Igor Shesterken will make $5.666m this coming season. He becomes a UFA next summer. Heard a Ranger commentator say negotiations will begin at $10m and may go as high as $12m. Shesterken will get what he wants. The Rangers will have no negotiating power if Shesterken repeats on his performance of last season.

For every Shesterken there are 2 or 3 Matt Murrays on the sidelines looking for another contract.

I do not like the Sens goaltending. But, I would like it even less if they jumped into a big payday for another goalie that is driving on a tank that is nearly empty.

Please humour me.

I do not understand how anybody can watch the Florida Panthers roll out 4 lines of mean, miserable play and not think about how much better the Sens could be if they had PLD playing on their 2nd line. The Sens need a near matching bookend to take some of the pressure off of Brady's game.

PLD played the entire year as a 3rd line centre for LA. He had 16 goals. It was not a horrible season. He played good hockey for Canada at the WCF.

Tarasenko is a UFA again. He will get less than $5m. Florida cannot fit him in. Nice 3rd line player for the Sens. Also, maybe Toffoli, he still has some gas in his tank. But finding a UFA may be difficult. Salt Lake has huge cap space and will likely take out 3 or 4 of the top UFAs on day 1. The UFA market will slim down very quickly.

Excellent article and comprehensive discussions everyone. I agree/disagree am indifferent on a lot of these points. i could see us all sitting around having beer and throwing out a lot of these truths.

Norris - I just don't know. He's Turris 2.0. Big heart, great guy, can and has put up points....made of glass. I say keep him and see what happens.

Korpisallo is better if the D is better. Make the D better. The point that a Zub injury derails the season is bang on. EVEN IF they get another big safe right shot to compliment him. We still cant have him getting hurt.

I wonder if the Sens trade up to make the second pick better and try and grab the Beaudoin kid. (local product)

And finally I've said it before if Calgary really want's Iginla's kid and he's still there at 7....you make that deal and try and get something from them. They pick 9 I think

Sens said to be aggressively pursuing Markstrom. Is he the answer the to the Sens problems? We've all seen what a competent goalie can do to a team that is strong up front, finally giving them confidence to play their game.

Is he that goalie, or is he just another placeholder in a long list of unreliable, inconsistent , etc.

The question of cost also comes up. What would it take. Maybe something involving a swapping picks :Ottawa's 7th overall, Calgary's 9th overall, and then Ottawa has Boston's and Calgary has Vancouver's. Ottawa has to add more , of course.

Sens said to be aggressively pursuing Markstrom. Is he the answer the to the Sens problems? We've all seen what a competent goalie can do to a team that is strong up front, finally giving them confidence to play their game.

Is he that goalie, or is he just another placeholder in a long list of unreliable, inconsistent , etc.

The question of cost also comes up. What would it take. Maybe something involving a swapping picks :Ottawa's 7th overall, Calgary's 9th overall, and then Ottawa has Boston's and Calgary has Vancouver's. Ottawa has to add more , of course.
- david22

Strikes that goalies who historically play pretty well have performed poorly here in the recent past. Talbot is a good example - his career numbers have been decent everywhere except his stint in Ottawa and his last two years in Edmonton - both teams sporting abysmal blue lines with multiple offhand players. Unless we make serious changes to our backend, I'd look at Markstrom not as a positive add, but as a gamble, especially since he is a seesaw goalie statistically, he's on the back nine of his career, and his numbers have not been good enough to bring a team to the show since 21/22.

If all it takes to get Markstrom is moving back two spots in the draft, fine - I wouldn't add anything more than a Thomson/seventh rounder to sweeten the pot further. Likely Calgary expects more, to which I hope Staios says 'cool beans, enjoy your goalie logjam', and looks elsewhere.

But if both Tij and Levshunov are still available at 7 like Button is daydreaming about, I'd seriously consider taking Lev rather than risk losing him to #8. I would like to see an all-Artyom RHD corps.

Sens said to be aggressively pursuing Markstrom. Is he the answer the to the Sens problems? We've all seen what a competent goalie can do to a team that is strong up front, finally giving them confidence to play their game.

Is he that goalie, or is he just another placeholder in a long list of unreliable, inconsistent , etc.

