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Aaron Dell To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Buffalo Sabres will likely be down another goaltender for the next few days, as Aaron Dell has a hearing scheduled today with the Department of Player Safety. The hearing will be regarding Dell’s interference on Ottawa Senators forward Drake Batherson last night, a play that led to a serious injury.

Late in the first period, after Dell had let in three goals on 11 shots, he delivered a shoulder check to Batherson as the Ottawa forward chased a Buffalo defenseman around the net. It ended up sending him awkwardly into the boards, where he suffered a high ankle sprain. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports that the team will have a better idea of the recovery timeline once the swelling goes down, but “one way or another it’s long-term.” There was no penalty called on the play.

Batherson has been Ottawa’s best offensive player this season, recording 13 goals and 34 points in 31 games. The 23-year-old uses his speed, size, and skill to routinely hunt down pucks in the offensive zone with a relentless forecheck, before driving them to the net or creating an opportunity for a teammate. One of the most important players in Ottawa, he now faces a long recovery.

Dell meanwhile has been brutal for the Sabres, posting a .893 save percentage in 12 appearances, losing nine of them. The veteran netminder was not expected to be pressed into service, but Buffalo has suffered injuries to as many as four of their goaltenders at the same time. Should he face a suspension, there will be even less depth at the position for Buffalo.

Senators Watching Minnesota, Others As Deadline Approaches

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  • Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion was at the Minnesota Wild-Montreal Canadiens game yesterday, but it apparently wasn’t really to watch the Canadiens. On Insider Trading, Pierre LeBrun explained that Dorion was there to watch the Wild and speak with GM Bill Guerin. Nothing is imminent, according to LeBrun, but he notes that Dorion is expected to be pop up at other games that do not involve the Senators between now and the deadline as they prepare their strategy.

Colton White, Dillon Heatherington Clear Waivers

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Jan 20: White and Heatherington have both cleared waivers, according to Friedman. They can now be assigned to the taxi squad or the minor leagues.

Jan 19: The New Jersey Devils have placed Colton White on waivers today according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, but he won’t be alone. The Ottawa Senators have also placed Dillon Heatherington on waivers. William Lagesson of the Edmonton Oilers, on waivers yesterday, has cleared and can be sent to the minor leagues.

White, 24, already cleared waivers at the beginning of the season but has spent enough time on the active roster to need them again. In eight games with the Devils this year, he has two points while averaging just over 12 minutes a night. A fourth-round pick from 2015, the minor league defenseman is headed for Group VI unrestricted free agency in the summer, given he only has 19 NHL games under his belt to this point. After Lagesson cleared, it seems unlikely that White would earn a claim, meaning he’s probably headed to the taxi squad or minor leagues.

In Heatherington’s case, waivers is nothing new. He cleared at the beginning of this season and twice in previous years, as a depth defenseman without much NHL experience. In fact, nine of his 20 career games have come this season with the Senators, though none of those have been since the middle of December. With so many younger players fighting for playing time on the Ottawa back end, Heatherington’s time on the active roster is likely over.

He too will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer after signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Senators in July. That deal carries a league-minimum $750K cap hit, meaning he at least could be a target for a team dealing with COVID-related absences that needs a short-term replacement.

Sanderson's Pending Arrival Puts Pressure On Brannstrom

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While Ottawa finds themselves well out of the playoff picture again, Postmedia’s Ken Warren posits that there are still a few players with a lot to play for down the stretch.  One of those is defenseman Erik Brannstrom.  The centerpiece of the Mark Stone trade, the 22-year-old has struggled considerably in Ottawa and has spent most of this season in the minors.  Warren suggests that Jake Sanderson is likely to join the Senators following his college season which could push Brannstrom further down the depth chart to the point where the 15th pick in 2017 could soon be trying to showcase himself for other teams.  Brannstrom is in his final season of waiver exemption and will be a restricted free agent this summer and if he’s made available, he could be an intriguing trade chip for GM Pierre Dorion.

Poll: Is The Eastern Conference Playoff Picture Already Complete?

