DANIELPALFREDSSON'S OTTAWA SENATORS GM LOG: THE "I PLAYED WAY TOO FAR AHEAD IN THIS GAME AND HAVE A LOT OF STUFF TO DUMP" SEASON 7+SEASON 8 double sized post +Season 9 Preview
CHAPTERS
1-
Rules and Settings
2-
Roster Edits and Changes
3-
Season 1 Off Season and Preview
4-
Season 1 Trade Deadline and End Of Season Summary
5-
2015 NHL Entry Draft
6-
Season 2 Off Season and Preview
7-
Season 2 Trade Deadline Update
8-
2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1
9-
2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2
10-
2016 NHL Entry Draft+Off Season Part 1
11-
The Senators Make A Blockbuster Trade!
12-
Season 3 Preview
13-
Season 3 Update 1 (A Trade Is Made)
14-Blackhawks VS Senators Cup Final: Revenge Of The Zibanejad
16-
Season 4 Preview
17-
Season 4 Summary: Do the Senators make the playoffs? Of course they do? Right? Maybe....
18-
Season 4 Stanley Cup Playoffs
19-
Season 5 Off Season Part 1
20-
Season 5 Off Season Part 2, Ryan Traded
21-
Season 5 Summary+Season 6 Preview
22-
Season 6 Summary+Season 7 Preview
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TRADE DEADLINE UPDATE
-Team Record: 42-16-4, first in the league with 88 points.
-Mid-season, Stone and Ritchie were swapped on Ottawa's top 2 lines. Hall is on pace for 30 goals, which would be his worst goal total in many many years. Despite this, the line is still hotter than any line the Senators have had in well over a decade. Konecny, who only put up 44 points last season is on his way to having a career high in both goals and points. In only 62 games, Brett Ritchie has tied his career best in goals with 21, and is only a few points away from breaking his career points record.
-Karlsson started off very slow playing at a 0.5 PPG pace. After a third of the season went by, Karlsson kicked it into gear, and now has 56 points in 62 games. Ceci, Krug, and Vlasic all have roughly 35 points each. With no powerplay time, Shannon “Canadian Karlsson†Froats has failed to meet the lofty expectations put on him and has only managed 9 points in 62 games. He had 41 points last year in the AHL.
-Both Holtby and Nedeljkovic both have 920+ save percentages. Holtby could very well contend for the Vezina trophy.
-The 6th overall pick from two years ago Francois Beachemin is on fire on the AHL with 57 points and 26 goals in 56 games. Expect Beauchemin to be the first call up if one of Ottawa's top 6 wingers go down in the playoffs.
-Expect Ottawa to look for an experienced two way forward to add to their bottom 6 at the deadline. Given the team just spent 4 picks to “buy†10 million of cap space (spread over 5 years) from the Dallas Stars, they may not have the assets to make a big move.
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OTTAWA MAKE TWO MINOR TRADES AT THE DEADLINE TO IMPROVE THEIR BOTTOM 6
SENATORS ACQUIRE AGEING SHARK
Ottawa makes a minor move at the deadline, acquiring Joe Pavelski from San Jose for a 4th, 5th, and bottom 6 forward Archambault (80oa 3*).
Pavelski is 35 and has declined considerably. He still has put up 12 goals and 40 points in 62 games.
Expect Pavelski to shift to RW and play alongside Cizikas on the third line in an attempt to improve the bottom 6. Pavelski is on the final year of his deal and is a rental.
MCGINN RETURNS TO THE NATION'S CAPITAL
The Senators acquire Jamie McGinn from Minnesota in exchange for fourth line forward Tim Bozon and next year's 2nd round pick. McGinn is a local fan favourite, as he played Junior with the Ottawa 67's. McGinn is on the final year of his deal, but sources say Ottawa might be open to extending him beyond this season if there is mutual interest.
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END OF SEASON
-Ottawa finishes 54-24-4 with 112 points to tie the Maple Leafs as the top team in the NHL. The tiebreaker is awarded to the Maple Leafs, and thus Ottawa loses the president's trophy.
-New Jersey make the playoffs. Ottawa owns their first round pick from the Mike Hoffman trade during the pre-season. New Jersey making the playoffs devalues the pick considerably.
-The 9.5 million dollar man Taylor Hall has a disappointing year with only 33 goals and 71 points.....you know a player is good when that is considered a letdown.
-Konecny leads the team with 72 points.
-Karlsson has his worst statistical year in a long time with only 68 points. At 30 years old is Karlsson slowing down? Let's hope not, he is signed until the age of 36.
-Holtby had a strong year with a .923 save percentage. He had 41 wins and 8 shutouts. Holtby is the leading candiate for the Vezina trophy amongst hockey journalists.
