Senators Fire General Manager Pierre Dorion

by | Nov 1, 2023

Senators Fire General Manager Pierre Dorion

The Ottawa Senators have fired general manager Pierre Dorion after the club was penalized over its role in the 2021 trade of Evgenii Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights and the subsequent invalidated trade between the Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks.

The Senators must forfeit a first-round draft pick in one of the 2024, 2025 or 2026 drafts.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: When the Golden Knights acquired Dadonov from the Senators, they were under the impression that his 10-team no-trade list was no longer active. That turned out not to be the case, which led to the league overruling their attempt to trade him to the Ducks at the 2022 trade deadline.

Former Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion (NHL.com).

Initially, the Senators were reportedly cleared of wrongdoing regarding the Dadonov situation. Something else must have come to light since then to prompt the league to take this action, though they’ve offered up no detailed explanation as to why they’re doing so nearly 18 months after the fact.

Since becoming general manager of the Senators in 2016, Dorion has been attempting to rebuild the Senators roster. He laid the foundation of the current roster by drafting Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Jake Sanderson, Shane Pinto and Ridly Grieg. He also acquired Josh Norris and Jakob Chychrun and signed Claude Giroux and Vladimir Tarasenko.

Dorion also made a series of questionable moves. In recent years, he gave up three draft picks (including the No. 7 pick overall in the 2022 draft) to the Chicago Blackhawks for Alex DeBrincat when the winger only had a year left on his contract, then traded him to the Detroit Red Wings when he couldn’t get him signed to an extension.

He also sent goaltender Filip Gustavsson to the Minnesota Wild for an aging and banged-up Cam Talbot in 2022. Gustavsson is now the heir apparent to Marc-Andre Fleury in Minnesota while Talbot now plies his trade with the Los Angeles Kings.

Dorion also prioritized other free agents over Pinto this summer, leaving the Senators with insufficient cap space to sign the 22-year-old restricted free agent. That led to a contract stalemate resulting in Pinto missing the start of the season before he received a 41-game suspension for violating the league’s wagering rules.

Following the sale of the Senators to new owner Michael Andlauer this summer, the club announced Steve Staios had been hired as their new president of hockey operations. That move prompted some observers to suggest he would be a replacement for Dorion if the Senators failed to improve this season. Staios will now take over the GM duties on an interim basis.

It will be interesting to see if Staios remains as general manager or if a permanent replacement is hired. Either way, this move signals a change in direction for the Senators.










NHL Rumor Mill – November 1, 2023

by | Nov 1, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – November 1, 2023

Check out the latest on the Flames, Penguins and Senators in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

FLAMES PAUSE CONTRACT TALKS WITH PENDING FREE AGENTS

SPORTSNET: Eric Francis reports the Calgary Flames have put all contract extension talks with pending free agents such as Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm on hold. He speculates this move isn’t being made to rebuild the roster but instead to retool using Hanifin and Lindholm as trade chips.

The move comes as the Flames were 2-6-1 through October with a popgun offense that has shown no signs of chemistry during their current five-game losing skid. Francis also suspects Hanifin and Lindholm could be having second thoughts based on the club’s stumbling start to the season.

Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm (NHL Images).

If things don’t soon improve, Francis speculates the wheels could be set in motion for an overhaul. That would mean trading Hanifin and Lindholm for young players and draft picks, trading backup goalie Dan Vladar and promoting the promising Dustin Wolf, and making tough decisions on other pending UFAs like Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flames were expected to have a bounce-back performance this season. Instead, they’ve been bounced toward the bottom of the Western Conference standings. If they don’t rally back in November, general manager Craig Conroy will have to shake things up.

As I noted yesterday, they cannot pin the blame on former head coach Darryl Sutter. The problem is this club never recovered from the departures of core players Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk in the summer of 2022. Bringing in Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri as their replacements has so far failed to provide them with any kind of lift.

The Flames are stuck with Huberdeau and Kadri after signing them to lucrative long-term contracts. Their best trade chips are their pending UFAs led by Lindholm and Hanifin. Those two could fetch solid returns once the calendar flips to 2024 and teams accrue enough cap space to pursue them before the March 8 trade deadline.

LATEST ON THE PENGUINS

TSN: Frankie Corrado weighed in on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 3-6-0 start through October. He doesn’t believe that general manager Kyle Dubas got it wrong in trying to stage one last run. Everyone knew the Penguins would have to turn over its roster at some point with a rebuild on the horizon. They just didn’t know it would happen this quickly.

