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Ottawa Senators Recall Ridly Greig, Mads Sogaard

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The Ottawa Senators recalled forward Ridly Greig and goaltender Mads Sogaard from the AHL’s Belleville Senators on Thursday, per the team’s communications department.

The moves come as Ottawa gears up for their first game after the All-Star break, Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers. Ottawa sent down Greig and Sogaard, along with forward Mark Kastelic, following their last game on January 31 to get the trio playing time in the AHL.

Greig, 20, earns reinstatement on the NHL roster after a strong four games to begin his NHL career. Scrambling for an answer at the second-line center position with Joshua Norris out of the lineup, Greig has two assists and a +4 rating in four games between Alex DeBrincat and veteran Claude Giroux. Advanced numbers also applaud the line’s play, as MoneyPuck has the trio with an expected goals share of 67%.

Sogaard returns to the Sens as Cam Talbot remains sidelined with a lower-body injury. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reported last week that Talbot was expected to resume skating today, but it’s unclear whether Talbot is still on track to return next week.

The 37th overall selection in 2019, Sogaard’s AHL play has taken a step back this season. After 35 appearances and a .908 save percentage in Belleville last season, which also saw him make his first two NHL appearances in a brief call-up, his save percentage has dipped below the .900 mark in 2022-23. He’s yet to make an appearance in the NHL this year but could be forced into action if Talbot’s absence is more long-term.

Ottawa Senators Could Sell For Upwards Of $800MM

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  • After NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said over the All-Star weekend that more than 15 parties have demonstrated interest in purchasing the Ottawa Senators, Chris Johnston said today on TSN’s Insider Trading that the final evaluation of the team at sale could be upwards of $800MM. As Johnston notes, it’s an incredible return on investment for the Melnyk family, as Eugene Melnyk purchased the team at a $92MM valuation two decades ago.

"15 Or More" Parties Interested In Purchasing Senators

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Senators Plan To Keep Mark Kastelic In AHL After The Break

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  • While there were plenty of players who were sent to the minors during the All-Star break, at least one regular player won’t be getting recalled right away. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays that the Senators’ plan for Mark Kastelic is to keep the forward in the minors once the schedule resumes.  The 23-year-old has played in 43 games for Ottawa this season but has been out with a back issue for the last couple of weeks and will get some time to get back into form with AHL Belleville before potentially coming back up later on.

Ottawa Senators Change AHL Coaching Staff

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Troy Mann is no longer the head coach of the Belleville Senators, after being relieved of his duties last night. Assistant coach David Bell will assume interim head coaching duties for the rest of the season.

Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion released the following:

While a change at the head coach position during the season is not an ideal scenario, we felt it was necessary to deliver improved team performance. We are confident that David and his staff will make the most of this opportunity.

The interesting part of this story comes from Claire Hanna of TSN, who reports that trust issues had emerged between the organization and Mann, with a recent incident pushing it over the edge. Mann apparently gave some of Ottawa’s (note: not Belleville’s) pre-scouting information to another NHL team.

Trent Mann, his brother, currently serves as assistant general manager for Ottawa, after being director of amateur scouting for the five seasons prior.

Belleville, meanwhile, has struggled this season to the tune of a 17-22-4 record. Bell’s last head coaching experience came with the Niagara Ice Dogs in the OHL, where he led them to the playoffs and lost in the first round.

Senators Notes: Talbot, Greig, Kastelic

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The Ottawa Senators are expecting Cam Talbot to resume skating next Thursday after the break, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. Talbot last played on January 25 and there is no clear timeline for his return to action, so getting on the ice is a good sign.

Ottawa has received nearly identical goaltending performances from Talbot and Anton Forsberg, but will need a little boost if they are going to try and ride their recent hot streak to a playoff spot in the second half. The team has won four in a row and is now just six points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wildcard spot.

  • One of the players that have been key in this recent run is prospect Ridly Greig, who is still undefeated at the NHL level. The 20-year-old has two points in four games so far and has brought new excitement to the group. He was sent down to the AHL last night, but Garrioch notes that Greig will only practice with the Belleville Senators, not play, and then the organization will reassess.
  • Mads Sogaard and Mark Kastelic have also been reassigned to Belleville, but it’s not clear if the latter will return immediately following the break. Kastelic hasn’t played since January 21 and will likely need some time to get back into game form.

Zub Should Be Back After All-Star Break, Talbot Less Likely

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There’s some good news and bad news on the injury front for Ottawa.  On the positive side, TSN’s Claire Hanna relays (Twitter link) that defenseman Artem Zub is expected to be ready to return after the All-Star break.  It has been a tough year on the ice for the 27-year-old who has been limited to just 21 games this season while missing time with three separate injuries, the current one being an upper-body issue.  It hasn’t been all bad, however, as he inked a four-year, $18.4MM extension with the Senators last month.

Meanwhile, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays (Twitter link) that goaltender Cam Talbot might not be ready to return after the break.  He suffered a lower-body injury last Wednesday and it’s the second time this season that injuries have held him out of the lineup.  If the Senators are going to climb back into the playoff race, they’ll need him healthy while if they’re going to try to move him by the March 3rd trade deadline, he’ll need to get back and show potential suitors that he’s ready to go.

Josh Norris To Undergo Surgery; Out For Season

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Jan 30: Hanna reports that Norris’ surgery is scheduled for the next few days.

Jan 23: Excitement for Ridly Greig’s recall quickly turned to sadness for Ottawa Senators fans, as the team announced Josh Norris’s season is over. He will be going for shoulder surgery in the near future. It is the same injury as earlier this season. Norris has been moved to injured reserve.

After scoring 35 goals in 66 games last season, life was good for Norris. He signed a new eight-year, $63.6MM contract that entrenched him as one of the league’s young stars, and was ready to leverage the team’s improved forward depth for an even better year.

Then he suffered a serious shoulder injury in October after just five games. Weeks went by with Norris consulting five different doctors and two specialists before it was determined that he wouldn’t need surgery.

Senators general manager Pierre Dorion told Claire Hanna of TSN that Norris “felt a subluxation” over the weekend, leading to this decision. He had returned just three games ago, meaning he’ll finish this season appearing in only eight. His two goals and three points are a far cry from what was expected, especially with a new $7.95MM cap hit in hand.

Now he faces another lengthy rehab, while the Senators try to salvage anything this season. The club is slipping down the standings, and has completely shuffled its lines around at practice today in an attempt to get things back on track.

Without Norris, the Ottawa center depth looks mighty thin, with Greig inserted into the second line between Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux before ever playing a game at the NHL level.

Ottawa Senators Recall Mads Sogaard

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Now that he has recovered from his own injury, Mads Sogaard is up with the Ottawa Senators to help fill in for Cam Talbot’s absence. The team sent Kevin Mandolese back down yesterday.

Sogaard made his return to the Belleville Senators net on Saturday, allowing six goals on 44 shots and taking the loss. Overall, it’s been a rocky season for the 22-year-old goaltender, with a .901 save percentage in 19 appearances.

Last season, when the Senators were rolling through goaltenders with Matt Murray often injured, Sogaard played in two NHL games. He allowed six goals on 54 shots for an .889 save percentage, and earned his first NHL win.

The 37th-overall pick from 2019 still has a lot of developing to do, but has oodles of talent in his 6’7″ frame. If the Senators can find a way to get him to his ceiling, there’s a chance they have a legitimate difference-maker. There’s work to be done, though, and his recall likely doesn’t change the fact that Anton Forsberg will be carrying the lion’s share of the work for the next little while.

Latest On Tyler Motte

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Yesterday, we covered how Ottawa Senators netminder Cam Talbot could be a name in play around the trade deadline. Today, The Fourth Period has added Senators forward Tyler Motte’s name to the mix, reporting that Senators GM Pierre Dorion has “started to get engaged in trade discussions” involving players such as Motte.

The Senators have been long-rumored to be seeking a blueline upgrade, and perhaps dealing Motte is one way they can reach that goal. Motte, who will turn 28 in March, signed with the Senators this past summer on a one-year, $1.35MM deal. He’s a well-regarded bottom-sixer who was dealt as a rental last year, helping the New York Rangers make a run to the Eastern Conference Final. Perhaps he’ll find himself in a similar situation this year.

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