Ottawa Senators linked with defenceman Nick Ebert
With the Ottawa Senators looking to rebuild from the blueline up, it is understandable that the organisation is being linked with a number of defencemen.
One such player that the Ottawa Senators are rumoured to be bringing on board is right-handed shot Nick Ebert, who has spent the parts of the past two seasons playing for Örebro HK in the Swedish Hockey League.
According to a report by Hockey Sverige (in Swedish), Ebert has opted to leave Örebro to chase his dream of playing in the NHL – with the Senators being specifically mentioned as the team he is expected to join.
25-year-old Ebert has had a long road to reaching the NHL, with the Livingston, New Jersey native having the unique ‘honour’ of being the last person selected in his draft year.
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In the 2012 NHL Draft, Ebert was selected in the seventh round, 211th overall, by the Los Angeles Kings – a team that had a staunch defensive corps at the time, making his chances of making the team significantly lower.
Ebert, who is familiar to Sens head coach D.J. Smith due to his juniors career with the Windsor Spitfires, played regularly in the AHL between 2014 and 2017.
In June 2016, Ebert was sent to the Dallas Stars in exchange for goaltender Jack Campbell, who is now playing regularly for the Kings in the NHL.
After one season with the AHL’s Texas Stars, Ebert opted to take his talents over to Europe, playing for HC Slovan Bratislava in the KHL before joining Örebro.
In 49 regular season games in Sweden this year, Ebert had 11 goals and 33 total points – being viewed as one of the team’s top players along the blueline.
With the Ottawa Senators entering a significant rebuilding phase, it is a logical decision for the team to consider all free agents that may be overlooked by other teams around the league.
The Senators’ defensive corps will likely see a number of changes over the next few seasons and bringing in the 6-foot-1, 205lbs Ebert could provide plenty of competition on the bottom pairing – with the American having a legitimate chance at making the roster.
The right side of the defence is certainly an area that requires the most attention, so experimenting across the next season will give Coach Smith plenty of opportunities to find what kind of players he needs/wants to help progress the team forward.
The Ottawa Senators have yet to make an announcement on the signing of Ebert, so it is still to be determined if this report holds much truth but it is interesting to see the team linked with free agents plying their trade across the world.
Next. Capuano a sensible appointment by the Senators. dark
What do you think though Sens fans? Would you be pleased to see Ebert given a shot with the team this season? How would you address the team’s defence during this impending rebuild? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!