Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast – Re-sign Lindy on the Ottawa Senators.
Marek: “It’s been an interesting couple of days for the Ottawa Senators. Nikita Zaitsev placed on waivers, clears. Magnus Hellberg placed on waivers, doesn’t clear. Claimed by the Seattle Kraken.
And you believe they are snoop, snoop, snooping around.”
Friedman: “Yeah, it was Zaitsev. First of all, he obviously hasn’t played well. That’s not a news alert. Anybody who’s watching the game recognizes that. And with him, it just looks like the more he tries to do, and the more desperate he gets, the worse it gets. Sort of in that pit where you just dig yourself deeper. It’s a terrible, terrible place to be. I empathize with him for that.
Ottawa has about $3.5 million in cap space. He hasn’t gone to the minors yet. The other thing I’ve heard, and I heard it from another team , is that Ottawa basically allowed Zaitsev’s agent to shop around. To see what’s out there. There’s just nothing out there right now.
So, number one, if he gets traded, he can clear waivers now. But number two, well at least that is in the next 10 games, 30 days. But number two, he hasn’t gone to the minors but if they put him there, they get an extra $1.125 million and I do think Ottawa is out looking for things.
I heard defense. Some else said they thought it might be a center too, but I heard defense.
So, all of a sudden if he wants too, Pierre Dorion’s got an extra $1.125 million to play with. And I don’t think that’s insignificant. I think there’s some things they’re looking for out there, and a little bit of extra cap room is not going to hurt them.
Marek: “I mentioned on radio to you earlier this week that I wouldn’t be surprised if a couple of the phone calls were maybe to Winnipeg and perhaps to Vancouver as well.
Friedman: “Yeah, Winnipeg, he was there right, Dorion? It was like a royal visit the way that one was covered.”
Marek: “Well they do have by my count, what’s the word you like using, eleventy-billion defensemen on the roster.”
Friedman: “But the thing is, Winnipeg is going really well right now, right?”
Marek: “They’re hot. Top in the Central.”
Friedman: “I think it’s public now that Ville Heinola if he’s not going to play, would like to go somewhere else, but I don’t think that’s the kind of move Ottawa’s looking for. I would think they’re probably thinking about something a little better. Although I could be wrong.
But Winnipeg’s going well. I don’t necessarily think they’re looking to break up too much.
The thing about Vancouver is that, I know some people were guessing Myers to Ottawa or something like that. I don’t know, but Myers has a partial no-trade. I mean Jeff, you know this league. Chances are likely it’s got the usual 10-teams on it right? The other Canadian teams and pick your four destinations in the States. Though I don’t think there’s any guarantee that that could happen.
Some people just said they did this to get so DJ Smith wouldn’t play him. I don’t think it’s that simple because as we sit here right now and record this, he’s not been sent down. He’s still on the roster. Which says to me that it’s not necessarily get him out of here in terms of we can’t play him at all, to me it’s flexibility and I’m very curious to see where it goes.