B-Sens Belleville 2019-2020 Season Part 3

[Sens of Anarchy]

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

Don't forget to set your alarms to 630 PM

 

[aragorn]

Yesterday, I wrote that it wouldn't surprise me if they had an AHL all Canadian division, but I didn't post it because with only four Canadian teams & I wasn't sure how that would work. I wonder now as I did yesterday if they could include the New York AHL teams, I think there is at least four of them, Rochester, Utica, Binghamton & Syracuse.

Four Canadian teams against the four New York teams & each other. They would probably have to bubble somewhere like Montreal & Ottawa. Geez the lengths they have to go these days because of Covid makes one wonder if it is all worth it & if they shouldn't have just shut the world down for the past yr. Hopefully it all works out & players are kept safe & we get through this crap.

 

[Masked]

Yesterday, I wrote that it wouldn't surprise me if they had an AHL all Canadian division, but I didn't post it because with only four Canadian teams I wasn't sure how that would work. I wonder now as I did yesterday if they could include the New York AHL teams, I think there is at least four of them, Rochester, Utica, Binghamton & Syracuse.

Four Canadian teams against the four New York teams & each other. They would probably have to bubble somewhere like Montreal & Ottawa. Geez the lengths they have to go these days because of Covid makes one wonder if it is all worth it & if they shouldn't have just shut the world down for the past yr. Hopefully it all works out & players are kept safe & we get through this crap.

Why would they include the NY state teams? The Canada-US border is the big problem and how would US teams with NY AHL affiliates do callups if they're playing in a bubble in Canada?

 

[aragorn]

Why would they include the NY state teams? The Canada-US border is the big problem and how would US teams with NY AHL affiliates do callups if they're playing in a bubble in Canada?

Good point but all of those Canadian & NY teams with the exception of Winn are in the AHL's North division already. I thought they are going to increase their rosters to 26 plus four which should help with callups. I would think that if they increase rosters & bubble up the NY teams in Canada with the Canadian teams to avoid travelling across the border might work. How are Edm, Van & Cal going to call up their prospects if they are based in the US? Idk how this whole thing will work out tbh.

 

[Sweatred]

The Sens should be pretty motivated to keep the AHL roster playing. Consider an estimated $2.0 million dollars of salary expenses vs the cost of a first round draft pick (signing bonuses, salary, developmental cost) and it makes economic sense for the Sens to pay a few million here. There is more value in spending $2-3 there than $2+ million on the nhl roster.

 

[mianjo]

Good point but all of those Canadian & NY teams with the exception of Winn are in the AHL's North division already. I thought they are going to increase their rosters to 26 plus four which should help with callups. How are Edm, Van & Cal going to call up their prospects if they are based in the US? Idk how this whole thing will work out tbh.

Did'nt Belleville play 4 games against Winnipeg last year 2 home 2 away?

 

[mianjo]

The
@BellevilleSens
have been developing and producing #Sens players for the last three seasons. We're excited for the future as this evening, the team and City of Belleville announced an extension until 2027!

City Amends Initial Agreement with Belleville Senators Inc. to Ease COVID-19 Impact