The question of cost also comes up. What would it take. Maybe something involving a swapping picks :Ottawa's 7th overall, Calgary's 9th overall, and then Ottawa has Boston's and Calgary has Vancouver's. Ottawa has to add more , of course.
- david22

Markstrom is the goaltender I would focus on more than Ullmark/Saros. The simple matter of being signed for 2 years instead of just 1 makes a big difference in terms of fairly assessing a potential extension. Even if they managed to acquire Ullmark/Saros, they'd have to make a long-term decision before the end of next season. Ideally that would be part of the trade, of course, but when you have Saros already being rumored in the $8M range, it's something you have to ponder very carefully.

Also, the Markstrom deal just feels like a relatively easy fit... start with Chychrun, swap the #7/9 picks (if Iginla is still on the board at #7), and balance it out with picks/prospects as needed. Nobody trades within the division, the Flames make their draft splash, Senators still add a quality D at #9, and everyone involved gets to play in a more advantageous situation. Of course, it could also depend on Markstrom accepting a trade to Ottawa, but he did play for Travis Green in Vancouver, so hopefully that works in their favour.

Markstrom is the goaltender I would focus on more than Ullmark/Saros. The simple matter of being signed for 2 years instead of just 1 makes a big difference in terms of fairly assessing a potential extension. Even if they managed to acquire Ullmark/Saros, they'd have to make a long-term decision before the end of next season. Ideally that would be part of the trade, of course, but when you have Saros already being rumored in the $8M range, it's something you have to ponder very carefully.

Also, the Markstrom deal just feels like a relatively easy fit... start with Chychrun, swap the #7/9 picks (if Iginla is still on the board at #7), and balance it out with picks/prospects as needed. Nobody trades within the division, the Flames make their draft splash, Senators still add a quality D at #9, and everyone involved gets to play in a more advantageous situation. Of course, it could also depend on Markstrom accepting a trade to Ottawa, but he did play for Travis Green in Vancouver, so hopefully that works in their favour.
- khawk

holy crap, Markstrom aint worth 1 st round pick and you want to send chych++ along with swap of 7 and 9,, hes 34 (frank)ing years old , he is past his BB date....

Just adding my $0.02. buying out Norris is beyond stupid. If he's not healthy enough, stick him on IR (ex. Leafs and Murray) and there's no issue. I don't get the hysteria at all.

Goaltending I'm also not worried about. Yes, every goalie we had sucked last year. But they equally sucked. That, to me, shows a defensive structure that didn't exist. It's why so many goalies leave here and do a lot better. We got rid of the old guard. Give them a chance and then make moves. The team doesn't have to be great next year. They just can't be pathetic. That shouldn't be hard.

If we're giving multiple futures away for old proven goalies, I think it is a huge mistake.

Unrelated - Ceci scratched for game 2. Lololololok.

Just adding my $0.02. buying out Norris is beyond stupid. If he's not healthy enough, stick him on IR (ex. Leafs and Murray) and there's no issue. I don't get the hysteria at all.

- PogBoi

Big 'if'. It's not hysteria, it's business. This is a player who by all accounts comes back 'ready to play' every single year, and then goes on LTIR almost immediately. He has played 180/328 possible games, or 54.8% of games over the past 4 seasons. He has missed game time every single year of his hockey career going back into the AHL *and* junior. The most NHL games he has played over 4 full seasons is 66. Then 56/50/8. There's certainly enough of a sample size here to raise concern about his reliability, and there are zero indications he would be eligible for long term IR before the season begins like there was with Murray.

To reiterate - LTIR is *not* free cap space - Norris' salary counts towards our cap in the off-season, limiting available cap space to acquire FA or make trades. It makes sense for competitive teams to acquire LTIR contracts mid season that they expect to return for the playoffs, or poor teams to acquire LTIR (Arizona in recent years) to actually keep off LTIR in order for them to hit the floor. But under most circumstances, LTIR contracts are liabilities. Having Norris on LTIR 45% of the time basically means we're getting $4.25M of playing time out of an $8M contract. If I'm running the show, I'm at least running the numbers and having a conversation. If it's any consolation, Garrioch listed Norris as a 'core member' a few days back, but left Chychrun's name out, so maybe that gives some indication that we needn't worry about a buyout.

holy crap, Markstrom aint worth 1 st round pick and you want to send chych++ along with swap of 7 and 9,, hes 34 (frank)ing years old , he is past his BB date....
- Mithos

Well, the Senators are either in the business of getting an established higher-end goaltender this off-season or they aren't. I'm not saying they necessarily should, because I don't believe Korpisalo/Forsberg is nearly as bad a pair as the majority of people on here. But IF they're going to play that game, Markstrom will cost you at least a 1st round pick (or equivalent value), as will Saros/Ullmark. If you don't like it, don't make the deal. But if you're going to the UFA market looking for a goaltender who even played enough to have 30 decisions last season, you'll find just three. One had the same .890 save % as Korpisalo/Forsberg, one had a far worse GAA than either Korpisalo/Forsberg, and the other specifically left the Senators last year to sign elsewhere. So that doesn't leave a lot of room for a clear upgrade in goal.

