The Ottawa Senators announced their latest round of roster cuts after a 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday (Oct. 2). After losing their 2019 first-round pick Lassi Thomson on waivers, the club opted to have Egor Sokolov and Jacob Bernard-Docker join the list of questionable decisions.
Players being cut from the team and reporting straight to the Belleville Senators are Tyler Kleven, Nikolas Matinpalo, Zack Ostapchuk, Cole Reinhardt and Kevin Mandolese. The group of players hitting waivers is headlined by Sokolov and Bernard-Docker but also includes Matthew Highmore and Jacob Larsson.
Sokolov & Bernard-Docker Should Be NHLers
The top end of the Senators’ roster is fantastic. The depth is where the problems have lied as of late. Their bottom-six has not been good enough and that was on display last season. They didn’t generate much offence and their defending was mediocre. This was no doubt a boom-or-bust year for Sokolov, but he had proven in training camp and preseason that he had put in the work and developed into a player that could make an impact at the NHL level.
Players like Parker Kelly, Zack MacEwen and Josh Bailey were all outplayed by Sokolov so far, yet they all remain on the roster. Not only was Sokolov better, but he also brought a better-suited skillset to the table. He can play with a bit of that physicality, but provides offence where Kelly and MacEwen don’t. Bailey is only on a tryout and is not likely to receive a contract, but at this point, to still have him on the roster while these major cuts are happening isn’t fair to them.
Bernard-Docker being cut is an even worse situation. There is room to carry seven defencemen on the roster. After Travis Hamonic signed his two-year deal with a full no-move clause, it was clear that there would only be one position up for grabs. Thomson was the best candidate so far through the preseason, but was waived on Saturday (Sept. 30). There is a conversation to be had about poor asset management, but let’s put that aside for now. The reason to back up waiving Thomson was that despite outplaying him in the preseason, Bernard-Docker has proven to be the better prospect since they were drafted just a year apart.
Related: Senators’ Thomson Hits Waivers in Second Round of Roster Cuts
Now we sit here with just two preseason games to go, and Bernard-Docker is also waived. The seventh defenceman remaining on the roster is Maxence Guenette, who is waiver-exempt. Guenette has been fine throughout the preseason so far, but hasn’t been a major standout. It would make sense for the club to send him to the American Hockey League (AHL) and keep Bernard-Docker on the NHL roster. Neither player is likely to be one of the starting six on the back end, so why not keep the one who doesn’t require waivers?
Salary Cap Gymnastics at Play
Per PuckPedia, the Senators will have slightly over $1.7 million in cap space without Sokolov or Bernard-Docker on the roster. That could be enough to entice Shane Pinto to sign, but the problem is that the roster they have set for that cap space only includes 11 forwards and six defencemen. A team running with the bare minimum is less than ideal. If you include Roby Jarventie, Jiri Smejkal or Ridly Greig on that roster they are back down to about $800,000, and all three of those players have proven to deserve a spot.
It all comes back to the salary cap right now for the Senators. Getting Pinto signed is a priority and this only makes any sense if they have a clear plan for getting him signed and having a competent roster.
Looking at some of the other players cut from the roster, it was a bit surprising to see Kleven cut, but again, it makes sense as he is exempt from waivers. He is fresh to the pro level and some AHL time will be beneficial. I would expect that he jumps up into the NHL roster at some point through the season. Reinhardt and Ostapchuk had good stints in the preseason, but both are young and can certainly earn a spot in the bottom-six at some point this season or the beginning of next.
These low-cost, entry-level contracts are crucial at this stage of the rebuild. The big deals are done, and will be for quite some time. Filling out the roster with talented, cheap players is how teams stay competitive. The $5 million in dead cap is eating away at this team and costing them assets. The Bobby Ryan and Colin White buyouts are taking up $2.7 million while the signings of Matt Murray and Michael Del Zotto are costing the other $2.3 million. You can’t change the past, and as Jeff Marek says, if ifs and buts were candies and nuts, we would all have a Merry Christmas.
Again, there needs to be a clear path to getting Pinto signed and having a strong roster with extra players. How is this going to happen? Only time will tell, but after already losing a first-rounder on waivers and another first and second-rounder going on them now, it could be a costly couple days worth of decisions for the Senators.