-Former 6th overall pick Francois Beaucemin had a 30+ goal PPG year in the AHL. Expect to see him in the NHL sooner rather than later.
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FIRST ROUND OF THE PLAYOFFS VS BUFFALO SABRES (52-22-8)
PROJECTED LINEUP
Hall SNP 90-Konecny PLY 90-Ritchie PWF 85
Puempel SNP 86-Turris PLY 88-Stone PLY 87
McGinn TWF 82-Cizikas TWF 85-Pavelski TWF 80
Lindberg LW SNP 81-Lazar TWF 81-Gauthier PLY 80
Vlasic LDFD 88-Karlsson ROFD 92
Krug LOFD 85-Ceci RTWD 86
Graps LDFD 82-Froats LOFD 81
Holtby HYB Starter 88
Nedeljkovic HYB Backup 84
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BUFFALO LINEUP
Hodgson PLY 86-Reinhart PLY 90-Ennis PLY 87
Hagelin PLY 84-Girgensons TWF 88-Fischer TWF 84
Foligno PWF 84-Grigorenko SNP 84-Pepin PWF 82
Pronger GRN 81-Larsson SNP 84-Stevens TWF 80
Yandle OFD 88-McCabe TWD 88
Bogosian TWD 86-Ristolainen TWD 87
Morris DFD 85-Gibson TWD 84
Guindon HYB 88
Nichols HYB 84
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GAME 1
-Holtby stops the first 16 shots of the game, but 26 minutes in goes down with an injury. The young Nedeljkovic has to go in, does this spell doom for Ottawa?
-The first goal is scored by Zach Fischer half way through the second to give Buffalo a 1-0 lead.
-Karlsson scores mid third, but Girgenson answers right back to restore Buffalo's lead.
-Hall scores on the PP, and with the game tied 2-2, they go to OT.
-Three minutes into OT, Hodgson scores on Nedeljkovic. Holtby had a shutout, Nedeljkovic had a .786 save percentage, stopping only 11 of 14 shots.
-Buffalo take a 1-0 series lead.
GAME 2
-It is revealed the Holtby will be out for the entirety of the series. If Ottawa is going to win, they need Nedeljkovic to step up.
-Half way through the first Yandle scores to takea 1-0 lead.
-Grigorenko scores early in the second, but Konecny responds, Buffalo leads 2-1 going into the third.
-With Ottawa behind by one, Cizikas scores to tie the game.
-Late in the third, Reinhart scores to give Buffalo a 3-2 lead.
-With Ottawa unable to come back, Buffalo takes a 2-0 series lead.
-Goaltending ended up being the difference maker, with Nedeljkovic putting up a .900 compared to Guindon's .930. Ottawa would arguably be up 2 games to none had Holtby not gone down in the middle of game 1.
GAME 3
-Ottawa's offense needs to carry the game if they are to win.
-Larsson scores early in the first to put Ottawa down 1-0.
-Hall continues his hot streak by tieing the game in the second.
-Girgensons scores late in the 2nd to put Buffalo up 2-1.
-With 11 minutes left to go in the third Stone scores, but Buffalo quickly responds, going up 3-2.
-Cizikas scores a huge goal late in the 3rd period to tie the game and sent it to OT.
-10 minutes in the third on their 40th shot of the game, Tyler Ennis scores the game winner.
-Buffalo leads Ottawa 3-0.....
GAME 4
-One devastating injury may have derailed Ottawa's entire season. The odds of them coming back against Buffalo are slim to none.
-Beachemin will be recalled from Binghamton to join Ottawa's lineup for what might be their last game of the post season. Pavelski will be scratched, and Beachemin will play on the third line with Cizikas.
-Buffalo scores first to go up 1-0, but mid way through the second Stone scores and ties the game.
-The game is 1-1 in the third until Hagelin scores to give Buffalo the lead.
-Ennis scores late in the third to put the Sabres up 3-1.
-Reinhart scores an empty netter and the sweep is complete. With a 4-1 win, Buffalo eliminates Ottawa 4-0.
-What sort of repercussions could this ending have on Ottawa's confidence in Nedeljkovic going forward, and Holtby's next contract negotiation?
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PRE DRAFT: HERE AND THERE
-GM Danielpalfredsson signs a three year extension to stay with the Senators.
“I think we're about to do some very good things, we've had a very good team the last two years but unfortunately timed injuries pulled the carpet out from under us in the playoffs. The scary thing is, with the guys we have in the AHL and CHL, we're only going to get better.â€-GM Danielpalfredsson on his contract extension.
-Andrew Hammond makes the Cup Final for the third time in his highly successful career. The Oilers once again fall short, as the Sabres beat them in 7 games to win the Cup.
