A look ahead at pending free agents as Senators playoff chances fade away
Breadcrumb Trail Links Ottawa Senators NHL Hockey Ottawa Senators General Manager Pierre Dorion. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIA / FILE PHOTO Content of article
Once again, the Ottawa Senators find themselves in the muddy middle of the pre-trade deadline conundrum, 12 points away from a wildcard playoff spot and 12 points clear of NHL basement Columbus ahead of Friday’s game against Toronto.
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With center Josh Norris’ season over and coach DJ Smith confirming goaltender Cam Talbot will be out until after the club’s 11-day hiatus, which begins next week with a lower body injury, the odds of making the postseason are so good as over. Gone are preseason hopes of playing “meaningful games” in March, too.
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Whilst general manager Pierre Dorion has been spotted scouting the league, possibly in search of a young defender before the March 3 trade deadline, what will happen to the existing players whose contracts are expiring?
Of course, the ongoing sales process of the team makes things even more difficult. There are few guarantees that a new ownership team will retain the existing management and coaching structure. A fresh ownership team will bring new ideas on how to work with the existing Senators core.
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With that in mind, Postmedia takes a closer look at what the future could hold for the club’s outstanding restricted and unrestricted free agents.
Cam Talbot, UFA: He took over as the number one goaltender ahead of Anton Forsberg after his impressive 7-3-0 run in December. In the new year, however, he has stumbled with a 2-4-0 record, 3.50 goals against average and 0.882 percent save rate. After retiring with an injury in Wednesday’s 2-1 win over the New York Islanders, he won’t be back until after the break. Talbot, 35, has a $3.67 million salary cap and could still be an insurance option for a team aiming for a long playoff run. Another signature from the senators seems less likely than three weeks ago.
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Alex DeBrincat, RFA (with arbitration): His salary for 2022-23 is $9 million ($6.4 million cap), meaning the senators would need a qualifying offer of $9 million, to keep him in the summer. A team looking for an extended playoff run could tie an attractive package with a late first-round pick (Ottawa sent the seventh overall pick to Chicago in 2022, along with second- and third-round picks for DeBrincat last summer). If an extremely talented young defender were involved the Senators might be able to bite a deal, but probably the best option here is for the Senators to hold out until the summer and see if new owners are willing to offer a lucrative long-term extension.
Austin Watson, UFA: If Dorion is offered a late-round pick, 31-year-old Watson could earn the reward of moving to a playoff squad after being a fine soldier during the Senators’ rebuild. Re-signing him is unlikely. Scott Sabourin, currently leading with Belleville, could be a late-season replacement. Tyler Boucher, the 2021 Senators first-round pick, was injury- and suspension-prone with the Ottawa 67 but has potential as a physical presence on a third or fourth row later.
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Dylan Gambrell, UFA: Has filled injury gaps in the third and fourth rows, but with one goal in 28 games, he’s likely to carry on at the end of the season.
Shane Pinto, RFA: Pinto has limited options and to keep him, Senators only have to make him a qualifying offer of $874,000. If he’s in his ideal spot next season, serving as a third-line center behind Norris and Tim Stutzle, a two-season or three-season bridge deal in the summer might make the most sense.
Derick Brassard, RFA: The accomplished Gatineau native has played largely as advertised, filling gaps up front wherever it was needed and scoring his seventh goal of the season against Toronto on Friday. One of Brassard’s preseason goals was to reach the 1,000-game mark, and after Friday he’s just 11 games away. It would be a fitting conclusion to a solid career.
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Travis Hamonic, UFA: Since the beginning of his career, rookie defenseman Jake Sanderson has found a comfort zone in partnering with Hamonic. Hamonic, who is on a two-year, $6 million deal, has taken plenty of leaks along the way and has been part of the solid penalty-killing units. If there is interest in the 32-year-old at the end of trading, it will be an exciting call for the senators. At some point, the Senators will have to clear a spot to scrutinize Jacob Bernard-Docker to be a regular in the NHL next season.
Nick Holden, UFA: He’s currently seeing time alongside Chabot, but Holden has largely been a third pairing defender since arriving from Vegas in the Evgenii Dadonov trade in 2021. If playoff-tied NHL teams are looking for a 35-year-old insurance policy for reasons of depth, Holden could get a shot at chasing a Stanley Cup.
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Erik Brannstrom, RFA (with arbitration): The intrigue continues. His skating is good, his defense has improved, and he’s proven he can handle the grind of the NHL, but he hasn’t shown that he can consistently play in the top four. Somehow a player who promises so much with his offensive skills has so few points. His assist on Friday was his fourth of the season without a goal. In 159 games, he has scored twice with 33 assists. It would be a tough decision considering he’s landed in the Mark Stone trade, but is it finally time for the Senators to move on?
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GARRIOCH: Anton Forsberg will have a busy weekend with no schedule for Cam Talbot’s return
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