Ottawa Senators Armchair GM Part 2: Defense And Goaltenders
Apr 5, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward
James van Riemsdyk(21) and Ottawa Senators defenseman
Eric Gryba(62) battle for position during the second period at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
2. Send Eric Gryba to the AHL
Gryba has a one-way contract, and that means sending him to the AHL means he would have to go through waivers. However, that’s a perfect scenario because I would be happy if his $1.5 million cap hit was taken on by some other team. Much like a couple other defensemen on this team, he doesn’t belong here. I can’t handle how many mistakes he makes, and the pairing of Gryba and Mark Borowiecki was painful to watch in the playoffs.
I guess I would be fine with him being a 7th defenseman, but even then I think there are better players within the organization. There certainly are worse options than him, but I don’t want to see him on the third pairing if I am running the team. He’s 27 years old too, so it’s not like he’s young. We know what he is, and he’s an average third pairing player, but there are better options.