-Braden Holtby wins the Vezina trophy. He is the second Senators goalie to win the trophy over the last four years. (Lehner won in 17/18).
-It is the third straight year that Karlsson doesn't win the Norris after having 4 straight wins. Keith Yandle of the Buffalo Sabres walks away with the trophy.
-Expect the Senators to target Neil Bjugstad with their first round pick. Bjugstad is a riser who might go in the top 15, meaning Ottawa would have to trade up to get him.
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DRAFT DAY
-Ottawa doesn't get their ideal prospect, Bjugstad is taken off the board early by the Florida Panthers at 12. Ottawa instead opts to take a goalie with their pick. Ottawa needs another goalie of the future who will ultimately disappoint them, so why not, they only gave up Mike Hoffman for the pick.
27th Overall-Roy Sutherby 27oa (18yo 4* 69oa BUT G CHL)
Sutherby is a pure butterfly goalie. At the age of 18, it is hard to project his future, but expect Ottawa to take the slow and steady approach with him. At the age of 30, Holtby likely has 5 years left in him and has shown a willingness to extend with Ottawa so don't expect them to rush Sutherby.
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SIGNIFICANT RELEASES
-Torey Krug 85oa released to free agency
SIGNIFICANT EXTENSIONS
-Nedeljkovic 84oa Backup Goalie 5x1.8M
-Graps 82oa top 6 D 2x2M (RFA)
-Braden Holtby 88oa Starting Goalie 3x6.5M (Limited NTC)
-Jamie McGinn 82oa 3rd Liner 1x2.3M
-Brett Ritchie 85oa 2nd Liner 3x3.6M (Limited NTC)
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STONE AND VLASIC TO TEST THE MARKET NEXT YEAR
Stone and Vlasic have turned down offers to discuss long term extensions and are set to test the market next year. They both are on the final year of their current deal with the Senators.
Vlasic will be 35 next year, and might be posturing to get a longer term deal or a higher dollar amount on a limited term from Ottawa. Vlasic has played well for Ottawa, but they are a budget team and likely cannot take a risk signing a play of Vlasic's age to a long term deal.
Ottawa has Wes Brander, Francois Beauchemin, and Julien Gauthier who all recently graduated as Rwers to the NHL. Stone likely sees the writing on the wall, and at the age of 30 will be looking to join a team where he can have a greater role. Stone spent years floating in and out of Ottawa's top 6 as a result of their RW depth, and probably does not want to put himself in a position for that to happen again.
The question is, does Ottawa keep Stone going into the playoffs, or do they attempt to get some value for him? With Vlasic potentially leaving next year, and Stone stuck on Ottawa's third line, there have been indications that the Senators may be in preliminary talks to package Stone with one of their young defenders in exchange for a solid top 4 veteran defender.
BREAKING NEWS: MARK STONE TRADED TO THE OILERS
Earlier today the Senators requested Mark Stone's 10 team no trade list and quickly found a suitor for the 30 year old perennial Selke candidate.
With Stone set to test the market next year, the Senators reluctantly traded the long time fan favourite to the Edmonton Oilers. Stone was sent along with a 2nd round draft pick in exchange for Martin Marincin.
Stone is on the final year of a 7 year 5.7M contract. Marincin has three years remaining with a cap hit in excess of 6 million.
With Yakupov leaving the team, the Oilers desperately needed a veteran 2nd line Rwer to play behind Eberle. With Ethan Bear, Oscar Klefbom, Justin Schultz, and Darnell Nurse, the Oilers dealt from a position of strength in order to acquire the piece they felt they needed to win the Cup. The Oilers made it to the cup final last year, but lost in game 7 to the Buffalo Sabres.
The Oilers are expected to work out an extension with Stone.
With Vlasic signed to a one year deal, Marincin could potentially find himself playing on the top pairing next to Karlsson as soon as next year. Marincin is a 30 year old 87oa top 4 defender.
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FORWARD PREVIEW
The Senators have a problem, but it is a good one to have.....they have too many great right wingers. Even after trading Stone, the Senators have Wes Brandner, Brett Ritchie, Francois Beauchemin, and former 16th overall pick Julien Gauthier. The first three are all ready for top 6 duties. Gauthier isn't ready for the first line, but he is a strong middle 6 playmaker whose being forced down the line up as a consequence of depth.
The Senators organization was said to be shocked at how much progress last year's first overall pick Wes Brandner made during his final year in the CHL. Brandner made the decision to deal Stone much easier, as he came back from the CHL as a much more well rounded offensive threat. In his rookie year, Brandner is expected to be given a chance to fit in beside Konecny and Hall on the first line.