Belleville Mayor Mitch Panciuk was pleased to be joined by Ottawa Senators and Belleville Senators Owner Eugene Melnyk, and President of Business Operations for the Ottawa Senators Anthony LeBlanc for a special online announcement. Following in depth discussions regarding the severe impact the COVID-19 crisis has had on the Hockey Club, the decision was made by City Council to modify the initial signed agreement between the two parties.
The league was initially on pause in alignment with the government COVID-19 restrictions. They waited, hoping to be able to return to the ice and complete their season. In May, still seeing no indication that circumstances would change in time to let the teams complete their season, the American Hockey League (AHL) made the decision to cancel the league’s schedule and playoffs.
Appreciating the challenges the Belleville Senators have been confronted with, the City has executed a Letter of Intent with the Belleville Senators and Mr. Eugene Melnyk. Steps will be taken to amend the Lease and License Agreement, dated Sept. 26, 2016, along with other guarantees and agreements to assist the Hockey Club during the COVID-19 crisis.
Essentially, the City has deferred all payments, interest calculation and the free-rent period for a full 16 months to the end of the presumed 2021 season. This will result in the pushing back of the commencement date of rent and principal repayments during a time that the Hockey Club attendance is negatively impacted. In addition, both parties have agreed to extend the term of the original Lease and License agreement to June 30, 2027 which is an additional 22 months longer than was contemplated in the negotiated first lease term while maintaining the renewal option.
“A key part of the original business plan in bringing an American Hockey League team to Belleville was to provide them time to build up their operations and on-ice talent,” said Mayor Mitch Panciuk. “The City invested in the facility while Mr. Melnyk invested in the team and part of our investment was in providing a period of free rent and a repayment term on a secured loan. The AHL depends on attendance revenue to fund the operation of their teams and COVID-19 brought an abrupt halt to this. We have agreed to assist the team with their cash flow by making sure our original investment is preserved for the benefit of the Belleville Senators. While we do not know exactly when the league will resume operations, the City of Belleville and our City Council are committed to making sure the Belleville Senators will be here.”
“We are very thankful for the leadership provided by Mayor Mitch Panciuk and the support of the City Council during these unprecedented and challenging times for our sport and community,” said Ottawa and Belleville Senators owner Eugene Melnyk. “We have enjoyed a tremendous relationship with the City of Belleville and our great fans, and we’re excited to extend our partnership for years to come.”
“Our affiliation agreement with the City of Belleville and with CAA Arena is one that has proven very beneficial to us,” said Ottawa Senators General Manager Pierre Dorion. “The city’s proximity to Ottawa, a facility renovation that provides many modern amenities to both our players and staff, and a fan base that is enthusiastic for its team’s success, have all helped make this extension an easy one from a hockey operations’ standpoint.”
In March 2020 the Belleville Senators were a very entertaining and highly competitive Hockey Club. The excitement was building and the Belleville community was caught up in the enthusiasm. Residents are eager to resume that momentum and are waiting for the COVID-19 restrictions to be lifted so they can return to their arena seats once again.

 

[Emerica]

Nice to have some continuity. Having the farm team just next door is a big plus.

 

[Crosside]

Hearing we gonna play 14 games against other canadian team and 42. Two games less than american division

 

[aragorn]

Did'nt Belleville play 4 games against Winnipeg last year 2 home 2 away?

They may have, why?

 

[DrSense]

With the expanded NHL roster to 29 players with a taxi squad, I really don't see how they do AHL teams, especially in Canada with the current restrictions.

They can also find other places for people to play, mostly.

If you expand the Sens roster to 29, do we really have an AHL team? Plus, all the top prospects will be part of the 29, so it ceases to be a development priority.

 

[Sweatred]

With the expanded NHL roster to 29 players with a taxi squad, I really don't see how they do AHL teams, especially in Canada with the current restrictions.

They can also find other places for people to play, mostly.

If you expand the Sens roster to 29, do we really have an AHL team? Plus, all the top prospects will be part of the 29, so it ceases to be a development priority.

I assume those players on the expanded roster will be in Belleville. I’m speculating but I think it’s more about not clearing waivers and such vs having 29 players practicing with the team every day and 8 guys not playing every game.

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

With the expanded NHL roster to 29 players with a taxi squad, I really don't see how they do AHL teams, especially in Canada with the current restrictions.

They can also find other places for people to play, mostly.

If you expand the Sens roster to 29, do we really have an AHL team? Plus, all the top prospects will be part of the 29, so it ceases to be a development priority.

Do you mind linking me to where that was announced? This is the first I'm hearing of 29 man rosters. Does that include goalies?

Either way, I think you will see a lot of teams signing guys to AHL/ECHL deals for this exact purpose (at least assuming the AHL is still on track for a Feb start). It will be interesting to see how waivers work - it will be a lot harder to sneak someone through waivers in early Feb than it will be in early/mid Jan.

Most of our guys are waivers exempt, but Balcers, Jaros, Lajoie, and Chlapik are not. If theres a 29 man roster (which we use to the full extent), we will have 15 guys under NHL/AHL contract in the minors + 2 guys on AHL/ECHL deals, as far as I can tell (Labrie + Cassels). Not so far off from fielding a full roster.

Ideally, I think we stock the expanded roster with a mix of prospects and well-established tweeners: Peca, Shaw, Jaros, Lajoie, Zub, and Beaudin are all far more likely to earn a "roster" spot now, I would think. There's room for an extra prospect who doesnt snag a spot in the lineup (e.x the loser of the Brown/Norris battle), but if you can run an AHL roster, I'd much rather keep it as prospect-stocked as possible. If this means bringing in a guy like Perry or one of @RAFI BOMB's many PTO suggestions, I think thats the right move.

 

[DrSense]

I assume those players on the expanded roster will be in Belleville. I’m speculating but I think it’s more about not clearing waivers and such vs having 29 players practicing with the team every day and 8 guys not playing every game.

