SNAPSHOTS: Ottawa Senators will cut down roster again after two games in Nova Scotia (original) (raw)
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SNAPSHOTS: Ottawa Senators will cut down roster again after two games in Nova Scotia
Thirty-six players flew to Nova Scotia on Saturday, but the Senators won't head to Winnipeg for Wednesday's game against the Jets with that many.
Published Sep 30, 2023 • Last updated Sep 30, 2023 • 4 minute read
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Senators head coach DJ Smith says the lineup for Monday's preseason game against the Penguins in Halifax will have a large contingent of NHL veterans. Photo by Jean Levac /POSTMEDIA
The first cut was the deepest for the Ottawa Senators.
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While 14 players were sent to the American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville after Friday’s 3-1 home-ice win over the Winnipeg Jets, more will be sent down from Halifax on Monday night as the Senators inch closer to the start of the regular season Oct. 11 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
As expected, Lassi Thomson Josh Currie, Dillon Heatherington and Garrett Pilon were waived Saturday. As long as they clear waivers on Sunday, they’ll be assigned to Belleville.
Head coach D.J. Smith noted the Senators go with a younger lineup against the Florida Panthers on Sunday in Cape Breton, but wasn’t sure captain Brady Tkachuk or centre Josh Norris would suit up Monday against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Halifax.
Though there were no surprises among Friday’s cuts, once these two games are over the Senators need to switch the next phase of camp, and that means having workable numbers to get systems tuned up for the start of the National Hockey League’s regular season.
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“The majority of veterans will play the Pittsburgh game,” Smith said Saturday. “That will be a game where the veterans can get a lot of reps and really get a feel. Now, are Brady and Josh going to be back? That will dictate whether it’s truly a veteran lineup.
“We have to get some of the details down really tight. We have to start playing the right way. We’re still (10) days away from the opener. You don’t want to crank up too early, but you want to start heading in that direction.”
If Tkachuk and Norris don’t play against the Penguins, Smith said, they’ll both face the Winnipeg Jets at the MTS Centre in the Manitoba capital on Wednesday.
Tkachuk skated with the small group of players who were on the ice Saturday, but didn’t take any contact.
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Thirty-six players flew to Sydney on Saturday, but the Senators won’t head to Winnipeg with that many. After the game in Halifax, the team will bus to a resort just outside that city to allow the staff and players to spend some time together.
You’d have to think eight or nine players are likely getting their last chance to show their value in Cape Breton before heading back to Ottawa on Monday night.
Newly-appointed executive Steve Staios, general manager Pierre Dorion, Smith and the rest of the hockey operations staff understand this team has reached the point where it’s time to shift gears.
“That is the plan, at this point, to get down to a little more manageable number, but we do still have two games (after Halifax),” Smith said. “Some guys are going to stay right until the end, so we won’t be down to our exact number until then.”
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Smith said the Senators’ system play had to improve.
“You get bits and pieces in camp about the way you want to play,” Smith said. “In these next four games, you’d like those games to be something close to what we’re going to be. I don’t think we’ve played heavy enough when it comes to holding onto the puck in the offensive zone.
“In defence of our guys, they’ve had new linemates and different lineups every night, but that’s something we want to hone in on. I think we’ve worked extremely hard. We want to hold onto pucks more, and that’s something I want to see us get better at in the next four games.”
Talks continue, but there’s still no contract for restricted free-agent centre Shane Pinto, left. Photo by Errol McGihon /Postmedia
WAITING ON SHANE
The Senators left town without unsigned centre Shane Pinto.
The restricted free agent remains in a contract stalemate. Yes, the Senators need to clear cap space so they can sign Pinto, but they can do it without making a trade. There are other ways to get his deal on the books.
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There has been speculation that Pinto, who scored 20 goals last season, is looking for a deal worth $2.5 million per year.
It’s believed the Senators would like a contract closer to the two-year, $4.2 million (all figures U.S.) average annual value that centre Morgan Frost signed with the Philadelphia Flyers.
A report Saturday by Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman said the Senators had also tabled a one-year deal worth $1 million. If that’s the case, sources say, it would make sense to offer Pinto the opportunity to negotiate an extension in January
Dorion noted Friday he had held regular talks with Pinto’s New York-based agent, Lewis Gross. The back and forth will continue, but sooner or later the deal will get settled.
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THE LAST WORDS
Former Senators assistant general manager Trent Mann has joined the Penguins’ front office as player development and scouting advisor under president/GM Kyle Dubas. Mann spent 12 years in the Ottawa organization, including a role as chief scout, but the two sides parted ways in July … This will be the Senators’ eighth trip to Kraft Hockeyville. Going into Sunday’s matchup with the Panthers, Ottawa has a 2-5 record in the event. They were winless until winning both games in Newfoundland and New Brunswick last fall.
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