Don’t expect an early decision for Dmitry Orlov
Darren Dreger: Would expect a Dmitry Orlov decision to come later in the day given the level of interest in the defenseman.
Orlov doesn’t have a preference in playing in either the East or West. He’ll take his time going through the offers.
Blake Wheeler wants the East
Pierre LeBrun: Blake Wheeler wants to play in the Eastern Conference.
He’ll get plenty of interest and will narrow down his list. Wonder about teams like the New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes, and Boston Bruins.
Luke Schenn likely signing elsewhere
Chris Johnston: Despite the mutual interest, the expected interest from other teams will likely lead to a bigger offer than what the Maple Leafs were willing to do. He likely won’t be back with the Leafs.
The Senators return home with Alex DeBrincat. They’ll be looking for forward depth and a goaltender in trade or free agency
NHL Watcher: Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast on Alex DeBrincat: “We talked about DeBrincat and our default that it was Detroit, I don’t think so anymore, as I was leaving the draft on Thursday I was getting a lot of people telling they didn’t think it was going to work with Detroit”
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: The Ottawa Senators weren’t going to give Alex DeBrincat away at the draft, and they returned home with him still part of the team.
Dorion isn’t in a rush to move DeBrincat, who would prefer a move sooner than later. GM Dorion would be okay with a 2024 first-round pick.
The Senators have filed for reverse salary arbitration and are looking for upto 15% less of his $9 million, which would put it at $7.65 million.
Sources are saying the Senators would also like to get a player who could help out immediately.
Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings have shown some interest, Teams looking for scoring help include the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, Seattle Kraken and St. Louis Blues.
The Senators are also looking for third- and fourth-line depth.
The Sens are believed to be one of the teams that showed interest in Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton. He has three years at $3 million per left. The Flyers are asking a lot for him. The Toronto Maple Leafs are also believed to have spoken with the Flyers.
The Senators hope to be able to bring back Travis Hamonic. In net, Los Angeles Kings pending UFA goalie Joonas Korpisalo could be one of the Senators free agent targets.