The latest on the Senators and Kraken in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
UPDATE ON THE SENATORS
OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch doubted the Senators’ recent five-game win streak will give general manager Steve Staios pause from making the necessary offseason changes for his club to take the next step toward playoff contention.
Garrioch believes the Senators’ top priorities are finding the right head coach and addressing their goaltending. Buying out the final four seasons of starter Joonas Korpisalo’s contract “seems far-fetched at best.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Agreed, and it’s also unlikely they’ll be able to trade Korpisalo’s contract. They’ll keep him and have him work on improving his game in the offseason.
It’s expected the Senators will attempt to trade backup Anton Forberg, who has a year left on his deal.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Forsberg’s struggles and his $2.75 million cap hit next season means Staios might have to package him with a sweetener like a draft pick or retain part of his cap hit to find a suitor.
A decision must be made regarding defenseman Jakob Chychrun, who becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season. The Senators also need better depth on their third and fourth forward line.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Chychrun wants to stay partly because of his family ties to Ottawa. However, I can see Staios shopping him for a top-four right-shot defenseman.
THE ATHLETIC: Ian Mendes is interested in what Shane Pinto receives on his next contract. The 23-year-old center signed a one-year, $775K deal shortly before returning from his 41-game suspension for violating the NHL’s sports wagering rules.
Since Pinto’s return, he’s scored eight goals and 25 points in 34 games, putting him on a prorated pace of 20 goals and 68 points. He’ll be a restricted free agent without arbitration rights as he needed one more season to become arbitration-eligible. Mendes suspects a bridge deal could be the outcome.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: A two-year deal worth around $5 million annually should get it done. What say you, Senators fans? Let me know in the comments section.
COULD THE KRAKEN MAKE A COACHING CHANGE?
THE SEATTLE TIMES: Geoff Baker believes some big offseason decisions are coming for the Kraken. After reaching the playoffs last season in just their second year of existence, they’ve been eliminated from contention this season.
Baker believes there will be an evaluation of head coach Dave Hakstol’s performance. If they intend to keep him beyond this month, they must retain him through next season and more or risk wasting time they don’t have. He believes the Kraken must convince their fans that they’re heading in a positive direction.
The Kraken could make one or two key additions this summer that won’t be cheap. Before making that commitment, they must ensure they have the right man behind the bench. They must also figure out why their offense bottomed out this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It will be interesting to see how Kraken GM Ron Francis handles this situation.
Baker wondered if the scoring drought was due to Hakstol’s system or other factors. He pointed out that they let their high-scoring fourth-liners depart last summer via free agency to make room for incoming youth. They may have also put too much faith in Andre Burakovsky and Matty Beniers scoring at a 25-goal pace.