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It doesn’t make for much of an exciting stretch run, but it just might be the truth and The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington isn’t afraid to make the claim: less than halfway through the 2021-22 NHL season, the eight Eastern Conference playoff spots appear to be locked up. While the eight in place can certainly jockey for position, Harrington believes that those teams currently in the postseason in the East will stay in postseason position and those not, including his Buffalo Sabres, have nothing left to play for this season. Do you agree?

The conference standings do paint a pretty bleak picture for the playoff race, as the gap between the eighth and final playoff spot and the next closest competitor is sizeable. In terms of both absolute points and points percentage, the Boston Bruins sit in eighth in the East with 46 points and a .657 points percentage, holding the second wild card spot if the postseason started today. In ninth place in both categories are the Detroit Red Wings, but calling it a distant ninth is generous. Detroit has 39 points on the year, just seven back of Boston, but having played four more games than the Bruins the Red Wings are actually just a .500 team, 157 percentage points back. Every other team outside the playoff picture is under .500 and they are all chasing a Bruins team that is 8-2 in their past ten games, riding a five-game winning streak. Just ahead of Boston are the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are also 8-2 in their last ten. The only other teams in the conference that are not 200+ percentage points ahead of Detroit are the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers.

[See: Eastern Conference Standings]

Statistically, there don’t appear to be any clear underachievers outside of the playoff picture primed for a late push either. All eight teams not in a playoff spot in the East have a negative goal differential, with the top mark being the Columbus Blue Jackets at -15. In contrast, the worst differential among the playoff teams is the Rangers’ +17 and they are the only club below +20. Hardly any of the non-playoff teams hold a spot in the top half of the league in any major statistical category either. The New York Islanders are ninth in goals against per game and eleventh in penalty kill efficiency, the Blue Jackets are tied for twelfth in goals for per game, the New Jersey Devils are thirteenth on the penalty kill, and the Ottawa Senators are tied for fourteenth in power play efficiency – end of list.

Yet, can the playoff picture really be sealed up this early? The law of averages suggests that a current playoff team is likely to slump while a current non-playoff team is likely to hit their stride in the second half. In fact, this may have already begun. While the Bruins and Penguins have been surging, the Capitals are just 4-3-3 in their last ten games and struggling to find consistent goaltending and defensive play. The Capitals’ record is also buoyed by a league-leading nine overtime points and their abysmal 30th-ranked power play is a major stain on their playoff resume. If there is a pretender in the East, it could be Washington. The Rangers may also be due for some regression in the second half. New York has exceeded expectations thus far and have somehow found ways to win despite trouble scoring. Their 2.85 goals per game is tied for 18th in the league, behind the likes of Columbus and New Jersey and just .01 ahead of Ottawa. On the flip side of the playoff picture, the Islanders are one of the biggest disappointments of the season. A conference finalist last year, the Isles looked to be building a true contender. While they are still playing a good defensive game, the team has had no luck offensively this season. Yet, with a league-low  30 games played, the Islanders could have time to find their game and fight their way back into postseason consideration. At least on paper, the Philadelphia Flyers should also be better than their current record, while the rebuilding Red Wings and Blue Jackets should be happy with their performance so far this season but would be even happier to get their young rosters into a postseason battle.

It is hard to remember a conference having no battle for playoff position in recent memory, especially so early in the season. While it looks like that could be the case this year in the East, is that actual a realistic expectation? Is the current gap in the standings just too wide to overcome? Or is there enough potential for one or two teams in the playoff picture to collapse while one or two on the outside find a way back? Vote now and comment on which teams, if any, could drop out of the playoff picture and who might replace them.

[mobile users vote here]

Tim Stutzle Removed From COVID Protocol

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  • The Senators announced (Twitter link) that they have removed winger Tim Stutzle from COVID protocol. The just-turned 20-year-old has had a bit of a quieter sophomore season than expected, collecting five goals and ten assists in 29 games.

