Good blog.
Good read.

Ya. The news of the sale isn't new but it's a slow news cycle so Garrioch stopped slathering sun lotion long enough to tell us what we already knew.

A more interesting rumor is actually Staios being looked at to take over for the retiring David Branch.
- Octavarium

If I am Staios would I rather be commissioner of the OHL or president of hockey ops for the Ottawa Senators?

I don't know enough about the backgrounds of Satios or the jobs, but my quick reaction is the Sens and a chance to win a Stanley Cup would be highly appealing.

One player who's become somewhat lost in the mix is Jiri Smejkal, whose potential is something of a wild card heading into training camp. He's coming off quite a productive run in Europe where he played top-line roles in the SM-Liiga and SEL, and played for Czechia at the last Olympics and the past 3 World Championships. He's also listed at 6'4-220, which should make him appealing to the team's general preference for big-body players. On paper, that should give you bottom-6 forward potential in the NHL, but it's certainly not a given.

What do people think his impact will be?
- is he NHL-ready enough to potentially replace one of Kubalik or Joseph?
- does he stop them from pursuing a Motte-like UFA addition?
- if he has a strong training camp, would they risk losing Sokolov to waivers?
- does he have the physical game & skating to play ahead of Greig or Kelly?
- is he likely to be a failed European UFA experiment, and only play in the AHL?

One player who's become somewhat lost in the mix is Jiri Smejkal, whose potential is something of a wild card heading into training camp. He's coming off quite a productive run in Europe where he played top-line roles in the SM-Liiga and SEL, and played for Czechia at the last Olympics and the past 3 World Championships. He's also listed at 6'4-220, which should make him appealing to the team's general preference for big-body players. On paper, that should give you bottom-6 forward potential in the NHL, but it's certainly not a given.

What do people think his impact will be?
- is he NHL-ready enough to potentially replace one of Kubalik or Joseph?
- does he stop them from pursuing a Motte-like UFA addition?
- if he has a strong training camp, would they risk losing Sokolov to waivers?
- does he have the physical game & skating to play ahead of Greig or Kelly?
- is he likely to be a failed European UFA experiment, and only play in the AHL?
- khawk

I been curious on Smejkal. Teams need a balance of size and speed. You need both. Sens are very close to putting together a roster with strong 3rd and 4th lines. Maybe? Could they be a contender?

One player who's become somewhat lost in the mix is Jiri Smejkal, whose potential is something of a wild card heading into training camp. He's coming off quite a productive run in Europe where he played top-line roles in the SM-Liiga and SEL, and played for Czechia at the last Olympics and the past 3 World Championships. He's also listed at 6'4-220, which should make him appealing to the team's general preference for big-body players. On paper, that should give you bottom-6 forward potential in the NHL, but it's certainly not a given.

What do people think his impact will be?
- is he NHL-ready enough to potentially replace one of Kubalik or Joseph?
- does he stop them from pursuing a Motte-like UFA addition?
- if he has a strong training camp, would they risk losing Sokolov to waivers?
- does he have the physical game & skating to play ahead of Greig or Kelly?
- is he likely to be a failed European UFA experiment, and only play in the AHL?
- khawk

He's a total wild card. Some players can't transition to the smaller ice and more physical play, others do it seemingly seamlessly. I wish the team would try this low risk gamble more often - it's how we got Zub. But folks may recall Zub only got into the lineup amid a rash of injuries and poor play - and he rode bottom six for over a month before getting a chance to move up. Coach wouldn't give the guy a shot. So that overseas uncertainty comes parcel with an inherent lack of trust from coaching, whether that's reasonable/rational or not. I do hope he gets some shots outside the fourth line, but not holding my breath.

He's a total wild card. Some players can't transition to the smaller ice and more physical play, others do it seemingly seamlessly. I wish the team would try this low risk gamble more often - it's how we got Zub. But folks may recall Zub only got into the lineup amid a rash of injuries and poor play - and he rode bottom six for over a month before getting a chance to move up. Coach wouldn't give the guy a shot. So that overseas uncertainty comes parcel with an inherent lack of trust from coaching, whether that's reasonable/rational or not. I do hope he gets some shots outside the fourth line, but not holding my breath.
- Bartacus

Vegas beat Edmonton in the playoffs playing 4 solid lines, a big mobile defence and adequate goaltending. No doubt, in my mind, Edmonton had the superior talent but did not have the depth.