Meanwhile, for those who prefer Saros, consider first how you feel about paying out ~$8M for at least 5-6 years after next season, because that will be pretty much the minimum extension he'll demand if they want a deal signed this off-season vs. risking him going to UFA status. Then you have Ullmark, which would be a trade within the division, going from a Stanley Cup contender to a non-playoff team... who knows if he would even consider an extension? So yes, I think if the Senators are going to make a play for one of the big-name goaltenders, Markstrom fits the bill in terms of being an established veteran, with a contract that doesn't put the team behind the 8-ball. Unless you want to chase table scraps after other teams upgrade in goal, which could maybe get you someone like Allen... at which point you'd have to ask whether that's enough of a clear upgrade to bother.

Well, the Senators are either in the business of getting an established higher-end goaltender this off-season or they aren't. I'm not saying they necessarily should, because I don't believe Korpisalo/Forsberg is nearly as bad a pair as the majority of people on here. But IF they're going to play that game, Markstrom will cost you at least a 1st round pick (or equivalent value), as will Saros/Ullmark. If you don't like it, don't make the deal. But if you're going to the UFA market looking for a goaltender who even played enough to have 30 decisions last season, you'll find just three. One had the same .890 save % as Korpisalo/Forsberg, one had a far worse GAA than either Korpisalo/Forsberg, and the other specifically left the Senators last year to sign elsewhere. So that doesn't leave a lot of room for a clear upgrade in goal.

Meanwhile, for those who prefer Saros, consider first how you feel about paying out ~$8M for at least 5-6 years after next season, because that will be pretty much the minimum extension he'll demand if they want a deal signed this off-season vs. risking him going to UFA status. Then you have Ullmark, which would be a trade within the division, going from a Stanley Cup contender to a non-playoff team... who knows if he would even consider an extension? So yes, I think if the Senators are going to make a play for one of the big-name goaltenders, Markstrom fits the bill in terms of being an established veteran, with a contract that doesn't put the team behind the 8-ball. Unless you want to chase table scraps after other teams upgrade in goal, which could maybe get you someone like Allen... at which point you'd have to ask whether that's enough of a clear upgrade to bother.
- khawk

So, you are saying that Chychrun, + the 7th pick, + other fillers would get Markstrom? That is insane. I don't think Calgary would be asking that much. No team would pay that price for a 30+ year old goalie with only 2 years left on the contract.

So, you are saying that Chychrun, + the 7th pick, + other fillers would get Markstrom? That is insane. I don't think Calgary would be asking that much. No team would pay that price for a 30+ year old goalie with only 2 years left on the contract.
- OttawaB

No, I never said that. The trade return I described earlier was Chychrun plus a SWAP of 7th/9th picks as the main trade return. Nobody said anything about handing over the 7th overall pick, and no longer picking in the top-10 of the draft, or no longer having 2 first round selections. Also, I said the deal could be balanced out with picks/prospects, as needed - which could just as easily be the Senators getting another pick/prospect back. Plus, if the CGY were determined to pick Iginla at #7 and OTT were primarily interested in a high-end D-man, the swap would only effectively cost them 1 more pick off the board... and even that's assuming SEA didn't pick one of the remaining high-end forwards like Catton/Helenius.

The ability to help move CGY up 2 picks in order to draft Iginla may be the only distinct advantage the Senators have in a potential Markstrom trade vs. what teams like NJD, TOR, or CAR might be able to offer. And if the rumours are true that Staios is "aggressively" pursuing Markstrom, I'd personally rather see them do a 7th/9th swap than give up a 1st round pick or one of their few quality prospects.