Interesting. You might be right, but given we have no announcement on the AHL starting, but we do know NHL is gearing up shortly, my assumption is all 29 players will be in the same "bubble" together, avoiding bringing players "up" from another community and potentially infecting one way or another. As we've seen in the NFL, teams tend to spread it internally rather than against opponents, so any time you bring in someone from another community, you've added risk. With a bit of a condensed scheduled, the extra bodies also allow for a bit more rest for players.

I still have sincere doubts the AHL season is happening, although I do think a mini-development bubble for AHL squads (say 25 games over 60 days) might make sense from Feb-April. Canadian AHL teams basically play each other for a few months. So many players can stay in Europe, or in the NCAA or in the CHL, and then with the expanded bubble, there isn't that many missing a chair. That said, guys like Sokolov for example, do need to play somewhere, so I teams still trying to move the AHL forward in some way.

 

[Sweatred]

Interesting. You might be right, but given we have no announcement on the AHL starting, but we do know NHL is gearing up shortly, my assumption is all 29 players will be in the same "bubble" together, avoiding bringing players "up" from another community and potentially infecting one way or another. As we've seen in the NFL, teams tend to spread it internally rather than against opponents, so any time you bring in someone from another community, you've added risk. With a bit of a condensed scheduled, the extra bodies also allow for a bit more rest for players.

I still have sincere doubts the AHL season is happening, although I do think a mini-development bubble for AHL squads (say 25 games over 60 days) might make sense from Feb-April. Canadian AHL teams basically play each other for a few months. So many players can stay in Europe, or in the NCAA or in the CHL, and then with the expanded bubble, there isn't that many missing a chair. That said, guys like Sokolov for example, do need to play somewhere, so I teams still trying to move the AHL forward in some way.

An entire AHL season can be paid for with the money from one Arti type contract. It should be a priority.

I think I did see players will need to clear waivers which is interesting for the bubble, but I guess that’s a concession the players want.

 

[DrSense]

An entire AHL season can be paid for with the money from one Arti type contract. It should be a priority.

I think I did see players will need to clear waivers which is interesting for the bubble, but I guess that’s a concession the players want.

I'm not sure it will be that cheap with all of the extra testing and quarantine required. And even if it were that cheap, if the majority of top prospects aren't with the AHL, I'm not sure the NHL owners want to shell out $150M for 30 AHL teams if they don't have to. I'm pretty sure Melnyk would rather carry 10 extra players who work with our team, and then let the rest play in Europe, NCAA or juniors. But I'm sure hoping they get something going.

 

[Hale The Villain]

With the expanded NHL roster to 29 players with a taxi squad, I really don't see how they do AHL teams, especially in Canada with the current restrictions.

They can also find other places for people to play, mostly.

If you expand the Sens roster to 29, do we really have an AHL team? Plus, all the top prospects will be part of the 29, so it ceases to be a development priority.

There will be plenty of bad AHLers/ECHLers/Euros looking for jobs that can fill out the 4th line, bottom pair and extra spots.

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

There will be plenty of bad AHLers/ECHLers/Euros looking for jobs that can fill out the 4th line, bottom pair and extra spots.

As we saw with the Carcone trade, I think we will be very hesitant to add high-salaried players. Haley/Shaw/Peca will make a combined $875k in AHL salary, Jaros makes an additional $250k, Daccord makes $175k... I really can't recall the Sens ever spending this much at the AHL level, and we're not sure if there will even be a season.

I wonder if we look at top OA/recently aged out guys from the Q/O (or in USports, although that may be a harder pull) on two-way AHL/ECHL deals... it makes sense to try to target as many local guys as possible just due to logistics. A.O Voyer was one of the first guys I thought of... he will be playing in Providence on a AHL deal, but there are a handful of other guys who are still up in the air, probably just sitting around in their hometown waiting for something to come around. Alternately, I am sure there are some US college seniors who won't be playing and would welcome a contract.

 

[aragorn]

It will be interesting to see how big NHL rosters end up given how much teams have already lost $ due to this pandemic & how much more they can afford to lose with larger rosters. Not to mention all the testing required & extra bodies needed to fill roster spots on the minor league teams. It wouldn't surprise me because Belleville is very close to Ottawa, & Toronto, Winn & Montreal also have their farm teams close at hand that those teams wouldn't need to increase their rosters by very many players.