Francois Beauchemin is finally ready for the NHL. The 22 year old sniper had two phenomenal years in the AHL where he honed his ability as a scoring threat. Expect Beachemin to line up next to Cizikas in order to add a scoring touch to Ottawa's third line. Don't be surprised to see Beachemin make it very hard for the Senators not to put him on the second line.
There are lofty expectations on Taylor Hall. With three years left on a 9.5M contract, his 30 goal season last year was considered a disappointment. The Senators gave up quite a bit to obtain Taylor Hall. Despite the fact that he was a free agent, the Senators ultimately had to sell off multiple players (Mike Hoffman, Kevin Gravel, Colten Dixon), and also had to arrange the deal with the Stars that saw them trade Puempel twice, and compensate the Stars with two first rounders, a second rounder, and a third rounder in order for the Stars to retain half of Puempel's salary so that the Senators could remain under Melnyk's internal budget.
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DEFENSE PREVIEW
The Senators managed to re-sign Marc Edward Vlasic on a one year deal. Vlasic is looking to test the market after this season, so odds are, his time as a Senators will come to an end. Expect Vlasic to continue his top level pairing with Erik Karlsson.
Can Erik Karlsson return to Norris form? It has been three years since Karlsson's streak of four straight Norris trophies was snapped. At the age of 30, is Karlsson finally slowing down? Or could he surprise us all and match his career high of 97 points?
Cody Ceci has never gotten the credit he deserves as the anchor of the Senators second pair behind Karlsson. As a result of the Senators acquiring Martin Marincin, this might be the first year where Ceci has a stable partner who he can look to form long term chemistry with.
The Senators bottom pairing remains the same, with Bjorn Graps and Shannon Froats playing together. Graps just signed a two year 2M bridge deal, and with Vlasic possibly leaving the Senators after this year, might be able to cash in huge if he is given the top pairing spot with Karlsson next season.
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GOALIE PREVIEW
Rumour has it that the Senators have been quietly shopping around Nedeljkovic. The team lost faith in him last year when he was unable to step up and save the team's playoff run when Holtby went down with an injury.
With Holtby signed to a three year deal, Nedeljkovic won't get the games he needs to develop into a starter, so it makes sense for the Senators to trade him while he still has value as a prospect.
The Senators would want a first round pick for Nedeljkovic, and would look to flip that pick to a team for an older starting goalie to play as the 1B behind Holtby. Salary considerations make this very hard to do, as the team trading the 1B would likely have to be willing to retain half the salary.
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PROJECTED LINES
Hall SNP 90-Konecny PLY 90-Brandner GRN 89
Puempel SNP 86-Turris PLY 88- Ritchie PWF 85
Lindberg LW SNP 81-Cizikas TWF 85-Beauchemin SNP 84
McGinn TWF 81-Lazar TWF 81-Gauthier PLY 82
Vlasic LDFD 88-Karlsson ROFD 92
Marincin TWD 87-Ceci RTWD 86
Graps LDFD 82-Froats LOFD 81
Holtby HYB Starter 88
Nedeljkovic HYB Backup 84
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TOP PROSPECTS UNDER 22
CENTRE
N/A
RIGHT WING
Wes Brander (1st OA/RW GRN/20yo/89oa/5*)
Francois Beauchemin (6th OA/RW SNP/22yo/84oa/4G*)
Magnus Ericsson (96th OA/LW PLY/21yo/76oa/4R*)
LEFT DEFENSE
Shannon Froats (16th OA/OFD/22yo/81oa/4.5R*)
Brian Foligno (36th OA/DFD/22yo/77oa/4R*)
RIGHT DEFENSE
Rich Tokarski (9th OA/DFD/19yo/68oa/4*)
Brian Ladd (13th OA/OFD/20yo/81oa/4.5R*)
GOALIE
Roy Sutherby (27th OA/BUT/18yo/64oa/4*)
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THE THREE YEAR PLAN
According to sources within the organization, GM Danielpalfredsson has a three year plan to win the Senators a Stanley Cup.
Braden Holtby's three year extension was a deliberate move. Holtby, Hall, Turris, Marincin, and Cizikas all have three years remaining on some of the team's most expensive contracts. Karlsson has more than three years left but is expected to slow down considerably by the time three years passes.
Wes Brandner was also kept in the CHL last year to maintain his three year ELC deal. The expectation is that Brander's first extension is going to be very costly, and even if he made the team marginally better last year as a bottom 6 player, it wasn't worth having to sell off one of the team's core members a year early. With Brandner's progress, the Senators now have a first line right wing at less than 1 million per for the next three years.