I'm not super high on Markstrom. Is he better than Korpisalo? Yes. But his time in Calgary has been a mixed bag and is 34. I wouldn't mind nabbing him but some of the rumoured cost to acquire him makes it feel like another Debrincat/Chychrun-type move.

If you are trading high-quality assets for a guy you have to eventually resign, I'd rather go for Saros or Ullmark route.

I also feel there isn't enough chatter surrounding the Panthers goalies that could be had for cheaper. Anthony Stlarz might not be a starter but he might be a very capable 1A guy and could be had via free agency. Alternatively, you can make a cheap trade for Spencer Knight. There are lots of moving parts with his background but could be a very reasonable choice for a bounceback guy.

My Top 9

1. C - Macklin Celebrini
2. RHD - Artyom Levshunov (go back and forth with Demidov)
3. RW - Ivan Demidov
4. LD - Zeev Buium (easily could be Silayev)
5. C - Cayden Lindstrom
6. LD - Anton Silayev
7. LW - Tij Iginla (after celebrini & demidov, he is best risk-reward F)
8. C - Konsta Helenius
9. LD - Sam D ickinson

I'm not super high on Markstrom. Is he better than Korpisalo? Yes. But his time in Calgary has been a mixed bag and is 34. I wouldn't mind nabbing him but some of the rumoured cost to acquire him makes it feel like another Debrincat/Chychrun-type move.

If you are trading high-quality assets for a guy you have to eventually resign, I'd rather go for Saros or Ullmark route.

I also feel there isn't enough chatter surrounding the Panthers goalies that could be had for cheaper. Anthony Stlarz might not be a starter but he might be a very capable 1A guy and could be had via free agency. Alternatively, you can make a cheap trade for Spencer Knight. There are lots of moving parts with his background but could be a very reasonable choice for a bounceback guy.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

agree

we don't need a short term solution. why not Storlaz in FLA? Signing him along with moving or buying out forsberg could be a good soluton

Every year, we watch the SCF and the bigger team playing the more physical game always seems to grind out the win. By the 1st Of July, we will have forgotten the lesson and folks will be lining up to acquire goal scoring and playmaking skills.

I understand that you cannot win unless you first have high end elite scoring and playmaking skills. But size, gritt and meanness matters.

Matthews is a great natural goal scorer. McDavid is an absolute wizard. Kucherov dominates the offensive zone when he is on his game. Watching McKinnon carry a puck through centre ice is worth the price of admission.

Why would anyone even want to talk about Barkov? All he does is shut the other guys down. He scores (23 goals) and skates like a journeyman player. He seems to have a lunch bucket mentality.

Brady certainly gives you that type of physical game. But, he is not (yet) nearly as defensively responsible.

Sens need a stronger physical game up front and in front of their own net.

Being a year older will be part of the Sens' answer. But, this is also a case where more size and toughness matter.

So, Bergeron retired. Lyle Richardson consulted folks and did an article (Nov 2023) on who would replace Bergeron as the best defensive forward. Except for #2, the list is not surprising.

1. Aleksander Barkov
2. Mitch Marner
3. Nico Hischier
4. Elias Lindholm
5. Mark Stone

+/- matters.

Ridley Grieg and Kastelec were +10 on the season. Pinto was a very nice +9 on his half season. Sanderson was a +8. Brady was +1.

Timmy was -17. Batherson was -9. Chychrun and Kubalik were both -30.

Making Timmy into a + player will be enough to push the Sens into having a shot at a playoff. Timmy has all the tools that would enable him to become an outstanding defensive player without giving up anything of his high end offensive finish.

agree

we don't need a short term solution. why not Storlaz in FLA? Signing him along with moving or buying out forsberg could be a good soluton
- AlfieisKing

So the long-term goaltending solution will be Korpisalo-Stolarz? That would imply that Forsberg was the real problem last year, and that the stabilizing element is a 30 year-old goaltender with just 83 career decisions (W/L) over 7 years and 4 NHL teams. He also had a 3.66GAA just one year before last, when he was playing in front of with a non-Cup quality defensive roster. Given that Staios appears to be serious about changing up the goaltending situation, this is pretty much exhibit "A" in terms of why he's so interested in a more established player like Markstrom.