The gap between when the NHL plans to start & when the AHL plans to start could be a full month, but some of the players will have had an NHL training camp & dependent on when & how long their AHL training camp starts & lasts, they should be in fairly good shape to be called up, if needed. I could see a 25 man roster with a number of vets like Pecca, Haley & Shaw on the taxi squad to give them some NHL money for signing here. Why take a chance on losing a good prospect at this time. By the way, if an AHL player is on an NHL taxi squad does he make NHL money? I would assume yes, which is probably the problem with having larger numbers of extra players around, not to mention insurance, hotel rooms, food & all the other costs associated with housing hockey players for a long time. I don't see too many owners wanting to paid all that extra cash for large rosters & taxi squads.

 

[God Says No]

So for fun, after all these moves with the big club, what is Belleville going to look like? Assuming all the players pass through waivers.

 

[senswon]

Signed and unsigned players for reference.

We got alotttttt of centers

Ottawa Senators at eliteprospects.com

 

[God Says No]

Signed and unsigned players for reference.

We got alotttttt of centers

Ottawa Senators at eliteprospects.com

Thanks, so I think we got these playing next year.

C:

S	Filip Chlapík (C)	1997	20/21	$735,000	3	56	5	6	11	18	-14
S	Logan Brown (C)	1998	20/21	$863,333	4	29	1	8	9	4	-2
S	Josh Norris (C)	1999	21/22	$925,000	2	3	0	0	0	0	2
S	Matthew Peca (C)	1993	20/21	$700,000	1	9	0	2	2	0	-2
S	J.C. Beaudin (C/RW)	1997	20/21	$700,000	1	22	0	1	1	7	-4
S	Parker Kelly (C/RW)	1999	21/22	$726,667	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
S	Mark Kastelic (C)	1999	22/23	$821,667	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
S	Zach Magwood (C)	1998	20/21	$753,333	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

LW:

S	Rudolfs Balcers (LW)	1997	20/21	$735,000	3	51	6	11	17	10	-9
S	Alex Formenton (LW)	1999	21/22	$747,500	2	10	1	0	1	6	-2
S	Vitali Abramov (LW/RW)	1998	20/21	$730,833	2	3	1	0	1	2	-3
S	Micheal Haley (C/W)	1986	20/21	$700,000	1	-	0	0	0	0	0

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

RW:

S	Logan Shaw (RW/C)	1992	21/22	$725,000	1	-	0	0	0	0	0
S	Jonathan Davidsson (RW)	1997	20/21	$768,333	1	6	0	1	1	0	0
S	Yegor Sokolov (RW/LW)	2000	22/23	$818,333	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

D:

S	Max Lajoie (D)	1997	20/21	$710,000	2	62	7	8	15	20	-25
S	Christian Jaros (D)	1996	20/21	$750,000	4	76	1	12	13	33	-16
S	Artyom Zub (D)	1995	20/21	$925,000	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
S	Olle Alsing (D)	1996	20/21	$858,750	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
S	Lassi Thomson (D)	2000	22/23	$894,167	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
S	Jonathan Aspirot (D/LW)	1999	22/23	$768,333	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

(Not sure about Lassi)

G:

S	Joey Daccord (G)	1996	22/23	$750,000	1	1	-	-	-	-	-
S	Filip Gustavsson (G)	1998	20/21	$761,666	2	0	-	-	-	-	-
S	Kevin Mandolese (G)	2000	22/23	$835,000	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[aragorn]

I expect the taxi squad to made up of mostly NHL vets in Ottawa like Peca, Haley & Shaw & if that is the case they won't be available for Belleville which should give their prospects much more ice time. Maybe they want to see Belleville win a championship this season since they got screwed last yr? Anyone missing?

Balcers - L. Brown - Davidsson
Formenton - Norris - Magwood
Abramov - Chlapik - Beaudin
Kelly - Kastelic - Castles/Sokolov

Lajoie - Thomson
Olsing - Zub
Aspirot - Jaros
Labrie - Dougherty

Daccord - Gustavsson/Mandolese

 

[Sweatred]

I expect the taxi squad to made up of mostly NHL vets in Ottawa like Peca, Haley & Shaw & if that is the case they won't be available for Belleville which should give their prospects much more ice time. Maybe they want to see Belleville win a championship this season since they got screwed last yr? Anyone missing?

Balcers - L. Brown - Davidsson
Formenton - Norris - Magwood
Abramov - Chlapik - Beaudin
Kelly - Kastelic - Castles/Sokolov

Lajoie - Thomson
Olsing - Zub
Aspirot - Jaros
Labrie - Dougherty

Daccord - Gustavsson/Mandolese

that was the plan for last year and it got killed by Covid - maybe it happens again. At some point these kids need to play.

Norris, Brown, Brann, Form, Balcers etc did exactly what they were asked to do and they may not get a sniff -