In a sense, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion made a giant announcement during his final media conference for the 2021-22 NHL season.
The ad reads: We are looking for experienced NHL players to complement a great youth core. We want players with a strong character, but also talent. The future is fabulously bright. Come to Ottawa and help it get brighter, faster.
Dorion has said in recent months that he would like to add to Ottawa’s list of four best defenders and a top six striker. On Sunday, Dorion openly acknowledged the challenges of recruiting high-end talent in a smaller Canadian market. He was not kidding when he said he would bring in captain Brady Tkachuk and alternate captain Thomas Shabot to hire talent, let players know what a first-class operation this team is, even if it’s not exactly on the verge of being a Stanley Cup champion. Not yet.
“When you’re not a team at the top, unless you overpay, they won’t come here,” Dorion said during a free 30-minute interview with the Ottawa media on Sunday morning. “Whether we like it or not, some players do not want to play under the supervision of the media in Canada. And unless you can talk to Prime Minister Trudeau or Prime Minister Ford about their tax structure, that’s another thing that comes into play.
“We are one of the most besieged places to play in North America,” Dorion added.
The general manager said part of the long process of signing Tkachuk last fall was for senators to commit to building a winner.
“Mr. Melnik has made that commitment to him,” Dorion said.
Now that Eugene Melnik has died, Dorion has admitted that he will not change much in the short term. He met recently for two and a half hours with the team’s board of directors and came up with an understanding of an ongoing, shared vision for building a contender.
Although there is no interest in spending to the ceiling next season (unless we can guarantee 41 home sales, Dorion joked), in the end there is a commitment to spend what it takes to become a champion.
“As we move forward, we will spend more money,” Dorion swore.
“Now we will look for better free agents or better players, because that’s what we feel (we need). You talk to the players and they think that’s the direction we need to go. “
Dorion shared an amusing anecdote about the topics of the senators’ exit meetings. These were three common topics, he said. First, that the coaching, medical and support staff are first-class, as good as anyone in the league. Second, the food after the game is excellent (never underestimate the urgency of feeding young, hungry athletes – parents will know this). Finally, three – players want experienced help on the list.
Dorion noted that Shabot, in particular, is understandably tired of missing the playoffs in his first five full seasons in the NHL, which coincides with the number of years that passed from Ottawa to the Eastern Conference finals in 2017. Shabo now is 25.
“Thomas is one of the best defenders in the league,” said Dorion. “He definitely wants to play meaningful games.”
According to Dorion Shabo, he had his best season so far and would have played for Canada if he had participated in the NHL at the 2022 Olympics. Shabo’s status as a long-suffering star gives him the strength to speak.
Among the interesting delicacies that Dorion shared, he had an honest and open meeting with Shabot after the trading deadline, where Ottawa was again a salesman (although he also attracted Mathieu Joseph and Travis Hamonic).
“He (Sabbath) said, ‘I put a lot of faith in what you’re going to do to take us to the next level,'” Dorion said. “But at the same time, elections and prospects only go that far.”
Fans of the senators could appreciate this comment. In response, Dorion told Chabot that he could call on his help to attract a player or two through a free agency or trade. Help sell the player what a narrow group Sens has, how there is no click here. Some veterans here (probably Nick Holden and Austin Watson) told the organization that this was the best “room” they had ever played with.
Dorion’s goal for next season is for this team to play “meaningful” hockey until the very end of the season, a challenge for a place in the playoffs, in other words. Like head coach DJ Smith, Dorion said he could be more specific about the goals once the list is set in September.
To that end, he would like to set his list earlier and possibly play more show games to help avoid the slow starts that have plagued the past two seasons. The senators are also likely to go on a pre-season binding trip to reunite the group.
Tierney, Ennis, and Matthew left; Sanderson with plaster
Other revelations from Dorion’s spokesman: UFA strikers Chris Tierney and Tyler Ennis are not expected to return. The same goes for RFA defender Victor Mete.
The players’ injuries were more or less covered by the media on Saturday, except for this one: promising defender Jake Sanderson, who underwent surgery in mid-March, injured his arm again this week and will wear a cast on his arm for six weeks. He is expected to be ready for camp.
For veteran Matt Murray, Dorion said he shared Murray’s view that when he was healthy, he played well for Ottawa. The problem is that he was not healthy all the time.
Dorion named Anton Forsberg MVP of the team, while praising the performance of Tkachuk, Butterson, Norris, Shabot, Tim Stutzle, Alex Formenton and Eric Branstrom.
Dorion says he told potential goalkeeper Philip Gustavson: “In 2021 you were probably the best goalkeeper to play for the Ottawa Senators, this year you were probably the worst of the three. Find a way to get back to being the best. ”
By the way, Gustavson was sensational in Belleville’s victory over Toronto Marlis on Saturday.
Gustavson has a one-way contract, which starts next season.
“There’s a chance we’ll have three goalkeepers next year,” Dorion said, alluding to Forsberg, Murray and Gustavson.
Norris and Branstrom negotiate the contract
Dorion was pleased to hear that center Josh Norris said during his exit meeting that he hoped to sign the contract sooner rather than later, avoiding the kind of ongoing process involving Tkachuk last summer. Norris, waiting for the RFA, leads the team by 35 goals.
Expect talks with Agent Craig Auster to begin very soon.
“Josh would like to do something. . . “We hope we can do something fast,” Dorion said.
Similarly, Dorion hopes to have a contract with defender Branstrom and noted that the 22-year-old had a breakthrough season while intervening to fill in the gaps in the squad due to injuries, especially on Saturday.
Dorion’s overall assessment of Senators 2021-22: After a slow start, this group “took a big step in the right direction”.
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