General Manager Pierre Dorion has to have a big off season to ensure a playoff spot for the Ottawa Senators. Of course, his main focus will be on acquiring a top six forward and a top four defenseman, needs Sens fans have been patiently waiting for the team to address for some time now.
But this summer, there are a number of players with expiring contracts. The only one signed for the 2022-23 season is Dylan Gambrell. That being said, let’s take a look at the upcoming UFAs and RFAs this off season. We’ll evaluate if there’s first and foremost a fit for them to come back, but also predicting their next contract.
Note: this list excludes Chris Tierney and Victor Mete, who Dorion confirmed will not be returning in 2022-23.
UFAs
Tyler Ennis:
Dorion announced during the regular season that Ennis would not be offered a contract before free agency opens. Ideally, Ennis is a depth forward who can fill in if there’s an injury in the top six for brief periods of time. He fits well in the Senators organization, and it’s hard to see where else he’s enjoyed more on ice success. If he does come back, it will be similar to his contract signed last fall. However, I would say the chances of him coming back are pretty slim.
Contract prediction: 1 year, 900k annually (1 way)
Andrew Agozzino:
Other than a brief stint in Ottawa in October, Agozzino was a regular in Belleville. He’s put up better offensive numbers on different AHL teams, so I would expect him to become expendable this offseason.
Contract prediction: Not signed
Clark Bishop:
Bishop has been a decent presence in both the NHL and AHL the past two seasons. There were some expectations of him being a regular in the NHL this year after a good showing in the 2020-21 season. He will probably never be a full time NHL player, but I could still see him being a first call up type of player if injuries happen.
Contract prediction: 2 years, 800k annually (2 way)
Scott Sabourin:
Like Ennis, Sabourin returned to the Senators after a cup of coffee abroad. He’s a physical presence in the bottom six of the AHL ranks, and serves as a “break incase of emergency” option if the team anticipates a chippy affair at the NHL level. If a player like Austin Watson gets injured, I could expect him to get called up to bring some of that physicality.
Contract prediction: 1 year 750K (2 way)
Zach Senyshyn:
Acquired from Boston, Senyshyn felt like a “why not” acquisition in the Josh Brown trade. Because he is from Ottawa, and his pedigree as a former 1st round pick, it was a relatively low risk gamble to see if a change of scenery could help him progress. Simply put, it did not work out in either the NHL or the AHL. I would be surprised if he were re-signed.
Contract prediction: not signed
Logan Shaw:
Logan Shaw may get called up if the injury bug strikes, but ideally, he should be a mainstay in the AHL. The Belleville captain put up 35pts (15G, 20A) in 53 games in the AHL this season. Belleville is also thin on the wings, especially if Egor Sokolov makes the NHL next year, so he could be leaned on to keep the prospects competitive night in, night out.
Prediction: 1 year, 900k annually
Dillon Heatherington:
Heatherington was a good player in the top four for Belleville this year. He had some games in the NHL too and didn’t look out of place. However, I don’t get the sense the Senators will bring him back this year. Not because of anything he did or didn’t do, but more of a gut feeling as the club opts to try out some different bodies on the blue line.
Prediction: not signed
Adam Gaudette:
Originally claimed off waivers from Chicago, Gaudette put up 12pts (4G, 8A) in 50 games for the Sens in 2021-22. Unfortunately, according to a certain bow tie enthusiast, it doesn’t appear as though he’ll be back in 2022-23.
RFAs:
Michael McNiven:
The Senators have more goalies than they currently know what to do with, and McNiven seemed to be acquired as a warm body. He appeared in 2 contests with Belleville this year posting a 3.61 GAA and .878 SV%. It’s highly unlikely they re-sign him.
Prediction: not signed
Erik Brannstrom:
As of this writing, I’m predicting Brannstrom will be on the roster next year, but I also wouldn’t rule out the possibility of him being a component of an offseason trade. The 22 year old had a decent year at the NHL level, but he doesn’t have any kind of leverage in contract negotiations. He might still have some upside as a defensive prospect, but he still has a far way to go to meet those expectations. Unfortunately for the Swede, that comes with the territory when you’re the centerpiece of a deal that saw fan favourite Mark Stone leave town.
Prediction: 2 years, 1.25 million annually
Alex Formenton:
Unless Formenton or Mathieu Joseph begin to produce at a top six rate next year, the Senators are likely going to have to make a decision between the two at some point. That being said, I don’t think that will be this off season as we likely see Formenton sign a bridge deal. He had a good year producing at a third line rate but it seems unlikely he carves out a top six role anytime soon.
Prediction: 2 years, 2.2 million annually
Mathieu Joseph:
There’s some very real untapped potential to Joseph’s game. He could have a couple seasons in his career with 50 points if he’s put in the right situation. While there might be a desire from Joseph to lock into a longer term deal, Ottawa would be wise to sign him to a shorter term contract to make sure his red hot finish to 2021-22 (12pts in 11 games) wasn’t just a flash in the pan.
Prediction: 3 years, 2.75 million annually
Josh Norris:
I believe the Sens should sign Norris to a bridge deal, but I don’t think Dorion and Co are leaning that way. With Chabot, Tkachuk and Batherson locked up for at least 5 years, the chances of Norris wanting to sign long term improve drastically. Norris just had the best season of his career, and it’s possible he becomes the powerplay trigger man Ottawa has been searching for. I think he’ll want to cash in.
Prediction: 7 years, 7.5 million
In other news, once Ottawa hands out a $354,167 cheque to Dion Phaneuf, his contract will officially come off the books, leaving just Bobby Ryan’s dead cap hit remaining through 2023-24. As their roster currently stands, Ottawa projects to have $23.25M in cap space with 15 NHL skaters signed ahead of training camp (this figure doesn’t factor in LTIR contracts at the moment).
-Damian Smith
Twitter: @Damian__Smith
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.