It’s business as usual as the Senators prepare for two-game road trip

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The Ottawa Senators knew changes were coming in the hours before the NHL trade deadline passed Monday at 3 pm

Before they stepped on the ice Monday morning at the Canadian Tire Center to prepare to face the New York Islanders on Tuesday on the road, the Senators were dealing with the disappointment of seeing teammate Nick Paul dealt and trying to get ready for the final 20 games of the season.

There was no shortage of smiles and laughter as the players went through their preparations for 35 minutes before boarding a charter at 5 pm to start what will be a two-game road trip.

By the end of the day, defenseman Josh Brown and winger Zach Sanford were also shipped out.

Associate coach Jack Capuano offered the players some advice before they took the ice.

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“Anytime you go through a deadline it’s going to take its toll on guys,” Capuano said on Monday. “These guys have been together for a long time but in this business that’s the way it works. It happens every year, to every single team.

“You lose a good friend and you lose a good teammate but we just wanted to make sure this morning that we went out and we had to do the job. There was a task at hand. It happens, we get it and we wish nothing but the best for Nick Paul. He was an integral part of our team, a great teammate and a funny guy to be around. That’s just the business that we’re in.”

This has been a tough season on the Senators and they never thought they’d be in this position initially. This was the year the club wanted to push for a spot in the post-season but injuries, illness and inconsistent goaltending derailed those plans so with 20 games left the Senators are playing out the string.

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Saying goodbye to teammates and friends isn’t easy.

As Capuano noted, this is the business part of the game and Paul was offered the opportunity to stay with a four-year contract extension worth $10.4 million on the table. The Senators were able to get winger Mathieu Joseph and a pick from Tampa so the deal was made.

Captain Brady Tkachuk noted this time of the year is always tough.

“It’s a crazy day for our team and league-wide,” Tkachuk said. “Losing Nick is tough. He’s a huge part of our team, a huge part of the community, our locker room and one of the best guys to know.

“He’s a great teammate and a better player and we wish him all the best. We’re definitely going to miss him. At the same time, we’re looking forward to getting Matthieu and what he’s going to bring to our team. It’s a tough day when you lose a great person. There’s a little sadness there.”

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Coach DJ Smith said going into the deadline the last 10 days or so have been difficult because there’s so many different scenarios being discussed.

“For myself, it’s been four years of it now. I’ve seen a lot of good people go,” Tkachuk said. “I don’t know if you’d call it a distraction, it’s just a hectic couple of days. A lot of teams see a lot of changes.”

The Senators are yearning for the day where the organization is a buyer at the deadline. Missing the playoffs five straight years was never part of the plan when the club undertook this rebuild and the best way to keep everybody in the fold is to have success on the ice.

“(Next year) is a long way away, so, I don’t think we can focus on that,” said Tkachuk. “Usually, when you’re on a losing team is when you get rid of a lot of guys so we obviously don’t want to be that type of team anymore. We want to be a team that’s looking to get into the playoffs. That’s going to be our focus for next year.”

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