The Senator's GM has a 3 year contract. Expect him to go all in, moving any pieces necessary to get the players needed to win the team a cup. The team will then move on from their current core and attempt to build a winner around a new younger core of Konecny who is still very young as he started on the Senators as an 18 year old, Brandner, Beauchemin, Ladd, Froats, Tokarski, Ceci, Graps and Sutherby.
The feeling is that if Konecny agrees to an extension, with Konecny, Brandner, and Beauchemin, the Senators have a world class first line going forward which makes it much easier to build a team.
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SEASON 8 BEGINS HERE
TRADE DEADLINE UPDATE
-Team Record: 44-13-7 (First In The League)
-Wes Brandner is having an unreal rookie year on Ottawa's top line. He is not a scoring force, but that was never the expectation. Brandner is quickly becoming known as the most intimidating forward in the NHL, he leads all forwards with 243 hits, and he is only 7 hits away from the NHL lead which is held by defender Tyler Myers. Brandner is a +29 and is seventh in rookie scoring with 10 goals and 29 points in 64 games.
-Ottawa's second rookie forward, Francois Beauchemin is having a successful transition to the NHL. He is second in goals amongst all rookies with 16, and has 33 points.
-Erik Karlsson is having a bounce back year. He leads all NHL defenders with 66 points in 64 games. Taylor Hall also has increased his production as he is well on his way to hitting the 40 goal mark. Hall is tied for 6th in the league in goals scored.
-Braden Holtby is making a case to repeat as Vezina winner. As of the trade deadline he has a .936 save percentage.
-Don't expect Ottawa to be very active at the deadline. Their team is stacked, and they have very few assets to move.
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BREAKING NEWS: SENATORS ACQUIRE EVGENI MALKIN FROM THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Despite having very few assets to work with, GM Danielpalfredsson was able to pull a rabbit out of his hat and the Senators were able to make what might be the biggest move of the trade deadline and acquire NHL legend Evgeni Malkin from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Malkin who is 35 years old is on the final year of his contract, and might be retiring after this season. Malkin's numbers have slid considerably, but are still impressive. He has put up 19 goals and 43 points thus far in 64 games with the Penguins.
This is clearly an indication that GM Danielpalfredsson is certain that the Senators are cup contenders this year. The team is first in the league, and is void of prospects depth or draft picks, so Malkin comes at what might be a high long term cost.
The primary piece of the deal was 24 year old former 32nd overall draft pick, Alex Debrincat. Debrincat is a lightning fast playmaker who was obtained by Ottawa for the sole purpose of helping develop Francois Beachemin into a scoring winger in the AHL. Debrincat, has since seen his development halt as a result of there being no opening's at centre on Ottawa's squad. With Malkin gone, Debrincat will likely get an opportunity to play in Pittsburgh's top 6 right away which could save his career.
Ottawa acquires
Evgeni Malkin (86oa/35yo/1 year left @ 9.5M)
Pittsburgh acquires
Alex Debrincat (80oa 4*/24yo/RFA)
Jamie McGinn (1 YEAR LEFT UFA 81oa CAP REASONS)
Future OTT 2nd Round Pick
This Year's OTT 3rd Round Pick
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END OF SEASON UPDATE
-The Senators finish first in the league and win the President's Trophy. (54-19-9/117 points). The Mike Hoffman trade was a great move for the Devils, as Sam Steel and the Devils have finally found a winning formula. They were second in the league behind Ottawa with 115 points.
-Rookie Wes Brandner finishes first among forwards in hits with 305 and sevenths among forwards in takeaways with 79. He is also a +27. He finishes with 11 goals and 35 points. The Senators are hoping that the experience of playing on the first line with Hall and Konecny will help develop Brandner's offensive game. Brandner has an elite shot and puck skills, but his offensive awareness is lagging behind.
-Hall finishes with 38 goals.
-Beachemin finishes seventh in rookie scoring with 40 points. This is while spending most of the year on the third line, although he did get power play time.
-Karlsson had his best season since 2018/2019 as he put up 80 points in 82 games to lead all NHL defenders in points.
-The trade to Edmonton was a good move for Mark Stone. He notched 32 goals and 59 points, his best totals in years. Throughout Stone's time on Ottawa, he was in and out of the top 6 and made to play more of a two way game, which resulted in his numbers being artificially low.
-Marincin fit in well on the Senators, he was second in points amongst Senators defenders with 37.
