The Ottawa Senators announced that they have recalled forward Stephen Halliday and defenseman Lassi Thomson from the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL).
The club is hitting the road for a seven-game trip, starting off with three games in California, then heading to Vegas before swinging through the Central Division with games against the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars. They end their trip close to home with a game against the Montreal Canadiens, but will not be back on home ice until Dec. 4 when they host the New York Rangers.
Bringing extra bodies on a trip makes sense. The Senators are battling a few key injuries right now, and in the absence of Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot, they are preparing for the worst case, and having players traveling with the team to get into the lineup.
Halliday had a strong preseason and is one of the top prospects in the system. The 23-year-old center has one goal and 15 assists in 15 AHL games this season, and could certainly be a fit in the NHL.
As for Thomson, after a year away from the team playing in Finland, he rejoined the club and is getting his first chance on the NHL roster. The Senators have a strong right side with Artem Zub, Nick Jensen, Jordan Spence, and Nikolas Matinpalo. Now, with Thomson, they have five right-shots on the NHL roster.
On the left side, they have just Jake Sanderson and Tyler Kleven, but with strong-skating defensemen like Thomson, Spence, and Matinpalo, they have been able to make due in the absence of Chabot.
The club acquired left-shot defenseman Dennis Gilbert, but it appears that he will remain in the AHL, at least until the Senators’ road trip concludes.
Senators captain Brady Tkachuk and Chabot will be on the trip as well, and both could make a return to the lineup over the next seven games.