I believe the Sens are set up to contend every night. Their goaltending is adequate and, with Sanderson and Chychrun starting the year, their D is probably above average.

Top 6 are very good. Timmy is elite and Brady is a force. Norris, Tarasenko and Kubalik are huge adds. Power play was great and might be even better this year.

Lines 3 and 4 plus the penalty kill needs to improve over last season.

I would like to see Giroux get more ice time and play with Pinto and Greig. They would be a formidable mix that might be ready to do some serious damage if the Sens make it past round one of the playoffs.

I would try to sign Sanderson to 7 years @6.5 a 6.75 makes most sense to me. I can stretch to 7x7 too but it should be 8 years. I would not offer more than 7.25. He has not proven himself yet at all

I would try to sign Sanderson to 7 years @6.5 a 6.75 makes most sense to me. I can stretch to 7x7 too but it should be 8 years. I would not offer more than 7.25. He has not proven himself yet at all
- AlfieisKing

8x$8. He is inside the club and part of the long term solution, or he is not part of the inner core. Exactly the same for Chychrun.

They can do 7 contracts on long term deals averaging $8m and stay safe with the cap. My first 6 are Stutzle, Tkachuk, Chabot, Norris, Sanderson and Chychrun. We don't know who #7 on a long term deal can be. They will have $40m left on the cap to fill in the other 16 slots on the roster (avg $2.5m x 16 players). Sens are in great shape for a long time based on the exiting contracts and near futures.

I don't know if I'm ready to give Sanderson an $8 x 8 years type of contract yet. He has only played 1 season. I think I want to see a bit more first. Either a 3 year x $6 million bridge, or wait until the end of this coming season to get a better idea of what we have.

Looking at the next part of our rebuild and prospects, I’m looking at our goaltending. Looks like Ottawa’s future is with bi men in net. As everyone knows, at 6ft 8in , Sogaard looks very promising. As we look towards his development, I think another year or 2 in Belleville will help. Once he is ready, if he is ready, that will be the end of the line for Forsberg in Ottawa. But I would like to see Ottawa give him a full year in Belleville.
Next in line is Merilainen who I think will continue to push Sogaard for time in Belleville. I think (from what I have seen and read) that Merilainen is a more mobile goalie. At 6’2” he is the shortest goalie in the Senators stables.
Mandolese at 6’5” is another giant in goal but I haven’t seen enough to convince me that he can be consistent enough to be a starter in the NHL, or a back up. He needs much more time and will be stuck in the ECHL for another year or 2. He will get lots of playing time there, but at some point he will have to displace the 2 goalies ahead of him.
I think goaltending in Ottawa will be interesting this season. Nobody knows how Forsberg will respond to the rehab on both his legs. And both Forsberg and Korpisalo do not have a history of playing a lot of games.
Forsberg … 3 seasons with most games were 35 with Chicago, 46 with Ottawa, 28 with Ottawa.
Korpisalo … 3 seasons (recent) with games of 33, 37, 39. But it must be remembered that he recently had hip surgery (2021-22) and then put up a good year last season.
My feeling is we could see some asset management from the Senators here. Maybe see Korpisalo play 40 games, Forsberg play 30 games (depending on his health of his knees). The remaining 12 games could be a combo of bringing up Sogaard to see how he does. And if Merilainen plays well, then maybe throwing him a few games as well. In this way, you could keep Korpisalo and Forsberg engaged, but rested and ready for the playoffs. Rather then throwing them into a workload neither has really done.

When we look further out into the future with goalie development, I could eventually see Reidler displace Mandolese on the depth chart. But that will take time. Mandolese could be a nice chess piece to trade for some future draft picks or as part of a package to get something we need.

Any thoughts? Am I out to lunch with my thinking?

Great blog, khawk.

I wish the NHL would really wrap things up with that WJC investigation. It's been how long now? Well over a year since it started? I understand the need for thorough ness but this is really dragging on.
- Panzer_IVA

It is. What if the Sens lose a player. When the outcome is determined. Not saying they will but what if. That would drastically change things. Best to keep joseph around.