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ROUND 1 VS COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (44-32-6)
SENATORS PROJECTED LINE UP
Hall SNP 90-Konecny PLY 90-Brandner GRN 91
Malkin PLY 86 *C-Turris PLY 87- Ritchie PWF 85
Puempel SNP 86-Cizikas TWF 85-Beauchemin SNP 84
Lindberg LW SNP 81-Lazar TWF 81-Gauthier PLY 82
Vlasic LDFD 88-Karlsson ROFD 92
Marincin TWD 87-Ceci RTWD 86
Graps LDFD 82-Froats LOFD 81
Holtby HYB Starter 88
Nedeljkovic HYB Backup 84
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COLUMBUS PROJECTED LINE UP
Rychel PWF 89-Johansen PLY 89-Benson SNP 88
Foligno TWF 86-Wennberg PLY 83-Di Giuiseppe PLY 80
Milano TWF 83-Heeps PLY 84-Ryan PWF 81
Paul TWF 83-Jenner TWF 83-Anisimov TWF 81
Murray TWD 90-Meloche TWD 85
Zboril TWD 84-Green OFD 86
Johnson TWD 82-Savard TWD 82
Bobrovsky HYB 89
Danks HYB 84
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GAME 1
-Karlsson scores the first goal of the game, but Di Gusseppe quickly responds to tie the game 1-1.
-A Benson goal gives Columbus the lead going into the third.
-Johansen scores late in the third to ice the game for Columbus as the underdogs beat the Senators 3-1.
-Columbus leads the series 1-0.
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GAME 2
-Ottawa shifts their lines. Beauchemin is placed on the second, while Gauthier is moved up to the third, Ritchie is placed on the fourth line. Gauthier gets the promotion due to his better defensive play. The hope is with Ritchie's offensive, in the little time that the fourth line is on the ice, they'll be a scoring threat.
-Benson scores his second goal of the series to put Columbus up 1 nothing.
-Brandner responds in the second to tie the game, but Rychel scores to put Columbus up 2-1.
-Two goals by Columbus in the third put Columbus up 4-1.
-A frustrated Ottawa team is down 2-0 in the series.
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GAME 3
-Malkin injured, Braden Purtill (77oa) is recalled from Binghamton. The Senators shuffle around their lines. This is a big game, and they need a huge win. Holtby who has an 892 save percentage over two games needs to step up.
-Hall scores the first goal of the game in the middle of the second, but Foligno responds quickly to tie the game.
-Late in the second, Columbus scores three quick goals to go up 4-1. Things aren't looking good for Ottawa.
-Columbus win 4-1 to take a shocking 3-0 series lead.
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GAME 4
-BREAKING NEWS: Nedeljkovic to get the start. Holtby pulled from the series after an abysmal performance in the first three games.
-Senators shuffle their lines. They aren't scoring, they have nothing to lose.
-Turris scores on the first shot of the game. Beauchemin on the third shot.
-Ottawa goes up three nothing with a second Beauchemin goal.
-Di Giuseppe scores late in the second, both Foligno and Paul score in the third to tie the game.
-With the game tied 3-3, the game goes to overtime.
-In the first minute of OT, off of an offside faceoff, Puempel carries the puck into the zone and snipes the puck fivehole past Dansk for the win. OTTAWA IS STILL ALIVE!!!!
-Columbus leads the series 3-1.
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GAME 5
-Ottawa has to make the hard choice between starting Holtby, or starting Nedeljkovic. Nedeljkovic got the win last game, but he was unspectacular with a .906 save percentage.
-Holtby to start, Malkin is medically cleared but is still hurt, he'll come in for Purtill on the fourth line.
-Milano scores early to give Columbus a 1-0 lead.
-Di Giuiseppe scores in the second, but Cizikas quickly follows it, Columbus up 2-1.
-A pair of Columbus goals early in the third put Columbus up 4-1. But Turris scores a huge goal to keep Ottawa within reach with 10 minutes to go.
-The hockey gods sent the Senators an olive branch. With 5 minutes to go after a boarding hit from behind on Brett Ritchie, Nicolas Meloche was given a 5 minute major penalty and a game misconduct.
-2 minutes into the penalty, with 3 minutes left in the game, Hall scores a huge goal off of a Travis Konecny feed from the corner.
-Ottawa is within one and with three and a half minutes to go Puempel hits the post!
-With 2 minutes left in the game, Ryan Johansen takes a run at Erik Karlsson, as a result, Ottawa gets a 5 on 3 power play opportunity.
-With four seconds left to go in the game, Hall takes a shot which goes over Bobrovsky's shoulder and hits the post!!!
-Columbus holds off Ottawa to get the 4-3 win and eliminate a devastated Senators team 4 games to 1.
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PRE-DRAFT: HERE AND THERE
-Karlsson wins the Norris for the first time in four seasons. It is his 6th career Norris trophy.
-Braden Holtby wins his second straight Vezina trophy, and also takes home the William Jennings award.
-Neither of Ottawa's rookies win the Calder.
