. He’s a big, rangy, hard-nosed defender who maintains a physical presence while on the ice and an ability to hammer the puck with his shot. We’ve been especially impressed with his overall development dating to his draft year.

Kleven, 21, will join former college teammates Shane Pinto and Jake Sanderson with the Senators as he tries to carve out a role as a defensive defenseman at the next level. The 44th overall pick from 2020 recorded just 35 points in his three years with the Fighting Hawks but added 214 penalty minutes in an uber-physical shutdown role.

Given Ottawa’s offensive talent on the blue line, a player like Kleven might be a perfect fit. Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, Jakob Chychrun, and Erik Brannstrom can all move the puck effectively, meaning Kleven can be insulated as he gets used to the speed of the professional game.

Moving forward, there will be plenty of playing time up for grabs, as Travis Hamonic and Nick Holden are both set to become unrestricted free agents at the end of the year. While it’s no guarantee that Kleven will make the team out of camp for 2023-24, there is an obvious path to a roster spot available.

Starting his entry-level deal immediately means he is just over two years away from restricted free agency. Kleven’s contract will expire at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

Latest On Ottawa Senators Arena Development

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The Ottawa Senators will soon be sold—potentially for a record price of over $900MM—and new owners will have a long list of things to accomplish. Near the top of that list should be a new arena development closer to the downtown core, something that previous owner Eugene Melnyk tried to secure for years.

It’s not just new owners involved in the plan, though. In October, Ottawa elected a new mayor, Mark Sutcliffe, who will now be at the table with the Senators on any arena plans. Yesterday, he explained at a press conference that “everything is on the table” regarding a new rink, declining to rule out public funding, despite acknowledging the city’s “tight budget.”

Today, on TSN radio in Ottawa, Sutcliffe was talking again, explaining that it isn’t just LeBreton Flats that is an option at this point. An entirely new location or even re-development of the current Canadian Tire Centre, will be considered, much to the frustration of Senators fans that have longed for a resolution.

The current arena is well outside the city and difficult to reach with public transit. With the team finally showing enough young talent to compete again, and new, deep-pocketed owners soon taking the reins, a new building seems like an inevitability.

That has been the story for years, though, so today’s comments from Sutcliffe about alternate locations outside downtown likely won’t go over well in the Ottawa area.

Atlantic Notes: Savage, Brodie, Mandolese, McMann

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According to Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News, Red Wings’ prospect Redmond Savage is transferring to Michigan State University. Drafted 114th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, Savage will take his talents closer to where he will eventually be playing.

Throughout his 67 regular season games played for Miami University (Ohio), Savage was able to put up 13 goals and 17 assists over his 2-year span. More famously, on the world stage, Savage was included on the roster of the United States World Junior team, playing in both tournaments this year and last. Throughout his 12 tournament games, Savage scored nine points for the United States team.

Since joining the Big Ten Conference before the 2013-14 NCAA season, the Spartans have only managed to earn a winning season one time in 2015. However, for the first time under new head coach Adam Nightingale, the Spartans won their quarterfinal matchup against Notre Dame but eventually lost to the University of Minnesota in this year’s Big Ten tournament.

Other notes:

  • From Mark Masters of TSN, after sitting out of yesterday’s game against the New York Islanders, head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Sheldon Keefe, says that defenseman T.J. Brodie will be back in the lineup tomorrow against the Florida Panthers. After handily losing to the Islanders on Tuesday, Brodie should be a welcomed return to the Maple Leafs against a surging Panthers team. Although his point production is down this season, Brodie has still been keen on his defensive aspects of the game, including being one of the better shot blockers in the league.
  • After netminder Dylan Ferguson became ill before yesterday’s game against the Boston Bruins, the Ottawa Senators re-called Kevin Mandolese from their AHL affiliate Belleville Senators. Today, the Senators announced that they have returned Mandolese back to Belleville. With the Senators dealing with injuries between the pipes, Mandolese has started in three games this year, going 2-1-0 with a .916 SV% and a 3.29 GAA.
  • Furthermore, on the Maple Leafs, David Alter of Sports Illustrated passes on a message from Keefe, announcing that forward Bobby McMann has re-aggravated a knee injury and will not play tomorrow night against the Panthers. McMann has been recalled a couple of times this year on an emergency loan, getting into ten games with the Maple Leafs, and producing one assist overall. Playing for the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies, McMann has been an incredibly valuable forward, playing in 30 games, and scoring 21 goals over that span.

