Ottawa Senators Armchair GM Part 2: Defense And Goaltenders

A few days ago, I wrote a blog as the Armchair GM for the Ottawa Senators for the 2015-16 season. For that post though, I was only focussing on the forwards. Today, I will do part 2 where I focus on defensemen and goaltenders.

At the end of it all, here is what the forwards looked like (I was able to shift the lines this time):

I think that looks pretty good so far, but let’s move onto the defense. Here are the moves that I made as a fake general manager.

1. Force Chris Phillips to Retire

This seems quite harsh, but I really don’t know what else to do with him. There’s no way he’s an NHL caliber defenseman anymore, and Dave Cameron realized that this past season. His cap hit is still pretty large ($2.5 million) for a small budget team, and I doubt any team would take him in a trade. I really wish they had traded him earlier on last year or a couple of years ago, because they could have gotten some value for him.

I understand that he’s been a huge part of this organization and this city, but at the end of the day this is a business. Cutting ties with Phillips is the best move for the team. Buying him out would still cost some money, but maybe he can be convinced to simply retire and leave some money on the table. If not, I would buy him out because he shouldn’t be taking up a roster spot.

Next: Moving Eric Gryba

Apr 5, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward

(21) and Ottawa Senators defenseman

(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.

Next: Moving Jared Cowen

Apr 19, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki (74) defends against Montreal Canadiens center

(32) in game three of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

4. Trade Mark Borowiecki to Calgary for a 5th round pick 

Borowiecki is an alright third pairing defenseman, but he is a part of the problem. If the team can get rid of him and replace him with someone more competent than it will improve the team greatly. The Flames seem like a good fit for him, and I think they will go all in on “toughness” this summer after it seemed to work this season.

Of course a lot of their belief is most likely misguided, but that means Ottawa could exploit them for that. I doubt anyone would want Borowiecki, even with a cheap AAV of 1.1 million.

Next: UFA Additons

Apr 24, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman

(6) controls the puck in front of Minnesota Wild left wing

(11) during the first period in game five of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

5. Sign Zbynek Michalek to a 3-year contract worth $3.5 million per year

Michalek is a solid defenseman, and although he is 32, I think he should have a few more good years left in him. He won’t be an amazing standout player, but he should solidify the backend and help the young players back there. He’s been connected to Ottawa before, and I would bet that they have their eye on him come July 1st.

Hopefully the fact that his brother Milan is also on the team is a large factor in deciding where he wants to go. His cap hit should be around $3.5 million, which isn’t too bad. In my scenario, the team can easily afford it so it isn’t a problem. He is another right-handed shot, but I don’t think it should be a huge problem for the team.

All in all, I would be quite happy with him coming to Ottawa in reality.

Next: Cleaning Up The Goaltending Situation

Apr 26, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Montreal Canadiens center

(17) shoots on Ottawa Senators goalie

(41) during the third period in the game six of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

6. Trade Craig Anderson to Buffalo for Rasmus Ristolainen and a 2nd round pick (Islanders)

This is the biggest bombshell amongst my moves, and I love it. Maybe I’m dreaming too much by asking for Ristolainen, but I think the Sabres will try to make a flurry of moves this summer to improve their team. Maybe it’s Robin Lehner that they target instead because he will be cheaper, but if it were up to me I would move Anderson.

No matter which goalie the team is trading, I hope they target a young defenseman in return

He’s 34 years old, and goaltenders do not age well. Obviously he’s been the best goalie Ottawa has ever had, and he was phenomenal this past season. However, I still have lots of faith in Lehner, and Anderson will net a bigger return while also saving the team more money.

A return like this would be quite substantial, and it would help the defense immensely. No matter which goalie the team is trading, I hope they target a young defenseman in return. However, I have my doubts that will happen.

I’m not so sure Lehner will be the one to go in reality, and it’ll be very interesting to see what goes down.

Next: Recapping The Moves

In The End

After all of this, here is what the 2015-16 Ottawa Senators look like with GM Trevor Shackles at the helm:

After all of that, the team still has about 5 and a half million in cap space. It certainly is a step up from last year in terms of real money, but it is necessary. The RFA’s will cost money, and if they want to take the next step in becoming a contender they will have to spend.

The Anderson trade will save money, and maybe that’s the route they go in reality purely because of cap room. I like what this team looks like, and there still could be some improvements made.

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In reality, there is no way that these moves would happen. Even if they are plausible, that doesn’t mean that Bryan Murray generates the same interest from others, or pursues the same free agents. I also doubt Ottawa would be able to get all of these draft picks in return, but it’s very hard to guess possible trade scenarios.

Yet that’s what makes it fun. The fact that I can create my own version of the Ottawa Senators that I think looks like a solid playoff team.

If you want to create your own team, go to Hockey’s Cap and click on the Armchair GM feature! So what do you think of this Senators team? Agree with the moves? Disagree? Let me know.

Next: Paul Bittner A Possibility For The Senators