-Expect Ottawa to try and grab multiple late picks in the next two drafts in order to rejuvenate their prospect pool on the cheap.
-Malkin is not retiring. He is open to an extension with Ottawa.
-There are rumours that Holtby could be gone at that draft if the Senators can find a starting goalie to trade for. The Senators are starting to get the read on Holtby that he can be great in the regular season, but collapse in the playoff. With two straight Vezina trophies and only a limited NTC, management feels they have to explore the opportunity of selling high on Holtby. They'll only move him to a Western team and would have to ask him for his trade list. Holtby's abysmal play as a Senator in the playoffs has thrown a wrench into GM Danielpalfredsson's three year plan.
NHL ENTRY DRAFT TRANSACTIONS
-In an attempt to repopulate their prospect pool on the cheap, Ottawa trades next year's third round pick to Arizona for Arizona's 4th round pick this year, their 5th round pick next year, and this year's 5th.
-Ottawa deals their 25 year old backup minor league goalie to Carolina for a 4th and a 5th.
-BREAKING: Long time third line center Casey Cizikas (82oa) has been dealt to San Jose in exchange for a 3rd round pick (70oa) and a 4th round pick (100oa). The 31 year old centre has two years left at 3 million per. Is this a sign that a Malkin extension is in the works?
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The Ottawa Senators have inked 6th overall pick Francois Beauchemin to an 8 year deal. The Senators have been known for avoiding bridge deals and locking up young talent long term. It is an immense compliment to Beauchemin to have the Senators put enough trust in him to be willing to go eight years on his deal.
The Senators also lock up ageing superstar Evegeni Malkin to a one year deal at an affordable cost of 3 million per. Expect Malkin to take a back seat this year and provide scoring from the third line.
SIGNIFICANT EXTENSIONS
-Francois Beauchemin 2nd Line Rwer 3.6x8 year (Limited NTC after the age of 27)
-Shannon Froats Top 6 OFD 1.1x2 (1 Way)
-Evgeni Malkin 3x1 year
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BREAKING NEWS
Senators shock the hockey world when they sign former Buffalo Sabres 5th overall pick 27 year old Elite goalie Louis-Philip Guindon to a 6 year 9.4M contract with a full NTC. This signing came out of left field, and may have to do with Holtby's collapse in the first round of the playoffs last year.
Odds are, the Senators will now ask for Holtby's 10 team list and attempt to deal him out West in an attempt to shed his salary. Signing Guindon is risky for Ottawa, because if none of the 10 teams want Holtby, they'll have to figure out another way to reach their budget. Rumour has it that the Toronto Maple Leafs were in on Guindon, which further motivated Ottawa to sign him as a defensive move to stop a divisional rival from getting him.
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HOLTBY GETS A CASE OF THE BLUES
HOLTBY'S TEN TEAM LIST: STL, ANA, EDM, CAR, NYI, NJ, TB, BUF, NYR, LA
Two time Vezina winner Braden Holtby is no longer a member of the Senators.
The Senators have been a goalie graveyard during GM Danielpalfredsson's tenure, and Holtby's name is now the latest to get a burial plot. With the younger, former Conn Smythe winner and Stanley Cup Champion Louis-Philip Guindon hitting free agency, the Senators couldn't pass up the opportunity to move on from Holtby after his meltdown in the first round of last year's playoffs.
Holtby presented his ten team list to the Senators, which was actually closer to a four team list since the Senators had no intention of moving Holtby to the East. Had the Senators not been able to find a taker for Holtby, they may have ended up having to move a different player in order to get under their organizations internal budget.
Earlier today, it broke that the Senators had traded the 33 year old Braden Holtby to the Blues for 33 year old Kevin Shatenkirk. We now can reveal the full details of that trade.
Shattenkirk was sent over with half his salary retained for the next two seasons, putting his cap hit for Ottawa at 3 million. The Blues have over 20 million in cap space, but in order to get the Blues to agree to such a deal, Ottawa had to add to Holtby.
Ottawa sent with Holtby 19 year old first round pick goalie Roy Sutherby. Sutherby has great potential to be a goalie in this league, but with Guindon between the pipes for Ottawa for the next six years, there is no room for him to grow with the team.
Ottawa also sent fan favourite Shannon “Canadian Karlsson†Froats. Froats is a player that the Senators had high hopes for, but he is looking more like “Canadian David Rundbland†than “Canadian Karlssonâ€. Froats has progressed very little since his draft year. He should get an opportunity on St.Louis' top 4, and on their powerplay. At the age of 23, at the very worst, he is a bottom pairing defender and a power play specialist. If things turn around for him, he could be top 4 OFD.
