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This will be a last chance for some aspiring Senators from Ottawa.
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It will then be decision time for General Manager Pierre Dorion, Coach DJ Smith, Senior Vice President Pierre McGuire, Assistant General Manager Peter MacTavish, and the rest of the hockey operations staff to make a determination on what the game will look like. club opening night roster. .
As the Senators prepare to face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena, it would not be a surprise if the club decided to keep 13 forwards and eight defenders along with two goalkeepers. That’s because the club has a good battle with the back end and may want to see a bit more of certain players before making a decision.
“We could (keep eight),” Smith said after the club’s skating Friday at the Canadian Tire Center. “The eight here are NHL players right now. Those are the best eight defenders in the organization and on any given night we have to find the right mix of guys to play against each other and help us win the most games.
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“Whoever it is, it will be the guys who play.”
FAMILY PARTNERS
Many would have guessed Erik brannstrom he would be sent to the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville when camp started, but he’s done a good job pushing for a spot. It’s in the mix to play Victor Mete and Josh brown.
Brannstrom had a solid effort in the club’s 5-4 win over Montreal on Thursday on the road, and the expectation is that he will play in the club’s final exhibition game on Saturday.
It helped that Brannstrom partnered with Nick holden. They played a couple of exhibition games together two years ago while with the Vegas Golden Knights, and that may have helped Brannstrom.
“We were joking when I first came here that we were going to get back together,” Holden said. “We played camp together in Las Vegas for a while. When we paired up (Thursday) for the first time, we were a little excited and I thought we did a good job.
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“It’s an elite skating and an elite disc motor, so I think we got together well.”
Holden said Brannstrom has shown great maturity.
“The more you play professionally, the more confident you have,” he said. “He has always had poise on the record, but even more so now, and he has mastery on the record in certain situations. Sometimes you find yourself in different situations and throw the record away.
“He is physically bigger and faster than he was when I saw him a few years ago. I haven’t been around him to watch him play day to day, but he is becoming a very good player. He still has that offensive threat and you see it every time he plays. It’s good for him. It gives me a bit of flexibility because I know he has good speed ”.
HOLDEN A STRONG VETERAN
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Smith is a huge fan of Holden. Traded here from Las Vegas by winger Evgenii Dadonov, Holden, 34, had made a big impact on the blue line.
Why? Well, he’s not flashy on offense, but he gets the job done and he’s stable. Smith has seen this type of player before when he was an assistant to the Leafs.
“He’s Ron Hainsey reincarnated, ”Smith said. “He’s just smart, he has a good stick, he knows the game, he interferes with his body. He’s a nice guy and doesn’t panic. He was just in the league and entered as advertised. Jim hiller He was assistant with me in Toronto, said he was their captain in junior and spoke highly of him when we changed him.
“Peter deboer He called me right after the exchange and told me he was going to love this guy. He does everything right, he knows how to practice, and he knows how to be a pro. I’m going to arrest him (Saturday), he has four kids, so I’m going to let him spend some time with them and his wife.
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“We’ll take a look at other guys, but he’ll be in the lineup when we play the Leafs next Thursday.”
That’s high praise for Holden.
THE LAST WORDS
After a strong effort against the Canadiens on Thursday, Shane pinto he was not on the ice on Friday. Smith said it was done for precautionary reasons and that it will be fine for the first game. It doesn’t look like Pinto is going to play in the final exhibition game, but one player who can be questionable is the winger. Austin watson. He has an ankle injury and at least he will have the weekend off. “He sprained his ankle and we’ll see it in a couple of days, but it’s a little longer.” Smith said. “The only real concern at the moment is Watson.” … Goalie Matt murray he was on the ice Friday after missing Thursday with illness. A player who could dress in Toronto is a forward Parker Kelly. He’s been out for a week… The Leafs have spent the past 48 hours in the Muskoka region in Gravenhurst to promote the union as they prepare to open the season against Montreal on Wednesday.
Twitter: @sungarrioch
Reference-ottawasun.com