At the midway point of training camp, we check out which Senators are still in the mix for their one or two roster vacancies.
On Friday, the Ottawa Senators released 20 players from their training camp roster, including notable names such as Stephen Halliday, Angus Crookshank, and Max Guenette. Among the players who earned the right to stick around for a few more days are 2024 first-round pick, Carter Yakemchuk, and 2021 second-round pick, Zack Ostapchuk.
The significant cuts leave only the NHL roster “locks” and a few hopefuls looking to grab one of the few remaining spots. So let’s examine where these holes are, and what players are still in contention for those jobs.
The Locks
As Steve outlined in yesterday’s article, 18 players are essentially “locked” onto the roster, whether it be for their talent level or contract status. This leaves only 2 spots on the lineup card, while there can also be room for up to 3 spots for healthy scratches. The 18 “locks” should look something like this on opening night:
Brady Tkachuk - Tim Stutzle - Claude Giroux
Ridly Greig - Josh Norris - Drake Batherson
Michael Amadio - Shane Pinto - David Perron
Noah Gregor - ??? - Nick Cousins
Jake Sanderson - Artem Zub
Tyler Kleven - ???
The Probables and Possibles
With only the fourth-line centre and third-pairing RD slots available to be earned, let’s examine the players remaining at camp to see who has a realistic chance.
On defence, Travis Hamonic, who has a full no-move clause, will be on the roster. The only question remaining with him is if he can hold off his competition for that opening night spot in the lineup, or if he will be in the press box. Jacob Bernard-Docker is also quite probable to make the team as he requires waivers to be sent down to Belleville and had decent showings with a limited role last season.
Finally, there is Carter Yakemchuk. In all likelihood, he will be sent back to junior eventually, however as long as he continues to impress, and the injury concerns around Artem Zub remain, there is a possibility he starts the season with Ottawa on a nine-game stint.
For the final forward position, Zack Ostapchuk is the likely leader to grab that spot. After making it through the first major cuts, Ostapchuk has looked good and effective in a hard-forechecking role, which could translate well to a 4th line role. Another player who has opened the eyes of management in camp is Jan Jenik. After being acquired from Utah in the offseason, in exchange for Egor Sokolov, Jenik has been pretty good in camp so far, including 4 points in the first pre-season game against Toronto.
While those two are most probable to end up in the opening night lineup, others such as Zac MacEwen, Adam Gaudette, and Nikolay Kulemin are still in camp looking to push them and earn at very least one of the roster spots as a scratch.
The Long Shots
That leaves six players remaining in camp that could be considered true long-shots to make the team. While Leevi Merilainen and Mads Sogaard have stuck around for now, the goaltending position is settled in Ottawa with Linus Ullmark and Anton Forberg, so barring injury, Sogaard and Merilainen will be bound for Belleville.
On defence, Filip Roos, Donovan Sebrango, and PTO, Calen Addison remain in camp, however with none of them particularly standing out and many players ahead of them, it would be a surprise to see any of these players on the roster.
Matthew Highmore is the only remaining forward in camp which I would consider a true long shot to make the team. There are just too many players in front of him who have impressed more and/or would be more effective in a fourth-line role.
With four preseason games remaining, it will be an interesting battle to the end, to see who asserts themselves enough to stand out to earn the honour of being on the NHL roster.