Out of all free agent signings that Pierre Dorion has overseen, Tyler Ennis has to be the best of the bunch. He was solid at both ends of the ice, and one of the few bright spots on an abysmal powerplay unit.
Ennis tallied 33 points in his 61 games with the Senators this season. Great value for a player who was making less than a million dollars. Pierre Dorion was able to turn his risk free signing into a third round pick, by trading him to the Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline.
Tyler Ennis, acquired by EDM, is a very productive offensive middle-six forward with a good shot. He's had a really nice season in Ottawa. #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/fmhTA1YIq2
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) February 24, 2020
The Alberta native has done a fine job of rebuilding his career and really seemed to fit in well with this Senators team. At 30 years old, Ennis probably has a couple of good years left in him. In terms of the low salary he’ll command, it would be wise of Pierre Dorion to bring him back into the fold. His blend of experience and positive on-ice impact is a win-win for the Senators.
Surprisingly, Ennis scored the most powerplay goals (5) and points (10) out of all Senators forwards in 2019-20. Considering how poor the powerplay was overall, bringing back a player who is familiar with the system and many of the current players, makes the entire thing pretty low-risk.
With the team expected to promote many young forwards next season, Ennis will likely be restricted to the bottom-six. Scoring at the same rate as this season is unlikely in that situation, but having the option to move a player like Ennis up and down the lineup should be appealing. Out of all former players, bringing back this one seems like the biggest no-brainer.
Click the ‘NEXT’ slider to see target #3!