As Belleville battles Toronto in the playoffs, the B-Sens have several pending free agents who'll be fighting for jobs next season.
When the Belleville Senators take to the ice on Wednesday night, they'll be looking for their first playoff victory. No, not just their first of the series – their first win of any kind in the AHL playoffs.
The B-Sens have been around for seven seasons now and haven't won a single playoff game. In that way, they have a lot in common with their parent club from Ottawa. But unlike their NHL affiliate, Belleville has actually made the playoffs now on two occasions. In their first appearance two years ago, they were swept by Rochester in two straight overtime games in round one.
Perhaps the second coming of the Battle of Ontario will fire them up this year.
For the first time in history, Ottawa and Toronto's top farm clubs meet in the Calder Cup playoffs. Game one is Wednesday night in Belleville as the Senators host the Marlies.
The B-Sens are loaded with prospects who have NHL potential, but not many are seen as future stars at the next level. One exception might be Mads Sogaard, who's already played in 27 NHL games. In the AHL this season, he went 18-9-3, with a save percentage of .916 and a goals against of 2.45.
Other B-Sens with a chance to be NHL regulars this fall include AHL all-star, Angus Crookshank, Tyler Kleven, Jiri Smejkal, and Zack Ostapchuk.
The series will also feature a number of unrestricted free agents – including guys who also played in Ottawa this season – that the organization will need to make decisions on. They include Smejkal, Rourke Chartier, Boko Imama, Matthew Highmore, and Jacob Larsson.
The Sens also have some RFAs who are well known to Sens fans, and they're all interesting for various reasons. They include Crookshank and Sogaard, who will be re-signed. Max Guenette is a good bet as well.
Meanwhile, Egor Sokolov and Lassi Thomson aren't as clear cut. They don't seem to be progressing and neither is tracking to be an NHL player at the moment. On the other hand, they're both still only 23 and they're both still very useful players at the AHL level. We're guessing they keep Sokolov and part ways with Thomson.
For all of the B-Sens free agents in the AHL, this week's Battle of Ontario represents the final chance to battle for their next contract, whether it's in Ottawa, Belleville, or somewhere else.