8x$8. He is inside the club and part of the long term solution, or he is not part of the inner core. Exactly the same for Chychrun.

They can do 7 contracts on long term deals averaging $8m and stay safe with the cap. My first 6 are Stutzle, Tkachuk, Chabot, Norris, Sanderson and Chychrun. We don't know who #7 on a long term deal can be. They will have $40m left on the cap to fill in the other 16 slots on the roster (avg $2.5m x 16 players). Sens are in great shape for a long time based on the exiting contracts and near futures.
- spatso

While I agree Jake Sanderson will be a solid D-man for years to come, giving him pretty much the same money as Stutzle, Tkachuk, Norris and Chabot is a little too rich at this point. Josh Norris really needs to show he's worth the contract he was given. With this, he has to stay healthy! Sanderson and Chychrun are in a similar space in that they are likely top 2/3 D-men on any team (by 2024) and will need to show they can be worth the next big contract.

It is. What if the Sens lose a player. When the outcome is determined. Not saying they will but what if. That would drastically change things. Best to keep joseph around.
- spazzbot

There's no question that the release of the WJC report is a major dependency on all remaining roster moves. People just assume Formenton is implicated, but until they know for sure about Batherson there's absolutely no way they're going to be making a major trade. It seems pretty clear that it's also why there's been no movement on Pinto's RFA contract.

While I agree Jake Sanderson will be a solid D-man for years to come, giving him pretty much the same money as Stutzle, Tkachuk, Norris and Chabot is a little too rich at this point. Josh Norris really needs to show he's worth the contract he was given. With this, he has to stay healthy! Sanderson and Chychrun are in a similar space in that they are likely top 2/3 D-men on any team (by 2024) and will need to show they can be worth the next big contract.
- AlfieisKing

There's no reason for Sanderson to sign a year early, especially until it's clear what kind of pairings/role distribution will manifest within the top-4D. If the majority of PP time goes to Chabot/Chychrun and Sanderson is given more of a shut-down role, then it's unlikely he'll have anything close to the offensive numbers to demand a $8M AAV extension - or that he'd want to lock-in long-term based on years where he wasn't getting prime PP exposure. Personally, I think you'll see him get a 1-2 year RFA bridge deal because the team is beyond the need to have foundational players establishing long-term credibility. By then he'll still be only 23/24, his upside will be more clear (to both him and the team), and a major long-term deal would still be highly advantageous.

https://nhltradetalk.com/...dst-front-office-changes/

There's no question that the release of the WJC report is a major dependency on all remaining roster moves. People just assume Formenton is implicated, but until they know for sure about Batherson there's absolutely no way they're going to be making a major trade. It seems pretty clear that it's also why there's been no movement on Pinto's RFA contract.
- khawk

It is a strong possability even with being cleared of wrong doing. The Sens brand will move on from the player. Brands do not like being associated even with dismissal of wrong doing of such things. Imo they would have moved on a long time ago. Likely there was not 1 team that would have made the deal even for a bag of gum wrappers. It will be tough even after the matter ,either way of the outcome. All contracts likely have a moral and ethics clause that could void the contract if found culpable.

It is a strong possability even with being cleared of wrong doing. The Sens brand will move on from the player. Brands do not like being associated even with dismissal of wrong doing of such things. Imo they would have moved on a long time ago. Likely there was not 1 team that would have made the deal even for a bag of gum wrappers. It will be tough even after the matter ,either way of the outcome. All contracts likely have a moral and ethics clause that could void the contract if found culpable.
- spazzbot

More than likely there is a game of chicken going on between the London Police and Hockey Canada. Neither one of them wants to say that there is no evidence or statements that warrant charges/suspensions first. They are both waiting for the other to say something. If London Police had evidence, they would have laid charges. More than likely they come up with very similar statements...something along the lines of not enough evidence for charges, but something definitely happened and because no one is talking, not much we can do. They will pass the buck and make the NHL head office be the bad guys. But Formenton won't play this upcoming year either.

Correct me if I'm wrong...but can't the Sens just trade some dead cap money to a cap floor team? A 4th and one of the dead cap players?

