Two former Senators on the Coachella Valley Firebirds, currently in the AHL Western Conference Final, might be worth a look on the free agent market this summer.
When it comes to going after the best free agents, the brutal truth is that the Ottawa Senators are rarely a preferred destination.
But that doesn't mean the Senators shouldn't be in the boat this summer, casting for some smaller to medium-sized fish in the NHL free agent pond.
So, as the club's new head of pro scouting, Rob DiMaio might want to keep an eye on the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the AHL playoffs this month.
Two former Ottawa Senators have helped lead the Seattle Kraken's top farm club to the Western Conference Final this spring, and both might be worth considering as free-agent targets this summer.
One has been outstanding for the Firebirds in goal. The other is the captain of the team, still a pain in the ass to play against, and the fourth-leading goal scorer in the AHL.
It's been five years since winger Max McCormick last played for the Ottawa Senators. He was the Parker Kelly of his day, earning all his NHL minutes through hard work.
During his time in Ottawa, McCormick could never get any offence going like Ryan Dzingel did. If he had, he'd probably still be here. McCormick and Dzingel provided a fantastic 1-2 offensive punch together for three seasons at Ohio State.
In 71 career games with the Senators, McCormick had just 10 points. He brought the aggressive dog-on-a-bone part of his game to the pro ranks but couldn't find his Buckeye offence, not even at the AHL level. In the purge of 2019, he was dealt to Colorado for centre J.C Beaudin, a player who was even more offensively challenged.
Now 32, toiling in Seattle's organization, something has clicked for McCormick.
McCormick was the AHL's fourth-best goal scorer this season, posting 32 goals and 60 points in 68 games. It's the second year in a row he's been hovering near the AHL's top ten in scoring. Before that, he never came close to this level.
Right now, Ottawa's AHL team has only six forwards under contract, all under 22. McCormick would be a fantastic veteran influence in Belleville, a mentor for the kids, helping them learn to play the right way.
If required, he also wouldn't look out of place at all on Ottawa's fourth line. He certainly didn't five years ago, and that was at a time when he couldn't score to save his life.
Meanwhile, Coachella Valley's starting goalie is former Senator Chris Driedger, a 30-year-old who's had a fantastic season and is rolling through the playoffs with a 6-1 record and a .921 save percentage. Since leaving Ottawa in 2018, Driedger has always posted great minor-league numbers. As a backup with the Florida Panthers for two years, his numbers were outstanding.
Driedger is a year younger than Anton Forsberg, who would likely be the casualty if the Sens tried to upgrade between the pipes this summer.
No one is suggesting that this notion would magically solve everything in Ottawa. Better options may, in fact, come along this summer. However, both speculative signings would make the Senators a little better as an organization than they were the day before.
And that's the goal of every transaction, big or small.