Senators Adding to Hockey Ops & Trade Winds Swirling Ahead
During last night’s broadcast of the Rangers/Lightning game, Elliotte Friedman mentioned that the Senators “are just looking to bolster their hockey operations (department). Hearing there could be some hires there soon.”
What’s interesting is the plurality of “hires”. Even before the Senators fired senior vice-president of player development Pierre McGuire in May, the Senators already had one of the smallest front offices in the league. It has been that way for the better part of the last two decades, so if the organization is looking to address one of its obvious shortcomings, it is fantastic news.
More voices from different hockey backgrounds offering varying opinions are important to avoid suffering from collective groupthink. The more ways for a front office to identify, analyze and tackle problems or ideas, the more flexible and able it should be to mitigate problems and risks moving forward.
Hiring a few competent individuals who can positively contribute is ideal, but at the very least, a larger front office will take some of the load off a group that is clearly spread thin.
More professional and amateur scouts, more emphasis on player development, an executive to oversee player development and replace McGuire, a full-time employee or three dedicated to analytics so that the Senators are better suited to identifying talent, market inefficiencies, tactical improvements, and etc.
Obviously, there have been no real leaks as to who the Senators are targeting, but after Daniel Alfredsson publicly acknowledged that he would be interested in rejoining the front office, he would be one name to keep an eye on. And most certainly, he would bring some name recognition and positivity to a brand that sorely lacks credibility.
It will not only be interesting to see who the Senators bring into the mix, but which positions they fill. Whether it has been on the coaching front or in the front office, the organization tends to hire individuals who are either new to this level of hockey or are desperate to get back into the game.
Another thing to keep in mind is that after Dorion fired McGuire, it was regarded as a bit of a power move. The general manager was never consulted by Eugene Melnyk prior to McGuire’s hire. Without that first-hand input, perhaps McGuire was perceived as a potential threat to Dorion’s position.
Since Dorion will be hiring these new employees, loyalty will be a factor. He does not want to hire his potential successor, so it will be interesting to see what positions he fills. Will they be senior-level positions or will they simply be supplementary positions to simply remove some of the burdens experienced by those already here?
Rumours Swirling
As the playoffs wind down and we head towards the 2022 NHL Draft weekend (July 7th, 8th) in Montreal, it’s inevitable that the rumour mill and prospective trade scenarios will start ramping up.
General manager Pierre Dorion has made it no secret that he is willing to entertain offers on the team’s seventh overall pick and with two additional picks in the second round of this year’s draft, he certainly has the flexibility to get creative and go in a number of different directions.
Having already written about the Kevin Fiala possibility, I’m not going to exhaust that avenue further, but Ottawa has been listed as one of the possibilities alongside teams like the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders.
The Senators could pursue other alternatives.
Offseason surgeries will sideline Charlie McAvoy, Brad Marchand, and Matt Grzelcyk for a significant chunk of the 2022-23 season. And, thanks to rumours that Patrice Bergeron could look elsewhere and test the open market as a 36-year-old unrestricted free agent, the Boston Bruins are suddenly looking incredibly vulnerable. Would the combination of these factors discourage David Pastrnak from signing a contract extension of his own?
With just one season left on a deal that will take him to unrestricted free agency next summer, that is the question that general manager Don Sweeney will be asking. If Pastrnak shows any hesitancy in committing long-term, it could put the Bruins into a situation where they have to move the player.
Ottawa certainly has enough draft capital and young assets to make a strong push for Pastrnak. When @JFreshHockey asked his followers to propose hypothetical offers for Pastrnak, one reader offered up this response.
The risk for the Senators is similar to the team’s acquisition of Bobby Ryan. Even if Pastrnak did not have Ottawa on his list of teams that he could not be dealt to or would be willing to waive his no-movement clause to come here, the Senators could never inherit the risk of acquiring one season of Pastrnak — especially with there being no guarantees that the team is poised to push for a playoff spot in 2022-23.
In order to make a deal of this magnitude, the Senators would need assurances from the player that he would sign an extension. Fortunately, having been burnt by the Matt Duchene trade in 2017, Dorion has already acknowledged that he will not make another significant trade for a short-term asset. He recognizes the need to acquire players who will be under team control for the foreseeable future.
With only one year left of team control on Pastrnak’s current deal, it gives him ton of negotiating leverage.
In other words, the opportunity cost to acquire a player of Pastrnak’s ilk is going to be significant. To sign him long-term, the contract terms have the potential to be prohibitively expensive, as well.
Under the right circumstances, such a deal could make sense. It would be one hell of a price to pay, however, and would create holes in the lineup that would need to be addressed. Left wing would suddenly look incredibly thin beyond Brady Tkachuk and the team would have to find a third-line centre to replace Pinto. Perhaps Ridly Greig could be the answer, but it seems unfair to pencil him in as a productive regular considering he hasn’t played many professional games to this point.
One of the other names to enter the rumour of late is Edmonton’s Jesse Puljujarvi.
For a Senators squad that has Connor Brown entering the final year of his three-year, $10.8 million contract ($3.6 million AAV), it remains to be seen how the Senators are approaching his status this summer. Brown is slated to be an unrestricted free agent next summer and will probably command a raise on what he’s currently earning. If the Senators are unable to make progress on a contract extension this summer, it probably makes a lot of sense to deal him before the start of the season.
I don’t know whether Puljujarvi is necessarily an answer for the Senators, but a young NHL player with pedigree and two-way upside might be of interest. I’m not saying I would make this deal for Puljujarvi, but it’s the kind of deal that I could see the Senators consider if they decide that Brown’s a luxury that they cannot afford long-term.
On TSN 1050 radio two days ago, Chris Johnston threw out Matt Murray’s name as a possible target for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
With two years left on a deal that will pay him $7 million and $8 million over the next two respective seasons, it would be difficult for the Maple Leafs to fit Murray in. That Murray’s cap hit comes out at $6.25 million may help, but it is hard to imagine a deal like this coming to fruition without the Leafs moving out some dead money of their own.
The obvious candidate would be Petr Mrazek. He was absolutely horrendous in his first turn in the Big Smoke. In 20 appearances this season, he posted a 12-6-0 record with a 3.34 GAA and a save percentage of .888. By Evolving-Hockey’s ‘goals above replacement’ and ‘wins above replacement’ metrics, Mrazek was one of the worst statistical goaltenders in the league this season.
Mrazek had put together some intriguing campaigns in Carolina and Detroit and there is a local connection in that he played junior here in Ottawa.
Mrazek is owed $4.2 million and $4.4 million ($3.8 million AAV) over his next two seasons, but unless the Senators eat some money on Murray’s deal, I don’t know if there’s a fit beyond the fact that Murray played in Sault Ste. Marie and has a connection with general manager Kyle Dubas.
Beyond that, Murray’s recent track record has as many warts as Mrazek’s and for an organization that certainly needs to progress deeper into the playoffs, rolling the dice on his performance and health seems incredibly risky considering the unlikelihood of a payoff.
Or, maybe this rumour simply gives some insight into how scant this summer’s goaltending market will be.