Lost in the never ending ownership saga of the Ottawa Senators were a pair of under the radar signings which should make this year’s training camp that much more interesting.
While you can be excused for not knowing the names Nikolas Matinpalo and Jiri Smejkal, their additions will go a long way towards bolstering Ottawa’s depth in 2023-24.
Matinpalo is a 24 year old blue liner who spent the 2022-23 season with Assat Pori of the Finnish Elite League. Through 51 games, he recorded 16pts (7G, 9A) which was good for 2nd amongst team defensemen.
While he ultimately went undrafted, the 6’2” right shot defender can be viewed as a late bloomer, who has only just begun to put all his natural abilities together on the ice. Over the last few weeks, he’s been representing Finland at the IIHF World Championships, where he posted 3pts (1G, 2A) and a +5 rating over the course of the tournament.
“Nikolas’ signing represents a good depth addition for us on defence,” said Senators general manager Pierre Dorion. “He took a big step this past season in improving his overall game in a short period of time. He has size, reach and an active stick. He’s also a very good puck mover who competes and plays with urgency which has helped him become a reliable defender.”
While it remains to be seen what Ottawa ultimately decides to do with impending UFA Travis Hamonic, at a minimum Matinpalo’s deal offers a cost effective plan B for the club. Hamonic, who will be 33 at the start of next season, came in at a cap hit of $3M last year, while Matinpalo will only cost the team $885K should he crack the NHL roster.
With Ottawa now in the midst of their window to compete, the days of having ample cap space are now effectively in the rearview mirror. As such, Hamonic, though well respected in the locker room, may have played his last game as a member of the Senators.
The Finnish blue liner’s addition also makes for an interesting training camp battle for the team’s 3rd pairing on the back end. If we’re to believe that Hamonic will be allowed to walk in free agency, then that leaves a void behind Chabot/Zub/Chychrun/Sanderson on defense.
As it stands, both Erik Brannstrom and Jacob Bernard-Docker are both pending RFA’s with no concrete plan for their futures with the organization. JBD has largely been up and down between Belleville and Ottawa the past few seasons, and can be viewed as a “tweener” at this point of his career. In baseball parlance, he’d essentially be wearing the dreaded Quad-A label; not good enough to carve out an everyday role in the big leagues, but has nothing left to learn at the minor league levels.
As a former 1st round draft pick, his pedigree and right handed shot might be enough to entice another team to roll the dice on a change of scenery unlocking his full potential. Ottawa could also elect to run it back with a short term “prove it” deal, but the book may already be written on Bernard-Docker at this point in the front office’s view.
Then there’s also Lassi Thomson who is under contract for 2023-24, but like JBD is now no longer waiver exempt heading into next season.
Brannstrom seems likely to receive a new deal and slot in as the team’s 5th defenseman on opening night. Which essentially pits Matinpalo, Thomson and JBD head to head for the final spot in training camp in the fall. While healthy competition in the fall can only be viewed as a good thing, at the end of the day, don’t be shocked if one of Ottawa’s young blue line prospects is ultimately traded or plucked off waivers by another club prior to opening night.
But the blue line isn’t the only area that will see a new name added to the mix in 2023-24. Czech forward Jiri Smejkal was inked to a 1 year entry level contract ($950K), by the club as well.
Like Matinpalo, Smejkal also went undrafted, however he did spend time in his youth playing over in North America with the Moose Jaw Warriors and Kamloops Blazers of the WHL. A 6’3” power forward, he figures to play a bottom six role for the club, while adding some grit to the Senators lineup.
“Jiri’s signing is a good addition for us; it improves our depth and provides us with an additional bottom-six option at forward,” said Senators general manager Pierre Dorion. “He’s a big body who’s strong with previous experience playing in North America which should help his transition to a rink with smaller dimensions. We’re pleased that he’s committed to the Senators for the next step in his career.”
The 26 year old spent the 2022-23 season with Oskarshamn IK of the Swedish Hockey League, and finished 3rd in team scoring with 43pts (23G, 20A). Smejkal has represented Czechia internationally on several occasions including the IIHF World championships, and the 2022 Winter Olympics.
A bit of a hockey nomad, the Czech forward has spent time in the WHL, KHL, Czech professional league, SM-Liiga, and SHL throughout his career. While he’s never put up prolific offensive numbers in any of his stops, he’s enjoyed his best two statistical years the last two seasons with 45pts in 44 games in 2021-22, and 43pts in 49 contests this past season.
While Sens fans should temper expectations of Smejkal regularly lighting the lamp this year, his presence should be viewed as a good depth signing for a bottom 6 that struggled to put up any kind of offense down the stretch in 2022-23.
Seeing him suit up with Mark Kastelic and Egor Sokolov could prove to be an intriguing lineup in the fall, and one that the front office is likely to experiment with in the preseason.
While neither signing is likely to make headlines outside of the Ottawa area anytime soon, both represent solid additions which will at a minimum make some of Ottawa’s prospects sweat it out for roster spots in 2023-24.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner