OTTAWA — Circumstances, including the active roster, are hardly ideal.
Your Ottawa Senators boarded a plane for Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday afternoon with the knowledge they would be without their No. 2 centre, Josh Norris, their No. 3 centre, unsigned Shane Pinto ... and, oh, and there’s this: the likelihood the team will play a man short against the Carolina Hurricanes in its season opener on Wednesday.
A man short on Day 1!
How the Senators got to this point could be the plot of a hockey novel, and it's too complicated to be dealt with properly in this space, which is supposed to be a file setting up Ottawa’s first NHL game of 2023-24.
The abbreviated version of the plot: Norris could be ready soon and is not likely to go on long-term injury reserve. The Senators are tight against the salary cap, which hasn’t helped their last-ditch effort to get restricted free agent Pinto signed (how they let this negotiation linger this long is a popular question on social media). And finally, fourth-line winger Zack MacEwen is banged-up, listed as “day-to-day” and not expected to play vs. the Hurricanes, although it is possible.
If MacEwen can’t go, head coach D.J. Smith said the team will run 11 forwards and six defencemen against the always tough Hurricanes.
“That’s for sure the situation,” Smith said. “Eleven and six. In saying that, there’s guys that love minutes. And there’s guys that can play lots. We have a couple of days off between games (next up is Saturday’s home opener).”
Smith said he would likely give extra shifts to the right wingers, namely Drake Batherson, Vladimir Tarasenko and Claude Giroux.
The idea is to get this roster situation sorted out by the weekend, when the Sens are at home to Philadelphia Saturday afternoon and travel to Tampa Sunday night.
As for Norris, the fact he is not being put on LTIR is being called good news by some because it means the organization thinks he could be ready to play soon, after having a setback on his surgically repaired shoulder. But anyone who can predict what is to take place with Norris deserves a network spot as a renowned clairvoyant. To this point, nobody has been able to figure out this player’s status.
“I never expected Josh would not play Game 1,” Smith said, repeating what he has been saying for days. “I expected to get him in four or five exhibition games. That was my plan. And to get here in the morning and they (medical staff) say he can’t go, it’s shocking. The coaches are waiting. Again, he wants to play but they have to clear him.”
Smith said he hopes Norris can test the shoulder in a game “sooner rather than later,” but for now, they make do without him. And Pinto.
No excuses. This Senators team was expected to qualify for the post-season and that expectation remains. However long they have to survive without Norris and Pinto.
“I’m very confident in the group’s maturity,” Smith said, when asked to rate his confidence level in the roster he has at the moment, “how much they’ve matured over the years and their belief system. You could sit and complain about not having players, everyone is going to go through that at some point. Let’s hope this year it’s right off the start and then we’re healthy, and away we go. But we’ve got enough talent to win games.”
It starts in goal, with a nice-looking tandem in Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg.
Then, in front of them, a really solid defence corps of Thomas Chabot, Jakob Chychrun, Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub. As a third pair, Ottawa has Erik Brannstrom and Travis Hamonic.
Ottawa’s defensive play was excellent in the pre-season, but the ‘Canes will be the first real test.
Up front, the juggling begins right after their established top line of Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle and Giroux.
At Tuesday’s practice, Smith used a second line of left winger Mathieu Joseph, centre Ridly Greig and right winger Batherson.
The third line had Dominik Kubalik with Rourke Chartier and Tarasenko.
Greig has 20 games of NHL experience. Chartier has 19. The 27-year-old Chartier does have a lot of AHL experience, however, and Smith has been very impressed by Chartier’s attention to detail, especially as a defensive centre.
Parker Kelly and centre Mark Kastelic formed two-thirds of that fractured fourth line – the one that will see Batherson, Giroux et al. rotate in.
If you’re surprised to see Joseph on Line 2 and Kubalik and Tarasenko on Line 3, well, the staff is trying to balance experience with skill.
“I think we’re spreading it out a little bit with Kubalik and Tarasenko together,” Smith said. “And with Drake, Joe and Ridly together, you’ve got a couple of even lines there. Any given night, either one could score. In saying that, I think Joe has been one of our best players in camp — him and Drake both have been playing really good. So, we’ll do that until we get Norris and Pinto back.”
Smith won’t name his starter until Wednesday, but most of the free world expects it will be Korpisalo, the goalie general manager Pierre Dorion signed in the summer to a long-term deal.
Korpisalo, who came over from Columbus and Los Angeles last season, believes this Senators group is on the verge of being something special.
“There’s this drive within,” Korpisalo said. “When I came here, I was really excited about that. You’ve seen the pacing in practice and how guys work here. They’re really determined to do something great.
“Of course, there’s certain stuff within reach this season, but it’s just going day-by-day.”
That first day has arrived.
Prime time in Raleigh against a contending Carolina team.
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