Joseph continues to impress at training camp, scoring two goals Wednesday in a 4-3 loss to Montreal.
Almost every September NHL article that's out there right now needs to be tempered with “yeah, it’s only preseason,” but if this is the Mathieu Joseph that Ottawa Senators fans can expect over the next three years of his contract, then maybe trading him away in a salary dump isn’t such a wise strategy after all.
As the Senators fell 4-3 in Montreal Wednesday night, Joseph scored twice and constantly looked dangerous and energized. He’s looked that way in both his games this week, but too often last season, in his first full year in Ottawa, he did not.
Joseph played 56 games and had 3 goals and 18 points. Now, with three years left on his contract at almost $3 million a season, he was seen this summer as a possible solution to the Shane Pinto riddle – a player the Senators could potentially trade so they could re-sign Pinto and stay under the cap.
Whether that's being considered or not, Sens head coach D.J. Smith thinks that with the adjustment to a new team and city, combined with living up to a big new contract, maybe Joseph wasn’t in his comfort zone last year.
“He continues to be good, day after day, whether it’s camp or games,” Smith told the media after the game. “I think when you come to a new team and you sign a new contract, I think a lot of that goes through your mind maybe last year. (Now) he’s just coming here and he’s doing what he does, and that’s work. A couple have gone in for him. Every shift, he’s just playing hockey.”
At this point in camp, the 26-year-old has certainly earned the coach’s attention and praise. But if Joseph is a truly a potential trade chip, then talking up the player’s value, as Smith has done over the past few days, is pretty standard NHL operating procedure.
Joseph admitted he does feel better coming into the new season.
“There are some details in my game that I want to get better at, but I do feel a little bit more comfortable,” Joseph said. “I worked hard all summer for it and I hope I can keep doing it.”
When he arrived in Ottawa at the 2022 trade deadline, Joseph made a big splash with 12 points in 11 games, which led to his four-year contract last summer. That success came, at least in part, because of top six minutes and better linemates due to injuries throughout the roster at the time.
This season, Joseph is definitely scheduled to be on the third line, but it has the potential to be outstanding. Newcomer Dominik Kubalik has looked fantastic so far, and looked very good with Joseph last night. If they stay together, with Pinto moving down from second line centre duty last season, then that line will be handful at both ends of the ice.
Of course, there’s still that little matter of somehow getting Pinto signed. And if Joseph is still seen as a possible solution to Ottawa's current salary cap bind, he's definitely boosting his trade value right now.