With Shattenkirk coming back to Ottawa in the trade, and 21 year old 2020 13th OA pick Brian Ladd leapfrogging past Froats, the Senators considered Froats an expendable piece that they could use to add value to the trade.
Shattenkirk and Holtby were considered equal assets, but with Ottawa needing St.Louis to retain in order to meet their internal budget, Ottawa had to overpay for Shattenkirk.
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PRE SEASON - HERE AND THERE
-Nedeljkovic has been traded to Nashville for a 2nd and a 5th. This was a cap motivated move, and a sad day for Ottawa fans as we see both pieces of the Bobby Ryan trade (16th OA pick Shannon “Future David Rundbland†Froats+Nedeljkovic) amount to very little for Ottawa while Bobby Ryan helped Carolina climb back into being a playoff team.
Nashville was in need of an experienced backup goalie so the trade was an easy one for them to make.
Ottawa signed Guy Desjardins who had spent over a month as a free agent with no takers. Desjardins 83oa 4R* is unproven as a backup and might be better suited to start in the AHL, but he was signed for an ELC deal that costs only .755k vs Nedeljkovic's price of 1.8M. The Senators are hoping Desjardins can adjust to the NHL and provide them with a cost efficient backup goalie that won't hurt their team. Desjardins was drafted late in the third round of the 2020 draft by Tampa Bay, but went unsigned.
-Ottawa signs grinder Jonah Gadjovich. Gadjovich was a 7th round pick in 2017, but went unsigned by the Oilers. The signing came out of nowhere for Gadjovich, as he had no interested teams in the first month of free agency and was preparing to sign a contract in the KHL. At .775 per over the next three seasons, Gadjovich will likely be expected to provide Ottawa with affordable bottom 6 play.
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FORWARD PREVIEW
The team's top six remains mostly the same, with the main difference being that Beauchemin has won the number two RW spot from Ritchie out of training camp. The Senators already know that first overall pick Wes Brandner is an elite physical and two way force, but they expect him to turn heads this year with an improved offensive game. The Senators will be happy with 50 points from him. They expect him to eventually grow into a 60 point player. Keep in mind, Ottawa has always been a team that scored by commission, and 60 points usually is near the amount their top scorer puts up.
The top 6 looks very different from last season. Gone from the third line is two way mainstay Casey Cizikas. In his place is a slowed down future hall of famer, Evgani Malkin. Malkin did not look promising in training camp, expect Ottawa to lean heavily on fourth centre veteran Curtis Lazar if Malkin slows down too much. The Senators are hoping that Lindberg, Malkin, and Ritchie can find a scoring chemistry on the third line.
In Gadjovich, the Senators found an exceptionally cheap bottom 6 grinder in the free agent market. Expect Gadjovich to add a nasty element that the Senators bottom 6 was lacking in last season.
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DEFENSE PREVIEW
The major change in this year's defense would be the loss of Vlasic to free agency and the addition of Kevin Shattenkirk. Expect Shattenkirk to play top 2 minutes alongside defending Norris trophy winner Erik Karlsson.
Brian Ladd made a huge leap in his first pro season. The 2020 13th overall pick is expected to replace Shannon “Canadian David Rundbland†Froats on the bottom pairing. He'll also be expected to quarter back one of the power play pairings.
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GOALIE PREVIEW
Not since the signing of Dominik Hasek in 2004 have Ottawa fans seen their team gain such an important goalie from free agency as they did when they signed Louis-Philip Guindon. With a six year 9.4M contract and a full no trade clause, Guindon will be part of the Senators for the long hall.
At only 27 years of age, Guindon has already won a Conn Smyth trophy and a Stanley Cup. Guindon has a career .932 playoff save percentage over 31 games. It has taken GM Danielpalfredsson more than 8 seasons to find stability in net, and now with LP Guindon, he has it.
The Senators traded backup goalie Nedeljkovic and signed former 88th overall pick Guy Desjardins to an ELC in the summer. Desjardins was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning but hit the free agent market when they opted not to sign him. Desjardins is inexprienced, but the Senators are a budget team, and with LP Guindon playing a majority of the games, saving over a million dollars on a backup goalie could prove to be a wise move.
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PROJECTED LINEUP
Hall SNP 90-Konecny PLY 90-Brandner GRN 94
Puempel SNP 86-Turris PLY 86-Beauchemin SNP 85
Lindberg SNP 81-Malkin PLY 82-Ritchie PWF 84
Gadjovich GRN 82-Lazar TWF 81-Gauthier PLY 81
Shattenkirk TWD 87-Karlsson OFD 92
Marincin TWD 87-Ceci TWD 85
Graps DFD 84-Ladd OFD 85
Guindon HYB 89
Desjardins HYB 83
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UP NEXT: SEASON 9 SUMMARY
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