Corrado noted that the Penguins haven’t seen much reward for their acquisition of Erik Karlsson over the summer plus the team is average in several categories and underachieving. He felt that Dubas has a limited runway to turn this team into a playoff contender but will have plenty of runway to tear down the roster and rebuild.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Dan Kingerski pointed out that two Metropolitan Division rivals have what the Penguins need.

The Philadelphia Flyers are willing to use their cap space to take on bad contracts from cap-strapped clubs. They have more than $12 million eligible for long-term injury reserve and over $7 million they can permanently move to LTIR (Ryan Ellis).

If Penguins center Jeff Carter was willing to waive his no-movement clause, the Flyers would be among the few teams that could take on his $3.125 million cap hit. Kingerski also noted that the Penguins have a glut of young left-handed defensemen (Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Ty Smith, Will Butcher), something that the Flyers need.

Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets are trying to move a right-shot blueliner like Erik Gudbranson, Adam Boqvist or Andrew Peeke. The Penguins only have three righties and one of them (Chad Ruhwedel) is struggling.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A lot could depend on the Penguins’ performance during their upcoming California road trip. If they stumble through that stretch, Dubas could be forced into the trade market. Given his cap constraints, however, it will take some effort to find a suitable deal that provides immediate help to their roster.

The Penguins have an aging core, a struggling blueline and an inconsistent starting goaltender in Tristan Jarry. That’s not a promising recipe for a club with playoff aspirations. Dubas would end up becoming a seller rather than a buyer if their woeful October performance is a sign of things to come.

SENATORS SHOPPING FOR A DEFENSEMAN

OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports Senators GM Pierre Dorion was kicking tires around the league to see what defensemen are available should the organization decide to go that route. The Senators are short two blueliners with Thomas Chabot on LTIR with a broken hand and Erik Brannstrom recovering from a head injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: As noted earlier, the Blues Jackets and Penguins could have some defensemen available. Whether they’re what the Senators need, however, is another story.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 30, 2023

by | Oct 30, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 30, 2023

The Oilers defeat the Flames in the Heritage Classic, an update on Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Edmonton Oilers snapped a four-game losing skid with a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames in the 2023 Heritage Classic before over 55,000 fans at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium.

Edmonton Oilers winger Evander Kane (NHL Images).

Evander Kane had a goal and two assists, Connor McDavid collected an assist in his return from injury while Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman each collected two points for the 2-5-1 Oilers. Nazem Kadri and A.J. Greer replied for the 2-6-1 Flames as they’ve dropped five straight games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a much-needed win for the Oilers as they hope to put their poor performance through October behind them. The Flames, meanwhile, continue to struggle as they’ve been outscored 20-6 over the past five games.

New Jersey Devils winger Jesper Bratt scored two goals and collected an assist as his club held off the Minnesota Wild 4-3. Luke Hughes had two assists as the Devils improved to 5-2-1. Pat Maroon had a goal and an assist for the Wild as they slipped to 3-4-2.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Devils placed defenseman Colin Miller (lower body) on injured reserve and recalled center Justin Dowling from their AHL affiliate in Utica.

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 23 saves for his first NHL shutout in a 4-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche (6-2-0). JJ Peterka, Casey Mittlestadt, Tyson Jost and Rasmus Dahlin were the goal scorers for the 4-5-0 Sabres.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar left the game in the second period with an apparent leg injury when he was shoved from behind into the end boards behind his own net by Sabres forward Kyle Okposo. There was no penalty on the play. Makar returned in the third period and finished the game.

Earlier in the day, the Sabres placed goaltender Eric Comrie (lower body) on injured reserve as he’s expected to be sidelined for several weeks.

Three unanswered third-period goals by Dylan Strome, Tom Wilson and Evgeny Kuznetsov gave the Washington Capitals a 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks, who remain winless in nine games (0-8-1). Alex Ovechkin and John Carlsson each collected two assists while Darcy Kuemper kicked out 31 shots for the 4-3-1 Capitals. Luke Kunin scored for the Sharks.

