Silver Nuggets: Pressure on the Rookies, or the Vets?

Welcome to the Tuesday edition of Silver Nuggets, a collection of Senators-related news stories that may or may not be updated through the day:

• The Ottawa Senators claim that they might wait until after their Friday preseason game against the Boston Bruins before making further cuts in an effort to get a better look at the rookies. (Sens Website)
• Bruce Garrioch, however, seems to be of the impression that this is not so much a chance for the rookies to shine, but for some underachieving veterans to prove to the team that they should not be replaced by a younger candidate. (Sun)
• GM Bryan Murray admits that he is going to hit the phones to look into potential trades to free up roster spots, and he also professes his love for Peter Regin: "There's no question he's ready to play in the NHL," "He's turned Mike (Fisher) into a scoring machine." (James Gordon)
• According to Garrioch, the two that Murray will likely try to ship out are Christoph Schubert and Chris Kelly. Hard to imagine either would garner much of a return, or even much interest. Not that Kelly's a bad player - he's not, but his contract is not very enticing. (Sun)
• 2009 first-round pick Jared Cowen was returned to the Spokane Chiefs after last night's game. No real surprise there. (Citizen)
• Eugene Melnyk accidentally became involved in the Jim Balsillie fiasco by talking on a radio interview. See, Eugene? This is why Dany Heatley stays away from the press! (CBC)
• Our good buddy Greg Wyshynski has posted the best Ottawa Senators season preview available at the moment, one of the few that's worth a read - and it even features a quote from Peter! Look for ours in a few days. (Puck Daddy)
• Chris Neil finally got a bit of retribution for Steve Downie's cheapshot on Dean McAmmond, but not as much as he'd have liked: "I didn't get him as good as I would like to have," said Neil. "He drops his gloves with me and then he says, 'Oh, I'm not fighting.' He tried to flip me. I got him with some good ones. I wish I got him with some better ones. " Not as much as I (Peter) would have liked, either. (Ottawa Sun)
• Finally, TSN's Bob McKenzie has a new book out called Hockey Dad: True Confessions of a (Crazy?) Hockey Parent, and he's doing a book tour. I went down last night and saw him in Vancouver, and it was really great. There was a small crowd (Canucks were playing) of devoted hockey fans, and he answered pretty much every stupid question that came to him, including the obligatory "Do you actually like Pierre McGuire?" (He says he does). He was funny and personable, with some really great stories. Check his Twitter to find out when he's near you - he'll likely be in Ottawa this weekend, I imagine. (Bob's Twitter)