Important RFA Decisions Ahead This Summer SensChirp

It has been a quiet few days around these parts.

No big changes in the front office. Nobody fired from the Coaching staff. No controversial media appearances. No rumours on the next Head Coach.

After a fast start to the NHL off-season, things have started to settle a little bit for the Ottawa Senators. The Draft Lottery is still a couple weeks away and the Coaching search likely won’t really pick up until the first round of the playoffs is complete. Those first few days tricked us into thinking that the off-season was going to be full of excitement but obviously that’s not the case.

Pierre Dorion and his staff will be busy though. While the Coaching search is at the top of their To Do list, there are a number of important issues that they’ll need to address over the next few months. Among them- decisions on the team’s restricted free agents. It’s a long list and will likely include some tough calls. Both Ottawa and Binghamton were disappointing this year so there’s no way the organization can bring everybody back.

Let’s take a look at the RFAs the Senators have to address this summer.

FORWARDS

Mike Hoffman- Certainly the most high-profile name on this list. 29 goals and 59 points this past season and looks poised to cash-in this summer. But will it be with the Senators? Still get the sense that a trade is a very real possibility here. I think Ottawa would consider a longer term deal but really don’t think the number they’re willing to go to will work for Hoffman’s camp. So either they squeeze another year out of him or explore trade options. This may end up being the most important roster decision Dorion makes this summer.

Alex Chiasson- Chiasson wasn’t available to the media on locker clean-out day and that’s a pretty strong indication of where things stand. Acquired in the Jason Spezza deal, Chiasson finished the season fairly strong but overall it was a tough year for him. Ottawa isn’t exactly deep on the right side so there may still be a need for Chiasson but only if they can’t find an upgrade elsewhere. Ottawa shopped him a little bit at the deadline and would have moved him if they could.

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Ryan Dzingel- A pleasant surprise in an otherwise disappointing season. Dzingel showed he can take a regular shift at the NHL level. His combination of skill and speed was a nice addition to the team’s bottom six. Was it enough to land Dzingel a one way deal this summer? We’ll see. Dzingel is 24 years old and coming off a two year entry level contract. He’s going to push for a spot on the NHL team again next season.

Matt Puempel- With Shane Prince dealt at the deadline, it looked like an opportunity for Puempel to solidify himself. And that’s something he just hasn’t been able to do to this point. In 26 NHL games this year, Puempel had just three points and seemed to be passed by Dzingel on the depth chart this season. He’ll also be looking for a one way deal.

Max McCormick- Like Dzingel, McCormick would probably be considered a pleasant surprise. Appearing in 20 NHL games, McCormick gave the Senators a bit of an edge in the bottom six. McCormick won the award for best defensive forward with the Binghamton Senators this season and was a solid player for them this year. He’ll be back and will battle guys like Dzingel and Puempel for a spot on next year’s roster.

Buddy Robinson- Robinson got a look with the big club in the final week of the season and scored a goal and added an assist in three games. He has the size and speed to play in the NHL but will be in tough to crack the roster.

Casey Bailey- Added to the organization in the Dion Phaenuf trade, Bailey made a pretty strong impression in his 30 games in Binghamton. Bailey is 24 and will turn 25 early next season. He provided some much-needed depth to the forward ranks in Bingo.

Travis Ewanyk- Ewanyk was part of the trade that sent Eric Gryba to the Edmonton Oilers last summer. He appeared in 66 games with the BSens this season, putting up just 9 points.

Michael Keranen- Added in a low key deadline deal with the Minnesota Wild, Keranen is a skilled forward which is something they need more of in Binghamton. He had 7 points in 21 games with the Binghamton Senators.

DEFENCEMAN

Cody Ceci- Ceci has solidified himself as a quality top four defenceman. He started a little bit slow but seemed to get better as the year moved along and really benefited from the addition of Dion Phaneuf. While other defenceman in this situation have cashed in on longer-term deals, I think the organization’s preference is to go short term in this situation. Keep the cap hit down. Similar to what they’ve done with other RFAs. Bridge deal makes sense here.

Patrick Wiercioch- Another guy who wasn’t around for locker cleanout day at the end of the season. This was supposed to be a breakout year for Wiercioch but he just wasn’t able to recapture the magic from last year’s stretch run. And that’s especially disappointing when you consider the fact that he was in a contract year. Ottawa talked to teams about him at the deadline but no legitimate offers were made. Tough to qualify him at $2.7 mil.

Fredrik Claesson- Claesson appeared in 16 games with the Senators this season and at times, looked like a player ready to be an every day NHLer. He’ll be looking for a one way deal this off season. There are rumours that Claesson has an offer from a team in Sweden for next year. This is going to be a tough one. Ottawa has been vocal about wanting to improve their bottom-pairing heading into next year so is there room for Claesson?

Jerome Leduc- Leduc was added in that massive AHL deal with the Sabres and appeared in 22 games with Binghamton, racking up 10 points along the way. He provided some much-needed depth on the AHL roster. He’s eligble for arbitration this summer.

Troy Rutkowski- Rutkowski played in just three games with Binghamton this season, spending the majority of the year in Evansville of the ECHL.