With rookie camp and the prospects challenge underway, and main camp to start this week, it's time to get caught up on the past seven days of Sens news.
With a new week upon us, it's time to get you set up with something to distract you from work. So here's a handy medley of ten stories you may have missed last week at The Hockey News Ottawa.
The boys were back in town last week, en masse, for the club's annual golf tournament. At the event, defenceman Thomas Chabot had some encouraging news about his health.
One year ago at this event, soon-to-be new owner Michael Andlauer showed up at the golf tournament to say hello, just days before he got the team. A year later, he was back again, clearly enjoying the chance to spend some time with the fans and sponsors. We looked back at his first year, which wasn't easy, but it was a breath of fresh air.
Also at the golf tournament, Tim Stutzle addressed questions about why he would fire his agent. Stutzle didn't give specifics, but he did address apparent rumours – none of which we had heard before
We were at Senators rookie camp, which got underway on Thursday. Everyone wanted to speak to Tyler Boucher, the club's 2021 first rounder, who's spent as much more time on the injured list than on the ice.
Shane Pinto was in Vegas last week? Whaaat? No worries, Pinto was there for the NHL's North American Player Media Tour, which he says was a bit awkward at times. We'd agree. After watching the video, it definitely had its eye-rolling moments.
Veteran Travis Hamonic will be battling for a full-time role in the bottom-pairing this season. Hamonic says he knows he didn't have a good season. But after two offseason procedures on his knee, he believes he can bounce back this season.
With all the changes the Senators made over the past year, the microscope is going to be on the young core this season. Because if the club doesn't take a big step, the core is pretty much the only thing in the organization that hasn't been switched out.
Halloween seemed to come early for the Senators. Their date with the Devils on Friday the 13th was an absolute horror show. That's how they opened the Prospects Challenge Tournament in Buffalo on Friday. The Senators hope to avoid getting skunked in the event, facing Columbus on Monday.
Stephen Halliday is one of the few bright spots for the Senators at the prospects challenge, scoring two of the club's three goals at the event. Halliday had a great AHL playoffs last spring, with 9 points in 7 games, just a few weeks after leaving school. He looks like a player to keep an eye on.
Elliotte Friedman said on his podcast last week that, according to one player agent, some NHL teams are telling their free agents not use Ottawa Senator contracts as a comparable during negotiations. And the agent named Tim Stutzle's deal as an example. Ridiculous. The Sens have some bad contracts, but Stutzle's isn't one of them.
And Happy Birthday to Brady Tkachuk, who turns 25 today. Remarkably, he's about to enter his seventh season in the league. Time flies. Be sure to bookmark The Hockey News Ottawa for more Ottawa Senators coverage all season long.