Ottawa Senators continue to talk to their free agents

Ottawa Senators Continue Negotiations with Pending Free Agents

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen: Garrioch writes that the Ottawa Senators are looking to build off of last season. General Manager Steve Staios has work to do again to keep the group together.

In speaking with season ticket holders at an event at the Canadian Tire Center, Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Dave Poulin updated the fans on what the team will be doing heading into free agency and the NHL Draft. It is a delicate balancing act to determine which players will stay and which ones will be let go.

Poulin informed the fans that negotiations with Claude Giroux are ongoing, and they are seeking to re-sign the pending unrestricted free agent. But Giroux isn’t the only free agent the Senators have to sign. There are Nick Cousins, Adam Gaudette, and goaltender Anton Forsberg. The belief is that Gaudette and Forsberg will be too pricey for the Senators to keep.

The belief is that a solid foundation is in place for the organization to build around, and the hardest part now is to return to the playoffs.

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Don’t Expect Ivan Demidov to Go Back to Russia Despite What the New Coach Wants

Sergey Demidov of RG Media: As Sergey Demidov writes, the new SKA St. Petersburg head coach, Hockey Hall of Famer and three-time Stanley Cup champion, along with Soviet hockey legend Igor Larionov, wants the Canadiens phenom Ivan Demidov back in Russia.

As he told the press during his press conference, he knows some of the management in Montreal and hopes to have him on loan from the Canadiens, returning in time for the playoffs. Larionov wants the player to develop against men, even though Ivan Demidov is a gem for Montreal.

However, the scenario that Larionov is not going to happen. As Marco D’Amico of RG Media reported, neither the player nor the team see him going back to Russia. The plan all along was for Demidov to stay in Montreal and train there over the summer to prepare for the next season.

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Lane Hutson Prepared To Stay in Montreal Long Term

Marco D’Amico of RG Media: Lane Hutson expressed a big thank you for the support he received from Habs fans and the energy they gave him and the team. Sees himself staying with the Canadiens in the long term and believes something special is brewing in Montreal.