One of the biggest blunders in Bryan Murray’s recent tenure as the General Manager of the Ottawa Senators is about to be corrected.
May 17, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Ottawa Senators left wing Guillaume Latendresse (73) handles the puck against Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) during the first period in game two of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at CONSOL Energy Center. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Senators have decided to part ways with unrestricted free agent forward Guillaume Latendresse.
I wasn’t a fan of the signing in the first place, and through the season he did little to change my mind. After playing just 27 games in the past two seasons due to injury, he suited up for just 27 of the Senators 48 games, partially due to injury and partially because he just wasn’t good enough to make the rookie-laden Senators lineup on a nightly basis.
He scored 6 goals and added 4 assists for 10 points in those 27 games, and added a goal and an assist in three playoff games he got into.
The biggest concern for Latendresse heading into the season proved to be his downfall. He simple cannot skate well enough to keep pace in today’s NHL. He is a big body with some good hands at times, but the writing was on the wall early on in the season. I actually wrote on January 30 that Latendresse’s days as a Senator were numbered. Injuries to multiple players kept him from being banished completely, as the Senators needed bodies to fill out a lineup.
It wasn’t the greatest move by Murray, but on a one year deal, it was worth a shot to see if he had enough to be a contributor. He didn’t, but in the end give him credit for being a good teammate and not complaining, at least publicly, that he wasn’t being used.
He was brought in to be a top-6 forward, but that expectation was probably too unrealistic.
For Latendresse, the days of hearing the chant of “Guiiii” (yes, that actually happened in Montreal as a rookie) are long behind him. I am not even sure with his performance this season that he will get a one-way NHL contract for next season. But I also thought that about Brian Elliott, and look how that has worked out.
I wish Latendresse all the best, and I will leave the last word to the man himself, who tweeted the following: