Thursday LNN: Dorion Speaks, Crookshank is Out, Fully Vaxxed

It’s the final Links, News, and Notes before the Ottawa Senators pre-season begins on Sunday! Here are some things of note from the past few days:

• Pierre Dorion and DJ Smith spoke with the media today and there were many talking points. Here is the full availability:/

• One key takeaway from the media presser was that Dorion is still looking to add a forward to the mix. This comes as no surprise considering he said the same thing at the beginning of the off-season and they have yet to add anyone (unless you count recent PTO Tyler Ennis). As much as I like the future potential group of players the Sens have on hand, this year’s edition of the team could struggle offensively without a major addition.
• Dorion noted that Chris Tierney will be starting camp as Ottawa’s 2nd line centre. Considering his results there in the past, I imagine that’ll be short-lived. One of Shane Pinto, Logan Brown, Colin White, or a new acquisition will almost certainly over take him. Tierney’s better than the 19 points he put up in 55 games last season, but he still belongs in the bottom-6. The whole thing makes more sense if you consider that the organization don’t want to be seen to be handing roles to their rookies without their earning it.
• As for a Brady Tkachuk update, all Dorion said was that “Brady is a huge part of this team and franchise.  Negotiations are moving forward and we know Brady will be signed.” Every day a deal isn’t done just adds to the fanbase’s agitation.
• Another fantastic piece of news is that the Senators are 100% fully vaccinated, including staff, players, and coaches:/

Dorion announces #Sens are 100% fully vaccinated including staff, players, coaches. @FullPressNHL

— Murray Pam (@Pammerhockey) September 22, 2021

Considering how many people that includes, that’s quite impressive and it speaks to the leadership in the organization. Financial incentives are there of course, but it’s still fantastic to see nonetheless.

• Angus Crookshank had a great AHL debut last season with 16 points in 19 games and he was beginning to gain some attention heading into the season as someone who could possibly get into some NHL games. However, it was revealed that he suffered a torn ACL and MCL and will be out for 4-6 months;  a big blow for him and the team. The best-case scenario is that he will be back near the end of January, but he might only make it back for the final month.
• The folks at the Locked on Senators podcast interviewed Tyler Boucher recently and have a great conversation that you can listen to here:/

"Watching the video over it looks like someone shot my dog but really I just blacked out"#Sens first rounder @boucher_tylerr joined #LOSP and discussed his draft night reaction + much more!

🎙️📺 https://t.co/nJ8wpAWPcm

Bonus: Tyler's blunt scouting report on Jake Sanderson ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/xOqk1E5c1V

— Locked On Senators (@SensCentral) September 22, 2021

• The Senators production team has been teasing some cool things recently, with Tim Stützle being in many of the promos. I can’t wait to see what they end up releasing before the season.
• Ian Mendes shares some takeaways from the home-and-home series for the Senators prospects against Montreal’s prospects. He also gives us five storylines to follow this season, which will all be fascinating to keep an eye on throughout the year./