Now that the dust has settled on the David Rundblad/Kyle Turris trade, it remains to be seen how long the Ottawa Senators will elect to keep 14 forwards and 7 defencemen on the roster. Although Bobby Butler signed a one-way deal this past summer, he is exempt from waivers because he has not played in 70 NHL games or three NHL seasons. Having played in 61 career games, there is a 9-game window left for Butler to be considered exempt.
While the fallout on the player management side of things remains unclear, with Turris in town and practicing with the team today, there’s an inordinate amount of Turris news and opinions to sift through. So let’s get at it…
If you haven’t already, check out the podcast episode that we posted this morning that features an interview with Rundblad’s agent, Rick Komarow. For those wondering, Komarow does dispel the myth that Rundblad was adverse to a demotion to the AHL.
Much to my (and hopefully everyone else’s dismay), Turris will not be wearing his familiar number ninety-one. Instead, he will sport Rundblad’s recently vacated number seven. In other words, for all those fans who bought Rundblad heritage jerseys and cursed the trade, you can always replace the nameplate with Turris; you know, so you can always remember who Rundblad was dealt for.
At practice this morning, Turris skated on a line with Nick Foligno and Erik Condra.
In Elliotte Friedman’s most recent 30 Thoughts blog, Don Maloney’s original asking price for Turris was Mika Zibanejad or Ottawa’s first round pick next season. Blech.
More from Friedman, (this is) a good opportunity for Turris. Getting him out of Phoenix — and fast — was the best thing for everyone. “He is motivated to perform,” said Murray. He better be. The Senators took a real chance, but rookie head coach Paul MacLean likes Turris’ game.
Hockey Prospectus’ Corey Pronman believes that the respective upsides of Rundblad and Turris are equivalent. However, he credits the Phoenix Coyotes with having a distinct advantage from the outset of the deal because of the number of controllable years that Rundblad will be under contract.
Due to how fast Turris turned pro, he only has another 4.5 years left until he becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent, none of which are under an Entry-Level deal. Phoenix will get the full term for Rundblad at 6.5 years, 1.5 of which will be under an ELC (1 year was lost after being loaned to Sweden after signing last summer). That creates an even wider gap in value due to cost control and overall control of the players.
In a conversation with the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch, Darren Pang lauds Turris’ skillset and admonishes anyone who makes assumptions about his holdout, saying, “He’s a terrific kid and there’s nothing wrong with this kid,” said Pang. “If people look at this kid and assume something, they’re wrong. He’s a terrific person and all he’s ever wanted to be is a top NHL player.” Nails!
Finally, over at Puck Daddy, Ryan Lambert fellates Don Maloney for fleecing Bryan Murray.
Filatov’s KHL Situation Unresolved?
In a series of tweets this morning, Puck Daddy’s Dmitry Chesnokov (@dchesnokov) shed some light on CSKA’s inability to get the recently loaned Nikita Filatov’s paperwork finalized soon. Assuming that the paperwork is not completed, Filatov will request a trade and if that cannot be completed, he will return to the Senators’ organization.
Here’s a question: if Filatov’s without a valid KHL contract and his status is in limbo, what’s preventing the Senators’ organization from revoking their loan of him to CSKA?
Kuba and Gonchar Return
For the first time this season, the Senators blueline will be completely healthy and accounted for. The club announced today that Sergei Gonchar and Filip Kuba will return from their respective injuries to play tomorrow night against the Buffalo Sabres.
If you’re wondering about the status of Milan Michalek’s health, Ian Mendes tweeted that he rode the stationary bike today without any complications and could be back skating as early as tomorrow.
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