With Tim Stutzle becoming a full-time center in the NHL, the Sens’ need to pick up a bonafide number 2 centre suddenly changes. The narrative heading into the trade deadline goes from “who’s going to center the second line?” to “who’s going to play on Stutzle’s wing?”.
Moving forward, there are pieces in the top six that look set for years to come. Tkachuk, Stutzle, Batherson and Norris are all 23 and under and will be counted on to handle topline minutes for the next 5+ years. However, Ottawa still needs to add some scoring punch if the team wants to contend. Based on positioning and potential, this is what the Senators top nine could look like going forward.
B. Tkachuk-J. Norris-D. Batherson
(Top Six Winger)-T. Stutzle-(Top Six Winger)
A. Formenton-S. Pinto-C. Brown
While in a perfect world, one of the Senators existing prospects makes the jump to the next level like Batherson did last year, it’s no guarantee they have an in-house solution. Shane Pinto, Alex Formenton, Ridly Greig, Egor Sokolov, and Roby Jarventie seem like the most logical candidates to one day fill that role, but whether that’s 2, 3, 4 years down the road or never remains to be seen.
Formenton has displayed some great flashes of offense this year, but his true calling may be as a high end third liner. Same goes for Pinto, who has all the makings of an elite third line center. Greig might be a couple years away from this role, and that is if he realizes his full potential. Egor Sokolov looks solid, but after his cup of coffee this year he might still be a ways away from becoming an everyday NHLer. Roby Jarventie is a raw prospect, with a long way to go. Though the upside is there, he’s not going to fill that role next year.
That leaves two open spots that will need to be filled for the 2022-23 season. While it’s hard to find two top six wingers in one offseason, at least one of these three players should be of interest to General Manager Pierre Dorion.
Kevin Fiala (LW/RW)
A high risk, high reward forward is what Fiala is. Through 175 games played for the Wild, he’s scored 139 points which averages out to 64 points over an 82-game season. He’s played very well but seeing him as a long term member of the Wild seems far fetched.
He decided to only sign a 1-year deal last off season, which makes him a Restricted Free Agent at the end of the year. He could have signed a long term deal this year after having a solid two seasons prior. Not only that, but his role doesn’t feel 100% set in the lineup going forward. 17% (14 million) of the Minnesota’s cap will be taken up by the Ryan Suter and Zach Parise buyouts, so retaining Fiala’s services will be even harder.
His speed and skill could pair well with Stutzle, as both players are great shooters and passers. It would make life miserable for defenseman trying to decipher how to shut them down.
Brock Boeser (RW)
Like Fiala, Boeser is also an RFA this off season. Boeser plays a different game but could still compliment Stutzles’ skillset. Boeser has a great shot but has been limited recently with multiple injuries. What’s odd is how he looks like the perfect winger for Elias Pettersson, but Boeser hasn’t seemed like himself the past three years. He came into the league on fire, but this will be his fifth full season and isn’t living up to expectations out west. He’s scored 14 goals, to go along with 13 assists in 43 games so far this year. Not bad but a change of scenery might be in order to recapture some of his earlier magic. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s a former University of North Dakota prospect either. This summer could be a perfect time to buy low on him.
Travis Konecny (RW/LW)
Out of all three, this player makes the most sense. Konecny will be 25 by next year, with 3 years left on his contract at 5.5 million a year. The Flyers are likely headed towards an overhaul this summer, and Konecny might be one of many to go. In the past 3 years, he’s scored at a 63-point pace over 82 games. He has a good hockey IQ, is quick and plays with an edge which DJ Smith would love. He can play both wings, so if one of the on-the-fence players can make that top 6 jump, then the Sens have their forward core set. If it does get done, it most likely gets done on July 1st, where Konecny is owed a 2-million-dollar bonus. It is important to note that all three of these players can play the half wall on the powerplay. When fully healthy, the Sens 2nd powerplay unit has Connor Brown and Tyler Ennis who historically have been placed in the slot, or at the net. Any of the three could help the Sens powerplay, which is idling in the 26th spot in the league right now.
-Damian Smith
Twitter: @Damian__Smith