GM Dorion and Coach Smith confident senators will have a competitive training ground

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Behind the masks, Pierre Dorion and DJ Smith wore wide smiles as they entered a socially estranged reporters room at the Canadian Tire Center on Wednesday afternoon.

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“First of all, welcome back. It’s great to be back, ”Dorion said as the senators opened boot camp with physical fitness tests and medical exams.

It’s been 18 months since Dorion and Smith held a face-to-face press conference, and as all 54 players at camp prepare to do their first skating on Thursday, there is no shortage of excitement. Hope springs eternally in the fall, and Senators hope the club can take a step in the right direction.

After finishing last season with a 9-2-1 record, the Senators hope to pick up where they left off at the start of this season. The Senators have put the pieces in place to prepare for the season opener on October 14 against the Toronto Maple Leafs and are hopeful this team will take another step toward competitiveness.

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As for Dorion, the young core is here and the days of calling what’s happening here in Ottawa a rebuild are over.

“We are at a stage where, for us, I think the rebuilding is over,” said Dorion. “I don’t want to hear the word anymore. We keep moving forward and this team has to take a big step. We have a lot of good young talent and I think we will be one of the youngest teams in the NHL and young teams need to learn how to win.

“Really good teams learn all the time and we want to be a good team that is there all the time. As DJ says, we want to be a good team for the next 10 years. We want to work as a playoff team where we are pushing and improving all the time. Let’s build on how we ended last year. We were building teams that competed for and in the playoffs. That is the step we have to take.

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“We are not afraid of a team, we can play against any team, and we can play any type of game and still come out with two points.”

What you want in camp is to have competition for jobs, and senators should have them.

A look at the depth chart indicates that there is an opening on the right side after Evgenii Dadonov was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights. There is an opportunity for a young player like Egor Sokolov to show that he has what it takes to get to this level.

The club should also have good battles on defense. Yes, the top four are set with Thomas Chabot, Artem Zub, Michael Del Zotto and Nikita Zaitsev, but there should be eight or nine players pressing for time. Included in that group are Victor Mete, Nick Holden, Erik Brannstrom, Josh Brown, and Jacob Bernard-Docker.

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That’s why the senators anticipate that they will play better against goalkeeper Matt Murray to start the year.

“We lost some goals so we will look for some offense,” said Dorion. “As the DJ equipment is, you have to skate and play hard. There could be places (in any of the lines) because we lost some goals last year. At the same time, I think we have incorporated some additions to the defense that will stabilize us. “

Smith and his team will spend the preseason determining where everyone will fit in. Center Chris Tierney will start on the second row with Tim Stuetzle on his left and Connor Brown on his right. Josh Norris will skate with Nick Paul and Drake Batherson. Still, you’ll see a lot of mix and match in the preseason.

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Young players like Sokolov, Alex Formenton and Parker Kelly will have a chance to push for a spot. Colin White and Shane Pinto are among those trying to get more playing time in between. Smith said he should have options among the core.

“The most competitive part of camp, outside of the guys trying to do it, is the guys who are already here fighting for what role they’re going to have and how many minutes they’re going to play,” Smith said. “That is a sign that a team is improving. When you look at the team two years ago, it was clear who the best players were and who the guys were who weren’t going to get promoted.

“Now look at a guy like Formenton who finished too strong for us. You’re starting out in a third or fourth line role, but in the end, could you move up the list? The boys are going to move everywhere. The most competitive guys will get the most ice time. There are a lot of guys in that mix. We don’t have guys who are Sidney Crosby or, sure, this particular type of player.

“Any given night could be our best player. My job is to find the best player, so the most competitive thing in camp is that we know all the guys that are going to be here and that is where they will fit into the puzzle. “

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