East Notes: Mandolese, Bennett, Penguins

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The Ottawa Senators announced the team has to shuffle their goaltending tandem yet again. The team has recalled Kevin Mandolese from the Belleville Senators because Dylan Ferguson is out with an illness. Ferguson was just called up two days ago and made his Senators debut last night. He was brilliant, stopping 48 of 49 shots and leading the Senators to a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. With Cam Talbot out with an upper-body injury and Anton Forsberg on injured reserve, this leaves the Senators pretty thin in an important area.

Mandolese has played three NHL games so far this season, including a 46-save effort in a win over the New York Islanders on February 14. The 22 year old has played 15 AHL games in Belleville this season with a 3.32 GAA and a .889 SV%. It sounds like he will back up Mads Sogard when the Senators take on the Boston Bruins tonight.

  • According to a team statement, the Florida Panthers will be without a key forward this evening. Sam Bennett left last night’s win over the Detroit Red Wings early, and will not dress tonight when the Panthers face the Philadelphia Flyers. The 26-year old center is ruled out with a lower-body injury, and is officially listed as day-to-day. Bennett has scored 16 goals and 40 points in 63 games for the Panthers who are trying to chase down the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The team also mentioned Givani Smith has been activated from injured reserve and will return to the lineup.
  • The Wilkes-Barre Penguins announced the signing of Jagger Joshua. The contract is a two-year agreement but will not begin until next season, so Joshua is signed through the 2024-25 campaign with the Penguins. He will report to the team immediately, but finish off this season on an amateur tryout before his new contract officially begins. Joshua played for Michigan State University this season, scoring 13 goals and 24 points in 37 games.

Jonny Tychonick Signs AHL Contract With Toronto

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An interesting signing took place this morning, permitted only by a technicality. Ottawa Senators 2018 second-round pick Jonny Tychonick signed a two-year AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies, beginning this season, according to the team.

Ottawa Senators Recall Dylan Ferguson

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The Ottawa Senators recalled goaltender Dylan Ferguson from the AHL’s Belleville Senators on Sunday morning, according to a team announcement. Goaltender Kevin Mandolese was also re-assigned to Belleville.

Belleville is in action today against the Cleveland Monsters, meaning this could be a paper transaction for Mandolese to suit up in the minors and get some game action. Ottawa doesn’t play again until Monday and could opt to reverse the transaction tomorrow morning.

It could also be a performance-based recall for Ferguson, who’s excelled in Belleville since he was acquired via trade from the Toronto Marlies. On an AHL contract at the time, Ferguson was signed to an NHL deal by the Senators at the beginning of the month. Through six games with Ottawa’s affiliate, the 24-year-old has posted a 5-1-0 record and a .935 save percentage.

If Ferguson does appear in a game, it won’t be his NHL debut. Hardcore fans of the Vegas Golden Knights will remember Ferguson, who stepped into action for them during their inaugural season after being recalled from juniors when injuries ravaged their goaltending depth chart.

Ferguson’s only recently graduated to the AHL full-time, appearing in 13 games for AHL Henderson last season and 11 games split between Toronto and Belleville in 2022-23.

Ottawa Senators Expected To Begin Contract Talks With Tyler Kleven

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The Ottawa Senators are gearing up to sign one of their top defensive prospects, reports Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun and TSN. Tyler Kleven’s college season has come to a close, and Garrioch notes that talks between the Senators and his agent, Craig Oster, “will likely begin soon.”

Kleven, 21, is a strong one-on-one defender and has decent zone exit skills, too. However, it’s his offensive game that showed signs of growth throughout three seasons at the University of North Dakota. After notching just two goals and 12 assists in 62 games with the United States National U18 Team during his draft year, Kleven’s offensive totals steadily grew in college. That growth culminated in an eight-goal, 18-point campaign in 35 games in 2022-23.

The 44th overall selection in the 2020 NHL Draft could join the Senators this year, although it’s unclear whether he would head to NHL Ottawa or AHL Belleville. Garrioch remarks he has “little doubt” that Kleven will want his entry-level contract to start immediately rather than deferring until 2023-24 and joining the Belleville Senators on a tryout for the remainder of 2022-23.

Kleven’s season came to an end last night with a 3-2 overtime loss to St. Cloud State in the NCHC semifinals. He didn’t record a point but registered a +1 rating.

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