With Looming Logjam at Centre, Would Sens Consider Moving Stutzle Back to the Wing?

If the Ottawa Senators ever get Shane Pinto signed, they'll suddenly have as many as six viable centre-ice options and not enough rooms at the Inn.

Their depth chart up the middle would be: Tim Stutzle, Josh Norris, Shane Pinto, Ridly Greig, Rourke Chartier and Mark Kastelic. Kastelic has already been moved to the wing, and there appears to be nowhere to play Pinto right now – even if the cap space were there to re-sign him.

Fans breathed a collective sigh of relief when Norris finally returned to the lineup on Wednesday and even recorded a pair of goals against the Washington Capitals. Ridly Greig, now their number three, has opened the season with four points in the first five games of the season.

So, of all the centres on the current roster, who has played and proven that he can be extremely effective at the wing position? Tim Stutzle.

Stutzle played all of his rookie season and half of his sophomore year on the wing. Why would this not, at the very least, be considered?

Norris is back and appears to be healthy. Greig may be waiver exempt, but how does his being sent to Belleville serve the interests of making the playoffs given the way he's been performing? .

Stutzle's return to the wing would be a way around the less-than-ideal option of having to choose between Pinto and Greig. Both clearly have bright futures in the NHL and could evolve into one of the better number two and three centre combos in the Eastern Conference. 

Greig and Pinto are certainly not fourth line options and both probably have more of a defensive conscience than Stutzle. Also, moving very young centres with a history of shoulder injuries out to the boards isn't ideal either.

Would Stutzle be happy about this? Perhaps not. It would likely mean a breakup, 5 on 5, with Brady Tkachuk. That said, it’s about dressing the best 12 forwards every game.

Obviously, money still needs to be moved. If Pinto is going to cost $2.5 million, then someone is going to have to go. The Senators have until the end of November to figure out a solution if Pinto is going to play in the NHL this season. 

A trip to Sweden for two games in November is looming, and it would behoove GM Pierre Dorion to find a way to keep both Pinto and Greig in the fold rather than trading either of them from a position of weakness.

If that means moving Stutzle back to the wing, it’s an option that at least warrants serious discussion.