The Ottawa Senators’ latest roster moves prioritize team strength

On Sunday, the Ottawa Senators made their final cuts of training camp, placing forwards Jan Jenik and Adam Gaudette on waivers, leaving 24 players on the main roster.

This is one player over the 23-man limit, but Matthew Highmore, who suffered an injury in the final game of the preseason, may be on his way to LTIR. An injured player cannot be waived and sent to the AHL.

So if we make that assumption, the opening night schedule will look something like this:

If there are no further moves today, that means 19-year-old Carter Yakemchuk made the team, Zach Ostapchuk beat Janik for the 4C role, and Zac MacEwen beat Gaudette for the extra attacker.

This is curious for a number of reasons. Not only did Jenik and Gaudette appear to have better training camps than MacEwen and Ostapchuk, but keeping the latter two is much riskier from an asset management perspective. Jenik and Gaudette can now be claimed by any of the other 31 NHL teams, should you want to keep them on their 23-man roster.

Ostapchuk, who is waived, could have been assigned to Belleville without the risk of losing the player. However, MacEwen would have to approve waivers. He is on a one-way contract, meaning he makes the same salary in the NHL as he does in the AHL, making him much less likely to be claimed. It’s also worth noting that he was cleared for waivers last season.

Why does management take this ‘risk’? First and foremost, it’s unlikely that Jan Jenik and Adam Gaudette will be claimed by another team. While it is a risk in some sense, these two players are on a huge list of names that other teams in the same position are waiving and often very few claims are made during this period.

Secondly, it is very clear that there is a mandate from management and coaching staff that this team must be more difficult to play against. Mentioning it multiple times in interviews and acting on it by signing players like David Perron and Nick Cousins, this team wants toughness to be part of their identity.

While Janik and Gaudette could likely provide more offense and skill, Ostapchuk and MacEwen are a better fit for the new identity. MacEwen has been known as a tough guy in the league for a while and is often willing to fight. Ostapchuk’s toughness has been well documented throughout his young career, including a decisive victory in a fight against New York Rangers enforcer Matt Rempe while playing in the WHL.

Only time will tell whether moving the roster in this direction will be successful, or whether it is worth the “risk” of placing useful players on waivers. However, one thing can be said for sure: this new Senators regime, from Michael Andlauer to Steve Staios and Travis Green, has a vision for this team and will continue to shape it as they see fit, ignoring all outside noise.