It's curious how many pundits are quick to put Buffalo ahead of Ottawa in terms of their predicted finish next season. I'm not saying Buffalo doesn't have a promising young team, but a lot is made of the unproven Senators' forwards, yet relatively few comments about the fact that the Sabres were led by 3 forwards that all put up career-best performances in their mid-late 20's. Case in point, Thompson, Skinner, and Tuch combined for 118G last season, which is more than those same 3 players scored in the previous 2 seasons combined. Not to mention that Skinner in particular was regarded as having one of the worst contracts in the entire NHL just a couple of seasons ago.

Then I hear about how the Senators still have weaknesses in terms of their defensive game, yet Buffalo was a bottom-10 team in terms of GA/GP, bottom-5 in PK%, and dead-last in the NHL in face-off%. Meanwhile, the Senators have actually improved both their D/G situation by adding Chychrun and Korpisalo, will have improved depth at C with the return of Norris, and had a better PK than half the teams that made last year's playoff cut. By comparison, the Sabres have done relatively little to improve their team defence.

We'll see what happens, of course. It's certainly true that the Senators are the team that needs to prove they can get out of November without sabotaging their season, but I would argue that few teams have addressed their most significant weaknesses more effectively than the Senators have in the past few months. At the same time, I don't think anyone is going to be taking the Sabres lightly this year, so many of their early-season points may be harder to come by this year. The interesting stretch for Buffalo will be in November, when they play 10 of 14 games on the road.

One last lengthy imo, and noted observations on the subject until the outcome. I do find this interesting on many levels

Since there is many individuals potentially involved . The process will be a lengthy 1. Due process will take extra time.
The way that hockey canada was dismantled and reassembled, and government funding removed and advertising pulled. I believe the outcome for the accused will be serious. However there is the possability if they wait long enough in hope that the public attention has the memory of a fly, it will quietly go away.
I do wonder if the government or any advertisers have quietly reinstated their funding ?
Last season the sens player was deliberately never made available to the media for the whole season. Except on 2 occasions. Once at training camp, where 1 journalist had the intregity to outright ask the said player about all this. Ian Mendes whom i dont always get 100% on board with . I have to say i respect him .His line in the sand doesn't shift. The 2nd time was at the sens golf tournament , where a bland question was asked and the reply was ' living the dream '. At that point i do believe the sens brand made a decision to not make the player available any more. Those types of comment could easily add fire to a volatile situation.

In a stretch of opinion, why was the said player absent from the C's wedding Does the association of the said player effect team mates weariness of their brand or of their values ? Does it effect team culture? I would hazard a guess of yes it does.

All in all , the rjpple effect and devestation to everyone involved will have long lasting effects. Very unfortunate situation.

One last lengthy imo, and noted observations on the subject until the outcome. I do find this interesting on many levels

Since there is many individuals potentially involved . The process will be a lengthy 1. Due process will take extra time.
The way that hockey canada was dismantled and reassembled, and government funding removed and advertising pulled. I believe the outcome for the accused will be serious. However there is the possability if they wait long enough in hope that the public attention has the memory of a fly, it will quietly go away.
I do wonder if the government or any advertisers have quietly reinstated their funding ?
Last season the sens player was deliberately never made available to the media for the whole season. Except on 2 occasions. Once at training camp, where 1 journalist had the intregity to outright ask the said player about all this. Ian Mendes whom i dont always get 100% on board with . I have to say i respect him .His line in the sand doesn't shift. The 2nd time was at the sens golf tournament , where a bland question was asked and the reply was ' living the dream '. At that point i do believe the sens brand made a decision to not make the player available any more. Those types of comment could easily add fire to a volatile situation.

In a stretch of opinion, why was the said player absent from the C's wedding Does the association of the said player effect team mates weariness of their brand or of their values ? Does it effect team culture? I would hazard a guess of yes it does.

All in all , the rjpple effect and devestation to everyone involved will have long lasting effects. Very unfortunate situation.
- spazzbot

it is essentially a he said she said and she did not say anything until 2023, refused to cooperate with initial 3rd party HC investigation and London Police investigation in 2018, it was her father who complained, not to the police but to HC who they called the police, then several years later they sue for money, they did not go to the police to finally cooperate, no they sued for cold hard cash.

the reason this is going slow is yes, they hope people will forget and move on because if they slam those players and they win in court, the NHL, HC and maybe to a extent the government of Canada will be sued for hundreds of millions of $$$ and that is what they want to avoid

They were already paid millions by hockey canada's account set up for this exact thing. Wich is crazy in its self suggesting its happened before Imagine hockey parents across the country paying their dues and some of them go to this account. Then the police/ media involvement began in ernest.

