Thursday LNN: UND Signings, COVID Cases in the North, and the Expansion Draft!

It’s now been over a week since the Ottawa Senators last played hockey, and I have to say, I don’t like this one bit. I’ve gotten used to games every other day, and I’m not sure how I’m supposed to handle the offseason. That ends tonight, though, as the Sens are finally set to take on the Habs!

Here is your April 1st edition of Links, News and Notes:

• As he does every Wednesday, our very own Brandon appeared on Rebel 101.7 to talk about the Sens! You can listen to it here!
• In news from around the NHL, Shane Gostisbehere somehow cleared waivers. I don’t understand it either, but good for the Flyers, I guess? These days, who clears waivers and who doesn’t makes about as much sense as which goals are waved off for goaltender interference.
• The NCAA season ended early Sunday morning, and we still don’t have any news about any of the NoDakSens signing contracts in Ottawa. This despite the fact that a few North Dakota players have been signing contracts with other teams - including Jordan Kawaguchi with the Stars. Brady Tkachuk spoke to the media about it:/

Brady Tkachuk - I don't think it would be right for me to try and convince any of the UND guys to make their decision. I just texted them all to wish them luck and tell them I've been through it and if they want to talk, just call me. They are going to be huge for our team.

— TSN 1200 (@TSN1200) March 31, 2021

Give this kid the “C,” already.

• For what it’s worth, TSN 1200’s John Rodenburg and Shawn Simpson don’t think it’s time to panic just yet. From this clip, it sounds like contract negotiations have started with JBD. He should be signing a contract soon, and if he doesn’t, maybe it’s time to worry. As for everyone else, we don’t really know what’s happening./

Should #Senator fans be nervous about the lack of news concerning the #NoDakSens? @TSNJR and @TSNSimmer let you know earlier this morning.

JR and Simmer wrap up the week tomorrow with #1Kminute and the Wheel of Meat for #BatonRouge. pic.twitter.com/eFiD7QYb8G

— TSN 1200 (@TSN1200) March 31, 2021

Personally, I can see the appeal of waiting for these players to develop a bit more before bringing them into the NHL, and don’t think there should be any rush to sign them, especially in a fake season like this one. I am, however, extremely excited to see what we have in these guys, especially the defensemen. I selfishly want them signed as quickly as possible so that I can see them play in the NHL.

• We have another COVID case in the North Division, though it doesn’t look like it’s going to affect the Sens. Adam Gaudette of the Vancouver Canucks has tested positive, but the team is still practicing without him and so far it looks like nobody else has it.
• Our old friend Erik Karlsson had a fantastic game earlier this week, and his postgame interview was absolutely iconic:/

Not sure if this is out there yet but Erik Karlsson's answer to whether last night was his best-ever offensive game was great. The apple puts it over the top pic.twitter.com/NSaBK2aNsV

— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) March 30, 2021

• It may still be a bit early to think about the expansion draft, but we’re doing it anyway! Both Graeme Nichols and Sens Chirp recently published pieces looking ahead to the Seattle expansion draft.
• Finally, I want to end this on a more serious note. Yesterday was Trans Day of Visibility, and as some of you may know, there is currently a huge push to ban transgender athletes from sports. There’s a lot of misinformation going around about this topic right now, and in light of that, I’d like to recommend this podcast episode from two days ago, featuring Katelyn Burns, who is one of my favourite journalists, and my go-to source on anything related to trans rights, especially in sports. If you’re not a podcast person, she’s written extensively about this exact topic before. I cannot stress enough the importance of reading the work of trans journalists like Katelyn before forming opinions on trans issues, because the mainstream media tends to be wildly misinformed at best and actively transphobic at worst./