HEADLINES

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy took part in his first light on-ice workout with the Lightning since undergoing surgery on a herniated disc in his back a month ago. He remains weeks away from returning to action.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The earliest Vasilevskiy might return to action is late November. Given how well backup Jonas Johansson has held the fort, he won’t have to try to accelerate his return.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reporting that the NHL is expected to hand down punishment to the Ottawa Senators this week regarding the club’s trade of Evgeni Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021.

At the time, the Knights thought that Dadonov lacked no-trade protection because it was believed that he didn’t submit his no-trade list to the Senators by July 1, 2021. He was dealt to the Golden Knights on July 28, which was allowed because they weren’t on his no-trade list.

However, it turned out that Dadonov’s list was still in effect. As a result, the Knights’ attempt to trade him a year later to the Anaheim Ducks was overturned by the league.

THE ATHLETIC: Ian Mendes writes that the Senators appeared to have been cleared of any wrongdoing following the NHL’s initial investigation into the matter in March 2022.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This could end up costing the Senators one or two draft picks. It also might not endear general manager Pierre Dorion to the club’s new ownership.

CBS SPORTS: St. Louis Blues forward Alexei Toropchenko is sidelined with a lower-body injury.










Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – October 29, 2023

by | Oct 29, 2023

Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – October 29, 2023

Could the Bruins pursue Patrick Kane? Will the Hurricanes find a replacement for the sidelined Brett Pesce? Could the Islanders pursue Shane Pinto? Check out the latest Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup.

BRUINS NOT EXPECTED TO PURSUE PATRICK KANE

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Jimmy Murphy cites an NHL source saying we shouldn’t expect the Bruins to get into the bidding for Patrick Kane. The 34-year-old unrestricted free-agent winger is expected to begin fielding offers next month from interested clubs as he moves toward the completion of rehabbing from offseason hip resurfacing.

Murphy’s source pointed out that the Bruins lack the cap space to sign Kane even if it were on a one-year, $3 million deal. He also noted that they have plenty of wingers and would have to move one out to make room for Kane, which would be difficult to do right now with so many teams pressed for cap room.

Free agent winger Patrick Kane (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Murphy also cited ESPN.com’s Emily Kaplan listing the Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings as being considered serious contenders for Kane. Both clubs have plenty of cap room to sign the future Hall-of-Famer to a one-year deal. Time will tell if he ends up with one of them this season.

HURRICANES WON’T SEEK A REPLACEMENT FOR PESCE

NHL NETWORK: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman touched on what the Carolina Hurricanes might do with defenseman Brett Pesce sidelined for two to four weeks with a lower-body injury. It was originally feared that he could miss months or the entire season.

Given that shorter timeline, Friedman doesn’t expect they’ll go shopping for a replacement for Pesce. They’ve got extra defensemen who haven’t played that much this season so they’ll likely wait this out until Pesce returns.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tony DeAngelo and Jalen Chatfield will likely see more ice time while Pesce’s on the sidelines.

WOULD THE ISLANDERS BE INTERESTED IN PINTO?

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The following was written prior to Shane Pinto receiving a 41-game suspension last week for violating the NHL’s wagering rules.

THE ATHLETIC: In a recent mailbag segment, a reader asked Arthur Staple if the New York Islanders might attempt to acquire center Shane Pinto. They cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman speculating that the Isles might be interested if the Senators decided to shop the restricted free-agent center.

Staple was doubtful that the Islanders could pull it off. He observed that they lack the cap space to sign the 22-year-old Pinto plus the Senators would probably want a first-rounder, a prospect and something off the Isles roster.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: In the wake of Pinto’s suspension, the Senators issued statements indicating they would welcome him back once he’d served his punishment. The stalemate over his contract negotiations remains to be settled but some believe he’ll sign his qualifying offer in order to play out the rest of the season with the Sens.

Pinto’s value in the trade market likely took a hit from his suspension. I doubt the Islanders or any other club will attempt to pursue him once he returns to action.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 29, 2023

by | Oct 29, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 29, 2023

Recaps of Saturday’s game, Joe Thornton and Tomas Plekanec announce their retirements, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak scored two goals and added an assist in a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Charlie McAvoy tallied his first goal of the season as the Bruins lead the Eastern Conference with a record of 7-0-1 (15 points). Joe Veleno replied for the Red Wings (5-3-1), who are 0-2-1 in their last three contests and were outscored 8-2 in their last two games.

Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak (NHL Images).

