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“For our organization and our fans to see our players at their best they have to realize there’s nothing wrong with over-developing them in Belleville,” said Dorion. “The American league is a very tough league, the passes aren’t always on the tape, and that’s how you learn to be the best player they can be.

“Several of the guys we cut (Saturday) are all going to be NHL players and our fans are going to get to see them when they can contribute and help us win games.”

There are interesting decisions to make here as the clock ticks on camp.

The Senators have to determine where young forwards Logan Brown, Rudolfs Balcers, Nick Paul, Drake Batherson and Parker Kelly fit into the mix while on defence Christian Jaros, Erik Brannstrom and Cody Goloubef are all battling for jobs. Jaros has the inside track while Brannstrom won’t be kept as a seventh defenceman.

The Senators aren’t going to hand out jobs just because they want to build around a young core.

“All the players that are still with us have to earn it,” Dorion said. “We want to be a competitive team this year, we want to be in the pack, but at the same time we know it’s a long-term process and nothing is going to given, everything is going to be earned.”

There’s no shortage of eyes on Brown, either. He was the club’s best player down the stretch in Belleville last year and has a chance to make Ottawa, however, these games in Vancouver could prove pivotal. He had a couple of bad giveaways against the Leafs Wednesday and played only 13 minutes so a strong effort in Vancouver is paramount.