With the NHL Draft set for Friday night in Los Angeles, Ottawa Senators head coach Travis Green isn’t even trying to pretend he’s been part of the amateur scouting team’s meetings, final decisions, or evaluations this week.

“No. I pop in and bring in some Timbits and wish them luck,” Staios said. “I brought a 20-pack today and it was not nearly enough. They don't have 40s.”

As part of the lead-up to the draft, apparently powered by donut holes, Green is holding coaches' meetings this week, with more planned next week after free agency.

“It’s just to talk about our team a little more and then break again,” Green said. “So it's good. It's a good time to get together and analyze things from last year. We've had some time to decompress and think about our group and where we can improve, really. That's the whole point of this week's meeting.”

Green held court with the media on Thursday and was asked, among many other things, about three key players – two of them just got here, and the other might be leaving.

Claude Giroux

Naturally, with the clock ticking on UFA Claude Giroux’s time with the team, reporters wanted to know how he was feeling about that situation. As you’d expect, Green wasn’t shy about expressing his fondness for the player.

“G has been a great player for us,” Green said. “From a coach's standpoint, I want him back. I also understand the business side of the game. G has been here through three years of watching the team grow. I'm just hoping G wants to be back and hopefully they figure things out. That's between him and Steve. Like I said, he's enjoyed his time here. He's enjoyed where we're going and wants to be back. I want him back.”

Fabian Zetterlund

Green knows that Zetterlund will be back. Zetterlund just signed a three-year contract with the Senators as an arbitration-eligible RFA. On arrival at the trade deadline, Green put him on the fourth line for the first half-dozen games or so, then began moving him around, seeing what he can do higher in the batting order.

Zetterlund had 5 points in 20 games with the Senators and 0 points in 6 games in the playoffs. With a $4.25 million-a-year contract, he’s not likely to spend much time on the fourth line this year. But Green wasn’t game to talk about where exactly Zetterlund fits into the lineup.

“I like him as a player, first and foremost,” Green said. “I think he's a good hockey player, glad that he's signed. I think he played well for us. He gives us just another option. I'm definitely not going to sit here today and say (where in the lineup) I forecast him playing.

“If I'm being honest, I probably (only) know who our top three centermen are. I don't have any real combinations. I liked the Amadio-Greig line last year, but maybe that changes. I want to see all our players come back better, including Zetterlund. I want to see improvements in his game. He's going to dictate how much he plays and where he plays, much like any other winger.

“I just want a lot of good players that can play anywhere. Where he plays? He'll tell me where he plays or how much he plays.”

Dylan Cozens

Cozens was Ottawa’s other big acquisition at last year’s deadline, and Green says he’s another good example of a player that can improve. Immediately thrust into Josh Norris’s second-line centre role, where he played the rest of the season, Cozens had 16 points in 21 games for the Senators.

“I mean, he showed glimpses of being a dominating player. It's always different when you come into a new organization, especially that first time that you're traded. That one usually leaves a mark, and you're never quite yourself. And I think I felt that way with Dylan a little bit.

“I thought he played well for us. I think he'd agree there's probably still another level. And you saw, like I said, he had games where he was dominant. And I'm hoping that we see another step from him.

“And he's not the only guy. I think from Timmy to Brady all the way down, even Sandy, like all those guys, Linus, everyone can improve and have a better season next year, and that's going to be a big part of us improving.”

Green may be bringing the summertime Timbits, but this fall, it's his players who'll need to deliver.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

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