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Yakemchuk Remains on Ottawa Senators Roster, Halliday and Crookshank are Sent Down

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Carter Yakemchuk has earned a longer look from the Ottawa Senators with his strong preseason play. (Paige Taylor White/The Canadian Press via AP)

Yesterday, the Ottawa Senators made some big roster decisions, sending several players down to Belleville. Here was the full press release from the team:



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Waiver Concerns

There’s always a chance another team will scoop up one of the players that have to make their way through waivers. It happened last year when the Anaheim Ducks claimed Lassi Thomson, although he quickly landed back in Belleville. As for who might be claimed this year, the best bet would be nobody. This is a time of year when a lot of teams are doing exactly what the Senators are doing, so it’s hard to make claims.

Maxence Guenette is the most notable player having to work his way through waivers. He’s been a solid AHL defenseman over the last few years and earned seven NHL games last season. Even still, it would be a surprise to see him get claimed. Cole Reinhardt was noticeable in his preseason action, but it’s doubtful a team would make that claim, either. The Senators are hopeful all their players are unclaimed, so they can help what is looking to be a solid Belleville Senators team. 

Surprising Cuts

Most of the names listed above were no surprise at all. There’s really only two that stand out as players that were realistically looking to stick around to start the NHL season. 

Stephen Halliday

Halliday was a standout at the Prospect Showcase, although that was a rough three games for the Senators prospects as a whole. He also looked solid during the Senators first preseason game, assisting on two of the Senators six goals. The reality for Halliday is that there are so few spots available in the Senators forward group. He only turned pro at the end of last season, playing 17 total games. There’s nothing strange about Halliday heading down to Belleville. Hopefully he can earn a call-up at some point during the season. 

Angus Crookshank

Crookshank is another forward caught up in the numbers game. Realistically, he was fighting to be the Senators 12th/13th forward. He didn’t have a standout preseason as he was held scoreless in the two games he played. Make no mistake about it, this is a disappointment for Crookshank. He’s soon to be 25 years old, having just signed a one year contract this summer. He’s been Belleville’s leading goal scorer two years in a row, and earned 13 NHL games last year as well. To be cut this early in the process gives him an idea that he’s fallen behind a few other depth forwards that are still fighting for a roster spot. Hopefully, Crookshank uses this as motivation. 

Remaining Players on the Bubble

A few of the players that remain are highly unlikely to make the team. The likes of Donovan Sebrango, Filip Roos, Mads Sogaard, Dustin Tokarski, Nikolay Kulemin, and Calen Addison will all likely be released from their PTOs or sent down to the minors. There’s still four preseason games to be played, so these are players that can help fill out the Senators roster in those games. As for who’s likely fighting for the last few spots, there are some interesting battles left to be decided.

Forwards: Zack MacEwan, Zack Ostapchuk, Jan Jenik, Adam Gaudette, Matthew Highmore

If the Senators keep 13 forwards to start the year, and assuming Josh Norris is ready to go, the players mentioned above are fighting for two spots. MacEwan is on a one-way contract, but that didn’t stop the Senators from putting him through waivers last season. Ostapchuk is the young guy of the group, with only one pro season under his belt. Even if he ends up being sent down to the AHL, it would not be a devastating blow to his trajectory. It’s different for the other four guys. They’ve been up and down from the AHL and NHL over the last few years. These next few preseason games will be pivotal for them. Of the four, Highmore would be the biggest surprise to make the Ottawa Senators roster.

Defensemen: Carter Yakemchuk, Tyler Kleven, Jacob Bernard-Docker

If the Senators keep seven defencemen to start the year, and assuming Artem Zub is ready to go, the three players mentioned above are fighting for two spots. The most likely scenario is that Yakemchuk is sent down to the WHL. That’s been expected since they drafted him. The problem is, he’s been phenomenal in his two preseason games. Perhaps he’s on his way to earning some regular season action. As for Kleven and Bernard-Docker, they’ve been expected to team up with Travis Hamonic as the Senators bottom pair options for the upcoming season. A few more solid preseason games should solidify their spots on the Ottawa Senators roster to start the season.

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