The Vegas Golden Knights extended their season-opening points streak to nine games by nipping the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in a shootout with Jack Eichel netting the winning goal. Logan Thompson stopped 36 shots as the Golden Knights extended their league-leading record to 8-0-1 (17 points). Drew Doughty scored his fourth goal of the season for the Kings (4-2-2).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Golden Knights announced they moved Nicolas Roy on injured reserve.

An overtime goal by K’Andre Miller lifted the New York Rangers over the Vancouver Canucks 4-3. Mika Zibanejad had a goal and two assists while Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox each had a goal and an assist as the Rangers lead the Metropolitan Division with a record of 6-2-0. J.T. Miller potted his fourth goal of the season and Filip Hronek collected two assists for the 5-2-1 Canucks.

The Nashville Predators upset the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on an overtime goal by Roman Josi. Ryan O’Reilly scored twice against his former club while Juuse Saros stopped 33 shots for the 4-4-0 Predators. William Nylander scored his sixth goal of the season for the 5-2-1 Maple Leafs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Earlier in the day, Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said sidelined defenseman Jake McCabe (groin injury) won’t be sidelined for as long as originally feared. He believes McCabe should be back “before too long.”

A shootout goal by Nick Suzuki gave the Montreal Canadiens a 4-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Jake Allen kicked out 42 shots while Kaiden Guhle had two assists as the Canadiens overcame a 3-1 deficit to improve their record to 5-2-1. Adam Lowry netted two goals for the 4-3-1 Jets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was a costly win for the Canadiens as defenseman Mike Matheson suffered a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk tallied twice in a 5-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Joonas Korpisalo turned aside 40 shots while Claude Giroux and Tim Stutzle each collected two assists as the Senators rose to 4-4-0. Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel each scored for the Penguins as they dropped to 3-5-0 and sit last in the Metro Division.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Penguins continued to struggle with the man advantage and have the third-lowest power-play percentage (10%) in the league. That’s a troubling stat for a club with experienced scorers like Crosby, Guentzel, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson and Reilly Smith.

The Anaheim Ducks dropped the Philadelphia Flyers 7-4. Frank Vatrano had a hat trick while Ryan Strome had a goal and two assists for the 4-4-0 Ducks. Travis Konecny tallied twice for the 4-3-1 Flyers.

New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov made 35 saves in a 2-0 shutout of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Kyle Palmieri and Matt Martin scored for the Islanders (4-2-1) while Spencer Martin stopped 31 shots for the 3-3-1 Blue Jackets.

The Florida Panthers overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Seattle Kraken 3-2 on a third-period goal by Nick Cousins. Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves for the win as the Panthers improved to 4-3-0. Joey Daccord made 35 stops for the 2-5-2 Kraken.

HEADLINES

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Joe Thornton officially announced his retirement on Saturday. He hadn’t played since the 2021-22 season with the Florida Panthers.

In his 24 seasons (1997-98 to 2021-22) with the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Panthers, Thornton amassed 1,109 regular-season assists to sit seventh on the all-time list in that category. He’s also sixth all-time in games played (1,714) and 12th in points with 1,539. Thornton scored 430 career regular-season goals and had 32 goals and 102 assists for 134 points in 187 playoff contests.

Thornton’s best seasons were the 15 he spent with the Sharks, winning the Art Ross Trophy (125 points) and the Hart Trophy in 2005-06. He was named to the First All-Star Team that season and to the Second All-Star Team in 2002-03 (with the Bruins), 2007-08 and 2015-16.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Thornton was among the greatest playmakers in NHL history. In my opinion, he’s perhaps the greatest player in Sharks history, holding the single-season record for assists (92) and points (114) and the franchise record for career assists with 804. He’s also second in total points (1,055) and third in games played with 1,104.

Thornton was the driving force that turned the Sharks into a regular-season powerhouse from 2007-08 to 2010-11. During that period, they finished atop the Pacific Division four straight times, were first overall in the Western Conference twice and second overall twice, winning the Presidents’ Trophy in 2008-09 with a franchise-record 117 points. He also helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2016.

While a Stanley Cup title eluded Thornton, he was a winner on the international stage for Canada, taking home gold at the 1997 World Juniors and the 2010 Winter Olympics as well as the World Cup of Hockey in 2004 and 2016.

