The Ottawa Senators announced they have cut 20 players from their training camp/preseason roster. With multiple roster spots still up for grabs, the picture of players who have a shot at the NHL roster is becoming clearer.
The Senators reassigned 12 players straight to the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL), seven players have been placed on waivers for the purpose of reporting to Belleville, and one player was released from their professional tryout (PTO).
The 12 Players Going Straight To Belleville
Wyatt Bongiovonni, Jake Chiasson, and Oskar Pettersson were three of the forwards sent to the AHL, and there wasn’t much surprise there. Bongiovonni and Chiasson were acquired as AHL-caliber players, and there wasn’t any expectation for them to compete for an NHL spot this season. As for Pettersson, he is just a 20-year-old prospect who suited up in 29 AHL games last season and wasn’t a huge standout.
Tyler Boucher, who is finally healthy, was also cut from the roster. The former 10th overall pick by the Senators has had a very difficult path to where he is at now, and having time in the AHL will certainly help. While he may never live up to the traditional hype behind a player drafted that high, Boucher does have skills that could help improve the team, but before there is any thought on adding Boucher to the NHL roster, he needs to prove he can play more than a handful of games in a season.
Angus Crookshank, Stephen Halliday, Philippe Daoust, and Xavier Bourgault are all young players with promise looking to make the NHL club. Halliday, Daoust, and Bourgault are all a step behind NHL-caliber play but could make a push for a roster spot if injuries come up throughout the season. For Crookshank, many had him penciled in on the fourth line for opening night, but it is clear the Senators see other options.
Defensemen Djibril Toure, Jorian Donovan, and Tomas Hamara, as well as goaltender Michael Simpson, were also cut from the team. These are all young, project-type players who weren’t expected to push for a spot either.
Seven Players Placed on Waivers
Among the seven players placed on waivers by the Senators, there weren’t any huge surprises.
Maxence Guenette, a former seventh-round pick by the team, has shown a lot of good steps in his development and may be the only one that fans may question, but with other right-handed defensemen ahead of him in the depth chart, it was inevitable to see him placed on waivers.
Jeremy Davies, Nikolas Matinpalo, Garrett Pilon, and Hayden Hodgson are all better suited for AHL play, and will likely clear waivers as well.
The other two that were waived were Jamieson Rees and Cole Reinhardt. Rees, who was acquired as AHL help at last season’s trade deadline, has a lot of promise, but after a tough season in the AHL last year, he needs to have a big bounce-back year. Reinhardt has a four-point game in the first game of the preseason, and many were looking at him as a Parker Kelly replacement on the roster, but if he clears waivers, it is not impossible to see him make an NHL appearance this season.
Related: Senators News & Rumors: Dorion, Eliasson, Ullmark
In addition to those moves, the Senators also released Keean Washkurak from his PTO.
Who Is Left Battling For NHL Spots?
Based on projections and pre-season lines, this is how things stand today. Whether this be the actual lineup, these are the players locked into an NHL spot:
| LW | C | RW |
| Brady Tkachuk | Tim Stutzle | Claude Giroux |
| David Perron | Josh Norris | Drake Batherson |
| Ridly Greig | Shane Pinto | Michael Amadio |
| Nick Cousins | Available | Available |
| LD | RD |
| Jake Sanderson | Nick Jensen |
| Thomas Chabot | Artem Zub |
| Available | Available |
While some spots are listed as available, there are some players that are making things pretty clear with that, but let’s break it down position-by-position.
Fourth-Line Center
There are only two players left in camp battling for the fourth-line center spot. Zack Ostapchuk, and Jan Jenik.
Ostapchuk has impressed people at every level he has played. In the Western Hockey League, he was a leader for both the Vancouver Giants and Winnipeg ICE, impactful on the scoresheet, as well as playing a strong physical game. He did the same after making the AHL transition, posting 28 points in his first full season. He even got a seven-game stint in the NHL, and despite not recording a point, he looked comfortable.
Jenik was acquired from the Utah Hockey Club over the offseason, and while he didn’t have his best AHL season last year, he is a former third-round pick who has shown great progression over his career.
Either one of these players has proven that they would be a good fit for that spot.
Fourth-Line Wing
Things can move around a lot on the wings, especially in a fourth-line role.
Included in this battle are Zack MacEwen, Adam Gaudette, Noah Gregor, Nikolay Kulemin, and Filip Roos. Realistically, two of these players could make the roster and be a 13th forward as well.
As of now, Gregor is likely ahead of the pack for an NHL job. His speed and versatility make him a great option for not only the fourth line but anywhere in the lineup if a line is showing they need a burst of energy. He isn’t a high-scoring forward, but he plays the game very well.
If one of them is to make the lineup as the 13th forward, it could very well be Kulemin or Gaudette. Both are strong veterans who know their way around the game and can be a good two-way option if inserted into the lineup.
MacEwen is a tough player, and the Senators have built a team that supports that, but with Greig, Perron, Tkachuk, and more, there isn’t a need for another player like that, especially one who is fairly one-dimensional like MacEwen. As for Roos, he didn’t have an impressive showing yet in the preseason, and many are shocked he is still on the roster.
Third-Pair Left Defense
This one is a lock. This is Tyler Kleven’s spot.
Kleven is a promising prospect who plays extremely physical hockey and makes smart defensive reads. While he will have some learning to do, he is the best option the Senators will have for the third-pair spot on the left and will be a nice change of pace from what the Senators have had in that role over the past number of years.
Still in camp fighting for the spot though, is Donovan Sebrango. Part of the Alex DeBrincat trade, Sebrango wasn’t very highly-touted, but the fact that he is still fighting for a spot is promising. He won’t beat out Kleven, but he is clearly doing something right in camp.
Third-Pair Right Defense
This is the most interesting battle in the entire Senators training camp and preseason. Prior to the start of camp, it would have been easy to predict that Jacob Bernard-Docker and Travis Hamonic would be the last two, and likely both make the roster with one serving as the seventh defenseman. Now, Carter Yakemchuk and Calen Addison are both still on the roster as well, making things interesting.
Hamonic is a lock to make the roster because of his no-move clause, and the team won’t have eight defensemen, so that leaves one spot.
Bernard-Docker has shown that he can be a fine option at the NHL level, and after the season he had last year, would likely be claimed on waivers. As for Addison, he is on a PTO and has stuck around this long, so he is doing something right and could be a good partner for Kleven.
Where things get really interesting is with Yakemchuk. While going back to the WHL is probably best, it is impossible to deny how incredible he has been in preseason. He has done everything in his power to fight for an NHL spot and earn at least a nine-game trial at the NHL level. With excellent offensive skills and size being a well-known factor, his strong defensive play has been a pleasant surprise and could earn him an NHL spot.
Goaltending
To be frank, there isn’t any battle in the crease in training camp. Linus Ullmark is a clear starter with Anton Forsberg being the backup. Mads Sogaard has been good in preseason and is definitely the third goaltender in the organization, and should be ready if or when the Senators move on from pending free agent Forsberg.
Though the numbers are getting lower in camp, that just means the battles are getting closer. There will be lots of players in the mix for not enough spots. Some surprising cuts will likely be made, but only time will tell what will happen with the group.
