Senators GM Pierre Dorion Provides An Update From Nashville

Monday, this space reported Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion was looking to land a deal in Nashville this week while attending the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

Tuesday morning the Senators GM engaged Ottawa media discussing this topic and more via Zoom.

On the status of head coach D.J. Smith and his coaching staff:

Since his season-ending availability Dorion never publicly acknowledged his decision whether to bring back his head coach whom he hired in May 2019; that is until today.

Dorion met previously with the Senators Board led by Sheldon Plener, prior to following up with incoming owner Michael Andlauer to provide his recommendation.

“I made a recommendation to the board a little while back, and obviously, I consulted with Michael. D.J. Smith and his staff will be back next year. Michael said that the general manager runs the hockey operations and he decides the coach. My recommendation was for D.J. and his staff to be back next year.”

Will he or won’t be traded?

Less than 24 hours before the Draft, Alex DeBrincat remains an Ottawa Senator. There are still decisions to be made. Dorion admitted DeBrincat has not requested a trade. However, due to his current contract status and wanting to hit free agency, the Senators GM has been left little choice but to field offers for the 25-year-old Michigan resident.

“Obviously, we liked Alex when we traded for him pretty much from training camp last year. We approached his camp about signing an extension. They wanted to see how Ottawa was at the end of the year. Their camp came back to us that free agency only comes once, probably for Alex and his career, and they weren’t ready to sign long-term with us at that point in time. We decided to go to obviously club elect arbitration to protect ourselves. Right now we’re talking to teams about possibly moving him. He hasn’t asked for trade, but at the same time, we have to do what’s best for the organization. And if he’s not about to sign a long-term contract with us, I think it’s our duty to do what’s best for us at this point in time.”

How busy is the Hot Stove?

Dorion mentions his phone has been constantly ringing since arriving in Nashville.

“I think the last few weeks, the last 10 to 14 days, there’s been tremendous trade talk. Ever since I got here, I sometimes I just want five or 10 minutes for myself then the phone rings. You’re bumping into a lot of people. You’re bumping into general managers and agents, and there’s a lot of trade talk going on right now on multiple multiple players.”

The GM also added the team is still looking to address their needs, but if deals are not consummated, his club will look at free agency.

The possibility of trading into the First Round:

The Senators currently do not have a selection until the Fourth Round. Will Dorion be able to move up in the Draft?

“I don’t think that’s going to happen in all possible scenarios that we’ve talked about. We’re a team that’s had multiple first-rounders for many years. Last year was the first time in a long time that we didn’t have a first-rounder under my tenure whether it was as GM, assistant GM, direct of player personnel not to have our first-round pick, this could be the year not to have one. I think there’s always a possibility of a second rounder coming into play or third rounder coming into play, but I don’t see us going up to the first round this year.”

On restricted free agent qualifying offers:

Dorion provided his club’s list of pending restricted free agents who will and won’t receive qualify offers prior to the June 30 5 p.m. ET to Full Press Hockey.

Players receiving offers:

D Jacob Bernard-Docker

F Alex DeBrincat

G Kevin Mandolese

F Shane Pinto

F Egor Sokolov

Players not receiving offers:

D Jonathan Aspirot

G Dylan Ferguson

F Dylan Gambrell

F Julian Gauthier

D Jacob Larsson

F Viktor Lodin

The team will retain their rights to forward Alex Formenton.

On meeting with incoming owner Michael Andlauer:

“Yes, obviously, it’s not a secret through this whole sale process I’ve had a few meetings with Michael. We followed up with some texts. I met with Michael last week in Ottawa for every part of the day. It went very well. I think he’s very excited to be a future owner of this team. It’s exciting for us in hockey because we’re dealing with someone that has a passion for the game. We’ve followed up with multiple calls since then. We’re very well aware of our plan. He’s aware of what we’re trying to do here and I think it bodes well for our fans and the organization.”

Dorion added he can discuss all facets of the hockey side with Andlauer. That is; everything but the Montreal Canadiens. Andlauer is currently seeking a buyer for his 10% share of the Canadiens, Bell Centre, and ticketing company Evenko.