Not to mention there is supposedly a video out there too.
Yes everyone has to walk the legal line. To avoid further compensation, and damages.
One thing Formention was offered a league minimum contract that was turned down. If he accepted he might have played last year either in ottawa or belleville.

They were already paid millions by hockey canada's account set up for this exact thing. Wich is crazy in its self suggesting its happened before Imagine hockey parents across the country paying their dues and some of them go to this account. Then the police/ media involvement began in ernest.

Not to mention there is supposedly a video out there too.
Yes everyone has to walk the legal line. To avoid further compensation, and damages.
One thing Formention was offered a league minimum contract that was turned down. If he accepted he might have played last year either in ottawa or belleville.
- spazzbot

I don't think the NHL has any legal culpability here to be sued. This was not an NHL event, nor were the players playing for any NHL team at the time. This is a Hockey Canada thing, maybe (but not likely) the Canadian Govt. If there is any legal issues, it is hard to blame anyone other then the players involved.

I don't think the NHL has any legal culpability here to be sued. This was not an NHL event, nor were the players playing for any NHL team at the time. This is a Hockey Canada thing, maybe (but not likely) the Canadian Govt. If there is any legal issues, it is hard to blame anyone other then the players involved.
- OttawaB

wrong, the NHL has done its own investigation apparently and if they suspend players based on that and the players win in court, NHL will be sued to oblivion along with the teams those players belong too.

It's curious how many pundits are quick to put Buffalo ahead of Ottawa in terms of their predicted finish next season. I'm not saying Buffalo doesn't have a promising young team, but a lot is made of the unproven Senators' forwards, yet relatively few comments about the fact that the Sabres were led by 3 forwards that all put up career-best performances in their mid-late 20's. Case in point, Thompson, Skinner, and Tuch combined for 118G last season, which is more than those same 3 players scored in the previous 2 seasons combined. Not to mention that Skinner in particular was regarded as having one of the worst contracts in the entire NHL just a couple of seasons ago.

Then I hear about how the Senators still have weaknesses in terms of their defensive game, yet Buffalo was a bottom-10 team in terms of GA/GP, bottom-5 in PK%, and dead-last in the NHL in face-off%. Meanwhile, the Senators have actually improved both their D/G situation by adding Chychrun and Korpisalo, will have improved depth at C with the return of Norris, and had a better PK than half the teams that made last year's playoff cut. By comparison, the Sabres have done relatively little to improve their team defence.

We'll see what happens, of course. It's certainly true that the Senators are the team that needs to prove they can get out of November without sabotaging their season, but I would argue that few teams have addressed their most significant weaknesses more effectively than the Senators have in the past few months. At the same time, I don't think anyone is going to be taking the Sabres lightly this year, so many of their early-season points may be harder to come by this year. The interesting stretch for Buffalo will be in November, when they play 10 of 14 games on the road.
- khawk

For both teams, any improvement will be dictated by improved goaltending. If they both get better than average goaltending, they both will contend.

For both teams, any improvement will be dictated by improved goaltending. If they both get better than average goaltending, they both will contend.
- GrimmdaGoalie

Here's yet another example of what I was talking about... compare the Buffalo commentary to the Ottawa one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNF2iaqJY8o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZyAKcF6VG8

If you listened to Dan Rosen, you'd swear that Connor Clifton was some kind of established veteran D-man that Buffalo stole in the off-season. This is a player that's only played more than 44GP twice in his career, only scored more than 10pts once, and has never played more than 17min/GP. Then they're gushing over adding a 35yo Erik Johnson for the 3rd pairing? That's usually a last-resort move for a team at the deadline, not how you start a season off intentionally... plus they just traded Lyubushkin, who is every bit as significant a 3rd-pairing guy as either of those two. Which leaves them with the exact same top-4D that they had last year when they were one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL in multiple key categories.

Whatever... it really just feels like some teams can do no wrong in the eyes of some pundits.