Monday Links, News, and Notes: No News is Good News
It’s been a pretty slow couple of days.
Despite the lack of Ottawa Senators-related news over the past few days, we’ve got a few items worth discussing that somewhat relate to the team, including a little something on the feel-good side.
- Across the ocean, past the trees, and over the paywall, The Athletic’s Ian Mendes has answered a variety of questions in his latest mailbag, from Logan Brown’s offseason training in Arizona to whether or not the Senators should retire Chris Neil’s jersey. Also discussed is the potential makeup of pending RFA Drake Batherson’s next contract, and Ian is projecting a three-year bridge deal comparable to the one Mark Stone signed after the 2014-15 season, with a cap hit of $3.5M.
- If the Senators opt to sign Batherson to a long-term deal, they could look to a recently signed deal as a comparable. On Friday, the Minnesota Wild signed center Joel Eriksson Ek to an eight-year contract extension worth $5.25M per season. Given that Batherson’s 34 points in 56 games compared to Eriksson Ek’s 30 in 56, this could be a deal that the former is willing to sign, and would also lock up the team’s best right-handed forward during his prime years.
- The Los Angeles Kings, our rebuilding rivals, look to be transitioning into the next phase of their plan, as they acquired forward Viktor Arvidsson from the Nashville Predators, in exchange for a second-round pick in 2021 and a third-round pick in 2022. Despite being a perennial 50-point player with three years remaining at $4.25M per season, Nashville has opted to sell low after a down year in which the 5’9 Swedish winger produced 25 points in 50 games.
- You might already be familiar with #MentalMiles, a campaign started by former Dallas Stars defenseman Stephen Johns; he’s skating across the United States in order to raise mental health awareness. Another Athletic piece, written by Sean Shapiro, highlights the support Johns has received from NHL players, including former Ottawa Senator Bobby Ryan, who as we know spent much of the 2019-20 season in the NHLPA Player Assistance Program battling alcoholism./
