Senators call up six players from Belleville as they close out the preseason Saturday against Montreal.
Back in mid-September, as the Ottawa Senators prepared to begin training camp, it felt like there really weren't that many 2023-24 jobs up for grabs. But then Josh Norris and Shane Pinto became bold font, upper-case question marks.
While those were the biggest developments at this year's camp, they haven't been the only ones. The Senators have had a number of players at camp make a hard push for depth jobs on the roster.
As the 6-1 Senators get ready for their preseason finale tonight against Montreal, the club is giving a number of previously under-the-radar players one last chance to shine. To help with that, they're sitting most of their stars and they've called up a bunch of players who had previously been assigned to Belleville.
Here's how the roster will look for a home crowd that will probably be disappointed they won't get to see any of the big guns that played the past two games on the road.
This means the entire preseason will come and go without Josh Norris playing a single game. This is a disastrous start for a team that wanted, maybe more than anything, to avoid the injuries that have plagued them the past couple of seasons. And at this stage, it's pretty clear that no one has any idea when Norris might return to play. If he goes on LTIR, that might allow the cap-strapped Sens to re-sign Shane Pinto.
Meanwhile, there are at least five players who have a chance at NHL jobs:
Jiri Smejkal: In our book, Smejkal should be on the opening night roster. He was a point a game guy in Sweden last season and his coach called him "The Czech Hulk." Smejkal skates well, has size and skill, has a great shot, and competes physically. He might even be in line for more than just a fourth line role in Ottawa.
Josh Bailey: The Senators signed him to a PTO a week before camp began. Bailey had a goal and an assist in his last game and has twice worn the A during preseason. He's well respected and has a chance to make the squad.
Rourke Chartier: A 20 goal scorer in Belleville last year, Chartier has been a buzzsaw in preseason. Unless he's dinged up, and we've heard nothing to that effect, the fact that Chartier is not playing tonight in a "one last chance to impress" game suggests the team has seen enough and, with the centre ice depth currently in shambles, he has probably made the squad to open the season.
Roby Jarventie: Jarventie has taken a big step at this year's camp, but he's not really physical enough to be an ideal fourth liner so he'll start the year in Belleville.
Ridly Greig: If either Norris and Pinto remain absent, Greig is on this team. Stutzle-Greig-Chartier-Kastelic isn't exactly how anyone pictured the centre ice position might look to start the season.
All NHL teams have to finalize their roster by Monday afternoon and one thing is certain. There will probably be a few NHL-ready bodies heading for Belleville.
