The Senators have two ugly contracts. Milan Michalek and Colin Greening make a combined $6 650 000, where that space on a budget team is huge. Michalek was just signed in the off-season to a shiny new 3 year, $4m AAV deal but may not be beneficial to the team at that price.
For the case of Colin Greening, he just entered his first season of a deal worth 2.65 M with 2 more seasons remaining. Both have contractual obligations to Ottawa for 3 more seasons, and may be looked at for a move as early as this off-season.
Going into the Offseason, the Senators have a number of players they still have to re-sign. Their group of RFA’s includes Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone, Mika Zibanejad, and Alex Chiasson. That doesn’t include Marc Méthot as an upcoming UFA, all players Ottawa would want to retain.
Dec 7, 2014; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; The Ottawa Senators celebrate a goal scored by center Mika Zibanejad (93) in the second period against the Vancouver Canucks at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
As Bonk’s Mullet (@BonksMullet) pointed out on twitter the other day, Ottawa doesn’t have much space to sign the previously mention. Assuming Ottawa stays within the range of their current budget.
If Ottawa keeps its current budget, and they don't dump anyone, they'll have $2.8mm to sign Zibanejad, Hoffman, Chiasson, Stone, and Methot.
— Bonk's Mullet (@BonksMullet) December 9, 2014
All those players are due for a raise. I don’t think we can expect long-term deals for any of them, but a 1/2 year deal on a small contract could get it done. Zibanejad, Hoffman, and Chiasson are likely to retain their RFA status until their next deal. However, at 25 Mike Hoffman may be seeking a little more security than the others.
When discussing Michalek and Greening, it’s clear to see that neither are part of Ottawa’s future plans. Michalek just went on injured reserve as the Senators need one player down with 24 on the roster. Colin Greening has not found a spot this season, and with only 8 games under his belt in 14-15 he may hold a “negative value” in terms of potential suitors when looking at a trade. The same applies to Michalek.
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As for potential landing spots, Greening has been tied to Chicago in the past as well as St. Louis. See Here. As for Michalek, it sounded as though he may have warranted a contract this season as a UFA greater or equal to the one Ottawa offered. Rumours had him tied to Toronto and even the Islanders.
Michalek seems like a good guy in the room, and one who continues to be a good NHL player. The offence may not be there, but he continues to get penalty killing minutes and is not a liability on the ice. He, unlike Greening has been able to find himself a near full-time roster spot this season under Paul MacLean.
The Senators have decisions to make this coming off-season, where Colin Greening and/or Milan Michalek could be shown the door.