So the long-term goaltending solution will be Korpisalo-Stolarz? That would imply that Forsberg was the real problem last year, and that the stabilizing element is a 30 year-old goaltender with just 83 career decisions (W/L) over 7 years and 4 NHL teams. He also had a 3.66GAA just one year before last, when he was playing in front of with a non-Cup quality defensive roster. Given that Staios appears to be serious about changing up the goaltending situation, this is pretty much exhibit "A" in terms of why he's so interested in a more established player like Markstrom.
- khawk

If the Sens are going to change the goaltending situation, I like a cheaper option with upside (like Stolarz) than a more expensive one with downside (Markstrom).

Also, the Sens cannot afford to have both Korpo and someone like Martkstrom/Ullmark/Jarry on the roster. They can't have MORE than what they have now tied up in Goaltending ($6.75 million AAV i do believe). They definitely cannot have $9 to 10 million.

But, if they got rid of Forsberg and signed Stolarz, the upside might be there, and they might save $750k to 1million per year.

I'd repeat the mantra - they do not need to spend more money at the goalie position....they need to spend it at 1RD and 2nd line LW. Changing the goalies is a luxury right now.

Getting back to Norris...

How bout:

To Kings: Norris, Forsberg, Kastelik, MacEwen
To Sens: PLD, T. Moore, Kayilev

money seems even....

If the Sens are going to change the goaltending situation, I like a cheaper option with upside (like Stolarz) than a more expensive one with downside (Markstrom).

Also, the Sens cannot afford to have both Korpo and someone like Martkstrom/Ullmark/Jarry on the roster. They can't have MORE than what they have now tied up in Goaltending ($6.75 million AAV i do believe). They definitely cannot have $9 to 10 million.

But, if they got rid of Forsberg and signed Stolarz, the upside might be there, and they might save $750k to 1million per year.

I'd repeat the mantra - they do not need to spend more money at the goalie position....they need to spend it at 1RD and 2nd line LW. Changing the goalies is a luxury right now.
- GrimmdaGoalie

That's fair, and despite my ramblings about Markstrom I don't actually disagree with this approach. Bolstering the top-4D and middle-6F would be my top priorities as well, as I think the team's future success hinges on providing better support to their core young talent. However, replacing Forsberg with Stolarz is at best a shuffling of the deck chairs. Stolarz is already older than Korpisalo and has never played more than 28GP in a season. That means you're effectively going to be tolerating another 55GP from Korpisalo, and basically just hoping that he has a better season in 2024/25. No problem, as long as people don't confuse that with a substantial change.

Speaking of goaltenders .......

To LA ..... Korpisalo (Ottawa retains half his salary), Brannstrom, Sokolov
To Ottawa .... Kaliyev

Then make a trade with Boston
To Boston ..... Chychrun (+ contract extension), JBD, Forsberg, Joseph, Boston's 1rst round pick

To Ottawa ..... Ullmark +2-3 year extension, Carlo (right defence).


Yes, we overpay a bit but also roll some bodies out of Ottawa.
Then we go lower level free agent hunting .... Carriere, Dakota Joshua. Then pick up another goalie like Brossoit/Stolarz/Allen on the cheaper side.

Look to also trade Kastelik.

Promotion possibilites from AHL ..... Kleven, Guenette, Crookshank, Ostapchuk, Halliday. Robidas Island candidate is Hamonic

Stutzle, Tkachuk, Batherson
Pinto, Giroux, Norris
Greig, Kaliyev,
Kelly, Crookshank,

Sanderson/Zub
Chabot/Carlo
Kleven/
Guenette as 7th d-man

Ullmark, Stolarz/Allen/or Brossoit


Hey, we can all dream.

holy crap, Markstrom aint worth 1 st round pick and you want to send chych++ along with swap of 7 and 9,, hes 34 (frank)ing years old , he is past his BB date....
- Mithos

Ya and Bobrovsky will be 36 in Septemeber, makes 10,000,000 and nobody in their right mind would want him in their net right now!

Ya and Bobrovsky will be 36 in Septemeber, makes 10,000,000 and nobody in their right mind would want him in their net right now!

- DEDDIE

Well, and there's the counter-argument to those expressing concern about a veteran goaltender. Craig Anderson turned 36 when the Senators made their improbable 2016/17 run, and many people regret to this day not having kept him around until he was able to retire. Objectively, Markstrom has at least 3-4 good years in him, and if he wants to stay he could be a valuable mentor for the likes of Sogaard & Merilainen. And given how important Giroux has proven to be for the team, you have to believe Staios may be looking to add comparable veteran support at other positions.