Senators On Andrei Kuzmenko's Shortlist, Tyler Boucher Out For A Week Or Two

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Free agent winger Andrei Kuzmenko appears to have narrowed his list of teams he’s considering signing with for next season and the Senators are on that list, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link).  Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion indicated recently they were interested in the 25-year-old who sits second in KHL scoring this season with 20 goals and 33 assists in 45 games.  Kuzmenko is expected to wait until after the season to sign, ensuring he’ll be capped at a one-year, entry-level pact while allowing him to be eligible for unrestricted free agency in the 2023 offseason.

  • Still with Ottawa, Dorion mentioned in an appearance on 630 CHED (audio link) that winger Tyler Boucher won’t be playing right away with OHL Ottawa. The Senators recently signed the 2021 first-round pick, ending his college eligibility but he is dealing with a lingering injury that will take a week or two to recover.

Connor Brown Out Week-To-Week With Broken Jaw

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  • Connor Brown played more than 19 minutes last night, scoring a goal and an assist in the Ottawa Senators win over the Calgary Flames. He did it all with a broken jaw, apparently, as head coach D.J. Smith told TSN radio today that the forward was hit with a puck in the warm-up that caused the injury. He’ll is considered out week-to-week now as he recovers. Brown has five goals and 19 points in 26 games this season.

USA Hockey Notes: Sanderson, Beniers, Brisson

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Ahead of USA Hockey’s roster unveiling tomorrow of the 25-man contingent that will head to Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics, a few names of players named to the team are leaking today. Per the Grand Forks Herald’s Brad Elliott Schlossman, one of those players is University of North Dakota defenseman (and Ottawa Senators prospect) Jake Sanderson. Sanderson, the fifth overall pick in 2020, has 22 points through 17 games as an assistant captain at UND. He’ll undoubtedly be a huge part of Team USA’s blueline in Beijing.

More Olympic notes for USA Hockey:

  • Seattle Kraken prospect Matty Beniers will also be on the final roster, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler reports. The 6’1″, 174-lb center is enjoying a great sophomore season at the University of Michigan with 26 points in 22 games. He’ll also likely be one of the team’s big go-to players without NHL talent on the team.
  • A second University of Michigan player will be going, per Wheeler — Vegas Golden Knights pick Brendan Brisson. The team’s 29th overall pick in 2020 has 27 points in 23 games there this year, and while he might not play as prominent a role as Beniers on the team, he’s a great two-way center who should be a great energy player for Team USA.

Senators Place Stutzle In Protocol, Send Daoust To QMJHL

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The Ottawa Senators have announced a pair of very different transactions for two of their young players. Tim Stutzle has been placed in the COVID protocol, likely ruling him out for the team’s return to action on Thursday. Stutzle joins Anton Forsberg in the protocol and leaves just Brady Tkachuk and Artem Zub as the regular Senators that haven’t been in the protocol this season.

Still just 19, Stutzle has 15 points in 29 games this season and 44 in 82 career matches. That’s an impressive start for the 2020 third overall pick, but it still hasn’t resulted in much success for the team overall. Ottawa is just 9-18-2 on the season despite general manager Pierre Dorion suggesting in the offseason that the rebuild is over. The team hasn’t played since January 1 thanks to COVID concerns and attendance restrictions but will be back in action on Thursday against the Calgary Flames.

While Stutzle has an isolation period to look forward to, a future teammate is looking at a much more exciting prize. The Senators have loaned Philippe Daoust to the Saint John Seadogs of the QMJHL where he will chase a Memorial Cup after starting the year with the Belleville Senators. The 20-year-old forward has five points in 15 games with Belleville this season, but after the Sea Dogs acquired his rights a few days ago it was clear that he would be heading back to junior hockey to finish the year.

Daoust, selected 158th overall in 2020, was outstanding for the Moncton Wildcats in the shortened 2020-21 season, scoring 28 points in 21 games. The Sea Dogs acquired him as part of a ten-piece trade last week as they load up for a championship run. The 2022 Memorial Cup is set to be held in Saint John, meaning the host club will get an automatic entry.

Not yet signed to his entry-level contract, Daoust was playing for Belleville on an AHL deal and will still be in line for a three-year NHL deal whenever he does sign with Ottawa.

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