Defense Options Dwindling, Reporters Trolling, Atlantic Division Senators, and more

Links, news, and notes for Monday July 18th

It’s now five days since free agency began, and things are beginning to slow down. However, there are still some good players available and things happening. Let’s recap some links, news, and notes over the weekend:

  • Not only are the Toronto Maple Leafs acquiring former Ottawa Senators (Matt Murray, Adam Gaudette, Victor Mete), so are the Florida Panthers as they signed Michael Del Zotto, Chris Tierney, Rudolfs Balcers, and Colin White, plus they already have Anthony Duclair. They’re obviously mostly just depth signings, but it’s so strange seeing two top teams adding so many Senators from the past few seasons.
  • One of the top right-shot defenseman targets is off the board, as John Marino was dealt to New Jersey:/

A similar package would’ve been something like Erik Brännström and a 3rd, which would’ve been fair in my mind, as Marino has been excellent for the Penguins. The options are running out for Ottawa, as Jacob Chychrun and Mackenzie Weegar would be very expensive.

  • Speaking of right-shot defensemen, Jeff Petry was also dealt from the Canadiens to the Penguins, perhaps to replace Marino on the right side. Petry was traded with Ryan Poehling from Montreal to Pittsburgh for Michael Matheson and a 2023 4th round pick, which is an interesting move for both sides. Matheson excelled in Pittsburgh after underperforming in Florida, and Petry is also very good—but he’s turning 35 in December. I guess the Penguins' whole motto is “yeah we’re old, so what?”
  • This happened right after the previous LNN, but Josh Norris will be staying in Ottawa for a long time. The 23-year-old centre signed an 8-year contract with a cap hit of $7.95M, which had fans ecstatic that another member of the core will be sticking around. Pierre Dorion’s having a hell of an off-season.
  • 24 players have filed for arbitration later this summer, including Mathieu Joseph. Hearings will be between July 27th and August 11th, although the Senators can still get a deal done with Joseph before that. It’s interesting to note that Matthew Tkachuk did not file for arbitration, meaning that he could just accept the qualifying offer for one year, making him a pending UFA in 2023. The pressure is on in Calgary.
  • A CBC Calgary reporter was salty on-air about Johnny Gaudreau leaving, which then prompted a Columbus news station to have a phenomenal response to that:/

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