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

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:/

🚨 TRADE ALERT 🚨

Big John is comin' to Jerz. 😤

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) July 16, 2022

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:/

We heard you wanted to join @johngaudreau03 in Columbus @browncbc...so we came up with an offer for you. pic.twitter.com/lNdqPkHPZ1

— FOX 28 Columbus (@fox28columbus) July 16, 2022

• If you didn’t see any of the videos from the Sens Development camp, there are some good highlights from the Senators official account here. It’s no surprise to see Ridly Greig winning the Jonathan Pitre “Hardest Worker” award as well.
• There’s another update in the sexual abuse case involving the World Junior Canadians, as Rick Westhead reports that players will cooperate in the NHL’s investigation. He also says that the NHL has known the identities of the seven accused players for four years, meaning those players did not face any discipline despite being named. This seems to only be the tip of the iceberg, not only for this case but also for other cases of abuse involving junior hockey players.
• The Athletic gave their team grades for off-season moves so far, and it’s jarring to see Ottawa getting an A+ after what most off-seasons are like. The only other teams with an A- grade or better are Pittsburgh, Detroit, Columbus, and Carolina.
• Look at how giddy Pierre Dorion is in this video meeting with Alex DeBrincat. The vibes are immaculate:/

Watch as Alex DeBrincat gets a first look at Canadian Tire Centre, and his new threads! 😺#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/KKUNdoBLiN

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) July 16, 2022