Patrick Roy Behind the Bench & Donovan at WJC
Should Patrick Roy be the next Senators coach? Should Jorian Donovan be at the World Juniors? Find out here!
Welcome to the THW Ottawa Senators Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Senators writers.
In today’s edition, we have a look at the possibility of Patrick Roy joining the Senators behind the bench, Jorian Donovan’s WJC appearance, and the rising salary cap!
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Now on to the good stuff…
Senators Need Rising Salary Cap For Their Future
December 5, 2023 by Jacob Billington
During the NHL’s most recent Board of Governors meeting on December 4, the meeting kicked off with a statement regarding the upcoming rise of the salary cap. The expectation is that it will rise an additional $4.2 million, giving the teams a total of $87.7 million to spend. While of course, this helps every team in the NHL, the Ottawa Senators will be one of the biggest benefactors of this change.
Not only will the Senators have the additional $4.2 million to spend, they will also have all of their dead cap from Matt Murray, Michael Del Zotto, and Bobby Ryan coming off the books, plus they will gain additional cap space from the structure of the Colin White buyout.
With the money coming off the books and the rising cap, the Senators will have an additional $9.85 million to spend next season than they had available in 2023-24. That being said, Jake Sanderson has already been extended to a $8.05-million-dollar deal.
Senators Should Consider Patrick Roy as Next Coach
December 2, 2023 by Raphael Caron
The magic from the Sweden road trip seems to have evaporated for the Ottawa Senators, who have lost all their games since coming back. It started with a 5-3 loss to the New York Islanders on Nov. 24 and was followed by a crushing 5-0 loss to a defensively tight Florida Panthers team on Nov. 27. When we thought it couldn’t get worse, the Senators lost 4-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night (Dec. 1) despite having a two-goal lead in the game.
A lot of changes were made in the offseason in hopes of finally breaking their postseason drought. On paper, this should be the best Senators roster they’ve had since their memorable 2017 playoff run. But things still aren’t working, and it’s becoming clear that something has to change. Fingers are being pointed towards head coach DJ Smith to be next on the chopping block despite his players openly defending him.
Now that December has arrived, a coaching change should be imminent. And I believe that the Senators should consider bringing in Patrick Roy to replace Smith, if he has interest in coaching in the NHL again.
Senators’ Donovan Deserves to Be at the World Juniors
November 30, 2023 by Dayton Reimer
The Ottawa Senators won’t have a contingent of players at the 2024 World Junior Championship. Oskar Pettersson is a lock for Sweden’s team following a four-point performance at last year’s tournament and a strong start to the 2023-24 season, but the rest of the Senators’ top prospects are a long shot.
There is one name that Senators fans should keep an eye on. Jorian Donovan, a 2022 fifth-round pick, has quickly become one of the team’s best prospects and has put together a fantastic season so far with the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs. He was always defensively responsible, but seeing his offensive side bloom has put him in a position to secure a spot on Team Canada’s roster. With several questions surrounding the team’s blue line heading into the tournament, Dorion answers at least a couple of them, which should solidify his bid to make his World Junior debut.