SNAPSHOTS: Stalemate Between Senators and Brady Tkachuk Continues As Season Approaches

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The Ottawa Senators will spend Sunday finalizing their opening playlist, but it seems doubtful. Brady tkachuk will be in it.

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Everything has to be qualified with the old saying “anything can change with a phone call”, but, with the season opener scheduled for Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Canadian Tire Center, neither team seemed willing. blink to get restricted free. -Signed extreme agent.

Senators General Manager Pierre Dorion, GM assistant Peter MacTavish and senior vice president Pierre McGuire probably crossed paths with Toronto-based Tkachuk agents, Craig oster and Don Meehan from Newport Sports at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Saturday after Ottawa’s final preseason game against the Maple Leafs.

The deadline to establish lists is Monday at 5 pm

Both sides have drawn a line in the sand.

Both would like to close a deal, but the stalemate continued on Saturday. Senators have offered the 22-year-old Tkachuk an eight-year contract worth $ 8 million per season, while a report from St. Louis last week indicated that he would prefer to sign a three-year bridge contract and review the options for a long-term contract. by the way.

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Although many have speculated that the signing bonus is one of the issues standing in the way, we have been led to believe that it is not delaying this contract at all. The two sides put that issue aside a long time ago and have spent most of the last three weeks focused on time and dollars.

Trying to bridge the gap when one party wants a long-term contract and the other wants a three-year contract can be difficult. Tkachuk has been skating in Ann Arbor, Michigan during the week and returns to St. Louis on the weekends. Whenever he signs a new contract, he will need time to prepare and he is a player who has to skate.

ANOTHER INJURY TO THE FRONT

No longer center Colin White (shoulder) and center Clark Bishop (lower body), the senators have taken another hit with the loss of the winger Austin watson.

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Watson, who was counting on playing a major role in the third and fourth lines with physical presence and killing penalties, did not dress in Toronto on Saturday and could be out for an extended period after injuring an ankle in Thursday’s preseason competition. against the Montreal Canadiens. It was sent for further examination.

“We are waiting for an official result, but it looks like at this point he will be out for a while,” head coach DJ Smith said on Saturday, before the club left Ottawa.

Watson, 29, plays an important role for senators and has 340 games of experience in the National Hockey League. He will never lead the Senators on offense, but he is tough to play against and they need that type of player every night.

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If he’s out for a substantial period of time, Dorion may have to dig into the waiver wire while other teams set their final rosters, or he could try to make a deal to dig deeper. Senators have wing Scott sabourin at camp, and he would play the Leafs on Saturday.

New York Islanders coach Barry trotz told reporters on Saturday that the general manager of his club, Lou Lamoriello, was looking to move some players before Monday’s deadline.

“He’s working with the phones, checking with the teams, trying to figure out what they might need versus what we might need,” Trotz said. “It has been quite busy. I know I came here very early in the morning and I left quite late and he is still working on the phones. He has not finished putting together the list. “

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Don’t forget that senators have a lot of assets if they want to make a move, including picks and draft prospects.

This and that

There was good news from the province of Ontario on Friday when capacity limits for indoor sporting events were lifted, meaning senators can sell all 18,652 seats at the Canadian Tire Center. The Ottawa players said they were eager to have the fans back and the possibility of a full sale on opening night. “It has been incredible (in the preseason) and there is nothing better than having fans back on track,” Winger said. Drake Batherson said. “We saw the news (on Friday) that it will be at full capacity and that is incredible. We are looking forward to it ”… The senators sent Parker Kelly to his American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville on Saturday. He had skated with Ottawa on Friday after being punched in the face by Montreal. Michael Pezzetta in a preseason game a week earlier. Kelly had an impressive camp and will likely play in Ottawa at some point this season. “I just want to get back in there and keep trying to prove myself,” said Kelly, who was expected to dress in Belleville’s exhibition game Sunday against Laval. “(The injury) was nothing too serious. It was just a precaution. “

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THE LAST WORDS

Part of Saturday’s plan, with shortages at the fore, was to use the extreme Nick paul in the middle. He matches regularly and can play anywhere, although Smith considers Paul to be more effective on the wing … Shane pinto He will start the season as the Senators’ No. 2 center. He has won the position in the camp and looks good. “It’s almost strange that Shane is so calm for someone his age and the way he plays the position,” Smith said. “He doesn’t get too excited when he scores. He just seems like a guy who’s been in the league for a long time. You don’t want to curse him, but for a coach to have such a responsible and mature center at his age makes me a lucky coach, I guess. ”… Former Ottawa center Logan brown he was placed on waivers by the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. Brown was traded to St. Louis in exchange for Zach Sanford early during training camp.

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