It turns out that Pierre Dorion wasn’t done, after all. The Ottawa Senators announced today that they have signed Alex Galchenyuk to a one-year contract worth $1.05M. Galchenyuk, 26, has bounced around the league over the last handful of seasons after spending the first six years of his career with the Montreal Canadians.

On its surface, the signing of Galchenyuk makes some degree of sense for Ottawa. While his defensive game is widely regarded as a glaring weakness, Galchenyuk has shown in the past that he can drive offense; he scored more than 40 points in each season between 2014-15 and 2018-19. For an Ottawa team that has many people wondering where the goals are going to come from, betting on a bounce back from Galchenyuk isn’t a bad gamble -- especially at the relatively paltry cost of $1.05M.

Of course, there’s always a risk that Galchenyuk doesn’t bounce back. If it doesn’t happen, the team isn’t likely to get much out of this contract:

Alex Galchenyuk, headed to Ottawa is a defensive liability who can't really generate much offence either. Not even much of a goal-scorer anymore either at even strength. #GoSens pic.twitter.com/pk6FijIJyY

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) October 28, 2020

In a vacuum, a failed gamble on a one-year deal for a low-cost unrestricted free agent isn’t anything to be concerned about. Unfortunately, the Senators don’t operate in a vacuum. The signing of Galchenyuk means another roster spot filled by someone other than a promising prospect. What once was shaping up to be a tsunami of youth now looks like a smaller ripple. Someone who deserves to be up is going to end up in Belleville.

And, that’s what makes the second piece of news from today so confusing. After the Galchenyuk signing was announced, TSN’s Frank Seravalli suggested that there might be some mutual interest between the Senators and Corey Perry. Perry, 35, put up 21 points in 57 games with the Dallas Stars last year, and is most certainly closer to the end of his career than the beginning. From this blogger’s perspective, the fit with Ottawa just isn’t there.

Let me know your thoughts on the Galchenyuk signing and Perry rumor. My take is as follows: If the kids are going to be alright, the team needs to let them be alright. Filling roster spots with short-term band-aids isn’t the right approach.

As always, thanks for reading.

Join the Discussion: » 50 Comments » Post New Comment

» Brown, Paul Combine for Canada's Golden Goal at World Championship

» Senators to Select 10th Overall; What Should They Do with the Pick?

» Finding the Right Centerpiece

» Senators Team Awards Ballot

» Melnyk Speaks