DAILY FACEOFF: Former Montreal Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec also announced the end of his playing career yesterday. Apart from 17 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he played the rest of his 1,001 career NHL games with the Canadiens from 2003-04 to 2018-19, sitting seventh on the franchise’s all-time list of games played with 984. He finished with 233 goals and 375 assists for 608 career regular-season points as well as 53 points in 94 career playoff games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Plekanec was a fan favorite in Montreal for his two-way skills. He’s played in Czechi since 2018-19, spending the past three seasons with the Kladno Knights, where he skated with Jaromir Jagr.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: Devils captain Nico Hischier will miss Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Wild with an upper-body injury.

NHL.COM: Speaking of Hischier, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton received a two-game suspension for an illegal hit to the head of the Devils captain on Friday.

WGR 550: And speaking of the Sabres, goaltender Eric Comrie is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. With Devon Levi still on the mend, the Sabres have called up Devin Cooley to back up Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

THE ATHLETIC: Canada Post issued a stamp to commemorate Willie O’Ree becoming the first player to break the NHL’s color barrier in 1958.

NEW YORK POST: Former NHL player Adam Johnson died on Saturday following a freak accident while playing with the EIHL’s Nottingham Panthers when his neck was cut by a skate blade. He was 29 years old. Johnson played 13 games with the Penguins from 2018-19 to 2019-20.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Johnson’s family, friends and teammates.










NHL Rumor Mill – October 27, 2023

by | Oct 27, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – October 27, 2023

What happens next for the Senators and Shane Pinto following his 41-game suspension? Could the Panthers and Blue Jackets become trade partners? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports Pinto won’t sign his contract until January once his suspension is served. This will also give the Senators more time to swing a trade to free up cap space to sign him. LeBrun also stated that the investigation had nothing to do with why Pinto hadn’t been signed yet by the Senators.

Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto (NHL Images).

Darren Dreger indicated that the NHL Players Association negotiated the 41-game suspension. They recognized that league commissioner Gary Bettman could hit Pinto with a much harsher punishment.

OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports that it’s believed the Senators were close on a two-year contract for Shane Pinto prior to his 41-game suspension on Thursday for activities that violated the NHL’s wagering rules. The deal would’ve paid the 22-year-old center an average annual value of $2 million.

When informed of the investigation, the Senators were told to rescind any contract offers to Pinto’s agent. Garrioch expects that Pinto will sign his one-year qualifying offer to get the contract out of the way while he’s serving his suspension.

THE ATHLETIC: Ian Mendes believes the trade winds that were circulating around Senators forwards Mathieu Joseph and Dominik Kubalik will ease in the wake of Pinto’s suspension.

The earliest the young center can return to action is Jan. 21, which buys general manager Pierre Dorion time to determine a proper cost-cutting trade candidate.

This situation could also work to Dorion’s advantage in his negotiations with the Pinto camp. Mendes wondered if the latter would still attempt to get a little bit of security in his contract or accept a one-year deal at a lesser rate and try again next summer. He’s not assuming that Pinto and his agent will accept the one-year qualifying offer of $874, 125.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This situation could also prompt speculation of the Senators attempting to trade Pinto once he’s served his suspension given all that’s transpired. Reports out of Ottawa in recent weeks claimed that they don’t want to move him and the club issued a statement following his suspension that they’ll welcome him back with open arms.

Still, we can’t dismiss the possibility of Doirion peddling Pinto starting in January, though I daresay this suspension could hurt his value in the trade market. 

COULD THE PANTHERS AND BLUE JACKETS SWING A TRADE?

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Jimmy Murphy noted that the Columbus Blue Jackets have been attempting to trade a defenseman for weeks now. It’s believed right-shot blueliners Erik Gudbranson, Adam Boqvist and Andrew Peeke are available.

Murphy indicated that the Florida Panthers are interested in upgrading their blueline though they’ll be squeezed for salary-cap space once defenseman Aaron Ekblad comes off long-term injury reserve. A source told Murphy that the Panthers and Dallas Stars have an interest in Boqvist.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Panthers have only used just over $1 million of their LTIR cap space. They have room to add Boqvist’s $2.6 million cap hit but they’ll have to shed salary to make room for Ekblad when he returns in January.

They could prefer instead waiting until close to the March 8 trade deadline to boost their defense corps. There could be more affordable options available by that time plus they’ll have accrued some cap space by then.