I think XO and Jensen have the inside lane on roster spots next year to fill out the bottom two spots on the blueline again.
Didn't we say the same thing last season? That Jensen, Ouellet and Sproul would all have spots rounding out the bottom of the line-up. Then on 7/1 we hear about Holland pursuing a Dman and eventually bringing in Daley.
While I certainly doubt they are looking to have Cholowski or Hronek start on the NHL club next season, I have the same doubt Ouellet (Jensen seems to have more value to the club) has an inside lane to a roster spot. We're talking about a guy that they actively looked to trade and apparently had no takers, who has sat in the Cleary Cabana for two weeks to almost a month on multiple occasions and doesn't even get looks as a 7th dman for 5 minutes a night now even with the season lost.
If he doesn't get traded this offseason, I'm sure Holland or whoever will have no qualms about waiving and burying Ouellet (and facing the $200k or so cap hit) next September/October if they need room for someone who is (or they perceive to be) a better option. And to the FO, that better option is likely another UFA dman.