The Ottawa Senators have made some key changes and even though it looks like a long shot to make the playoffs this season at this point, they are ramping up to be a very good team in the future. There are still a few changes that have to be made in the offseason so that the team can come back even stronger, so let’s look at the three players that won’t be back with the Senators next season.
Cam Talbot
Though Cam Talbot has been fairly good for the Senators this season, the rookies have shown that they are ready for more NHL action, which will force the veteran to sign somewhere else in the offseason. Instead of bringing back the 35-year-old Talbot for another couple of seasons to split starts with Anton Forsberg, the Senators will be able to save money by allowing Mads Sogaard and Kevin Mandolese to fight for the backup spot in Ottawa.
Talbot likely won’t be happy with signing just a one year deal which would actually be the most ideal thing for Ottawa. In that case, he will take his talent elsewhere. Next season the Senators don’t expect Forsberg to also have this much trouble with injuries and he has proven he can handle the workload as a 1a or starter for periods of time.
Travis Hamonic
The right side of the Senators’ defence has been their noticeable weak spot this season, and though it’s not completely on Travis Hamonic as he should probably just be a third pairing defenceman, he is part of that right side. He is being paid $3 million and is a unrestricted free agent (UFA) at the end of the season.
Related: 3 Sabres Who Won’t Be Back Next Season
The Senators will without a doubt have to address the right side, and with the contract of Tim Stutzle and hopeful extension of Alex DeBrincat, the team won’t have a ton of cap space to work with. Upgrading from Hamonic is the likely choice as they already have Artem Zub, Erik Brannstrom, and a number of young right-shot defencemen on the rise in the AHL.
Alex Formenton
The Senators are missing the scoring depth that Alex Formenton provided this season on their third line as they couldn’t come to an agreement on a contract. This has forced the young speedy winger to sit out the year in the NHL after a strong first season where he scored 18 goals and 32 points.
There’s not a lot of time for the Senators and Formenton to come to an agreement on a contract and the likely outcome is that Ottawa will trade his rights to a team that will be able to sign him before next season. These contract disputes where a player sits out a season don’t ever tend to go well and the young player typically ends up on another team one way or another. Though the Senators could use the help, it very likely won’t happen at this point.
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