With July almost over, many of the remaining NHL free agents will either have to adjust their asking prices, settle for professional tryout offers (PTOs), or get ready for life after the NHL. But there are still some unrestricted free agents who hold some value and might be a fit with the Ottawa Senators.
Overall, the Sens have made some nice moves this off-season, but a couple of injuries to the wrong players and things could get dicey.
For example, their bottom pairing defence is tracking to be Tyler Kleven with either Jacob Bernard-Docker or Travis Hamonic on the right side.
As a rookie, Kleven might be better served by a right-handed partner with more experience than JBD or with a little more left in the tank than Hamonic. In a perfect world, this new defender would also be a superior option for moving into the top four in case of injury.
Three right-shot offensive defencemen who are still looking for NHL jobs might be intriguing options for Ottawa. They’re definitely not elite defensively, but they could be the puck mover in the relationship, complementing Kleven’s natural defensive posture. Not to mention the fact that the Sens’ blue line could probably use another offensively skilled guy now that Jakob Chychrun and Erik Brannstrom are gone.
Tyson Barrie
Barrie dealt with an upper-body injury and slid to a 6-7 role in Nashville last season. As a result, he only played 41 games and scored 15 points. But the season before, he had 55 points, which is Thomas Chabot’s career high. Barrie just turned 33, so he might be a good bounceback candidate. His cap hit last season was $4.5 million. He probably won’t get anywhere near that this year, not this late into free agency.
Just for fun, The Hockey News Gaming Site used NHL 24 to predict where Barrie would sign, using NHL 24. Their prediction was the Senators.
Justin Schultz
Schultz won two Cups with Pittsburgh, so he brings that championship veteran pedigree that the Senators can’t seem to get enough of this summer. The 34-year-old played 70 games for the Seattle Kraken last year and scored seven goals and 26 points. His cap hit last season was $3 million.
Kevin Shattenkirk
The 35-year-old right-shot defenceman played 15:07 a night for the Boston Bruins last season. He made just over $1 million and stood third in team scoring among defencemen with 24 points in 61 games. Shattenkirk also has a Stanley Cup ring to add to the mix, winning it all in 2020 with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
No one suggests these are Norris Trophy candidates, and we don’t advocate big minutes for them at this point. But if the Senators can make it work under the cap, these players might provide an inexpensive upgrade on the status quo.
