The Ottawa Senators added a little training camp depth on Thursday, bringing in a (very) veteran winger and a young defenceman on professional tryouts.
The Sens signed former Toronto Maple Leafs left winger Nikolay Kulemin, who obviously got the NHL itch again at age 38 after six seasons in the KHL. The Sens also brought in 24-year-old right-shot defenceman Calen Addison, who played 72 games last season, split between the Minnesota Wild and San Jose Sharks.
Kulemin played 46 games with Salavat Yulaev last season, scoring 13 goals and 25 points. He was drafted 44th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and went on to play 669 NHL games for the Leafs and Islanders, scoring 274 points.
Kulemin’s best season by far was 2010-11 when he had 30 goals and 57 points for the Leafs. But that was a long time ago and he never came close to those totals again. But Sens GM Steve Staios, who would know Kulemin from his days in Leafs’ player development, obviously believes the veteran has enough left in the tank to compete for a job, or at least push others to be better at camp.
Addison was drafted 53rd overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He had 17 points in 72 games and will certainly be eying that bottom-pairing D opportunity on the Sens’ right side. He’ll be competing with Jacob Bernard-Docker, Travis Hamonic and possibly Max Guenette.
Roster update: The #Sens have signed defenseman Calen Addison and forward Nikolay Kulemin to professional tryout agreements.
Les #Sens ont accordé des contrats d’essai au défenseur Calen Addison ainsi qu’à l’attaquant Nikolay Kulemin. pic.twitter.com/z5ZmLopU4u
— Sens Communications (@Media_Sens) September 5, 2024
