In a manner of speaking, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion put out a giant classified ad during his closing media conference of the 2021-22 NHL season.
The ad reads: Wanted, experienced NHL players to complement a fabulous youth core. We want players of strong character, but talent, too. The future is fabulously bright. Come to Ottawa and help make it brighter, faster.
Dorion has said in recent months he would love to attract a top-four defenceman and top-six forward to Ottawa’s roster. On Sunday, Dorion openly admitted the challenges of recruiting top-end talent to a smaller Canadian market. He wasn’t joking when he said he is going to enlist captain Brady Tkachuk and alternate captain Thomas Chabot to recruit talent, let players know what a first-class operation this team is, even if it is not exactly on the doorstep of being a Stanley Cup champion. Not yet, anyway.
“When you’re not a team that’s at the top, unless you overpay, they will not come here,” Dorion said, during a free-wheeling 30-minute conversation with Ottawa media Sunday morning. “Whether we like it or not, some players don’t want to play under the media scrutiny of Canada. And, unless you can talk to Prime Minister Trudeau or Premier Ford about their tax structure, that’s another thing that comes into play.
“We are one of the most taxed places to play in North America,” Dorion added.
The general manager said that part of the long process of getting Tkachuk signed last fall was the issue of the Senators committing to building a winner.
“Mr. Melnyk made that commitment to him,” Dorion said.
Now that Eugene Melnyk has since passed, Dorion let on that not much will change in the short term. He met recently for two and a half hours with the team’s board of directors, and came away with an understanding of a continued, shared vision to build a contender.
While there is no interest in spending to the cap as early as next season (unless we can guarantee 41 home sellouts, Dorion quipped), eventually there is a commitment to spending what it takes to be a champion.
“As we move forward, we’re going to spend more money,” Dorion vowed.
“We’re going to now maybe go after higher quality free agents or higher quality players because that’s what we feel (we need). You talk to the players, and they feel that’s the direction we should be going.”
Dorion shared a funny anecdote about the themes of the Senators exit meetings. They were three common topics, he said. One, that the coaching, medical and support staff are first rate, as good as any in the league. Two, the post-game food is excellent (never underestimate the urgency of feeding young, hungry athletes – parents will know this). Finally, three – players want some experienced help on the roster.
Dorion noted that Chabot, in particular, has grown understandably weary of missing the playoffs during his first five full NHL seasons, which happen to coincide with the number of years it has been since Ottawa’s run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2017. Chabot is now 25.
“Thomas is one of the better defencemen in the league,” Dorion said. “He definitely wants to play meaningful games.”
In Dorion’s view, Chabot had his best season to date and would have played for Canada had there been NHL participation in the 2022 Olympics. Chabot’s stature, as a long-suffering star, gives him the clout to speak up.
Among the interesting tidbits Dorion shared, he had an honest and open meeting with Chabot after the trade deadline, where Ottawa was once again a seller (although it also brought in Mathieu Joseph and Travis Hamonic).
“He (Chabot) said, ‘I’ve put a lot of faith in what you’re going to do to bring us to the next level,’” Dorion said. “‘But at the same time, picks and prospects only go so far.’”
Senators fans could appreciate that comment. In response, Dorion told Chabot that he might call on his help to land a player or two via free agency or trade. Help sell the player on what a tight group the Sens have, how there are no cliques here. Certain veterans here now (likely Nick Holden and Austin Watson) have told the organization this is the best ‘room’ they have played with.
Dorion’s goal for next season is for this team to play “meaningful” hockey to the very end of the season, challenge for a playoff spot, in other words. Like head coach D.J. Smith, Dorion said he could be more specific about goals once the roster is set in September.
To that end, he would like to have his roster set sooner and possibly play more exhibition games to help avoid the slow starts that have plagued the last two seasons. The Senators will also likely go on a pre-season bonding trip to bring the group together.
Tierney, Ennis and Mete gone; Sanderson wearing a cast
Other revelations from Dorion’s presser: Pending UFA forwards Chris Tierney and Tyler Ennis will not be back. Ditto for RFA defenceman Victor Mete.
Player injuries were more or less covered with the Saturday media availabilities, with the exception of this one: Defence prospect Jake Sanderson, who was operated on in mid-March, reinjured his hand this week and will be wearing a cast on the hand for six weeks. He is expected to be ready for camp.
On veteran Matt Murray, Dorion said he shares Murray’s view that when healthy, he has played well for Ottawa. The problem is, he hasn’t been healthy on a consistent basis.
Dorion named Anton Forsberg the team MVP while also heaping praise on the play of Tkachuk, Batherson, Norris, Chabot, Tim Stützle, Alex Formenton and Erik Brannstrom.
Dorion says he told goalie prospect Filip Gustavsson bluntly: “In 2021, you were probably the best goalie to play for the Ottawa Senators, this year, of the three, you were probably the worst. Find a way to get back to being the best.”
Gustavsson, by the way, was sensational in Belleville’s win over the Toronto Marlies Saturday.
Gustavsson has a one-way contract that kicks in next season.
“There’s a chance that we have three goalies next year,” Dorion said, alluding to Forsberg, Murray and Gustavsson.
Norris, Brannstrom contract talks
Dorion was pleased to hear centre Josh Norris say during his exit meeting that he hoped to get a contract done sooner rather than later, avoiding the kind of drawn-out process involving Tkachuk last summer. Norris, a pending RFA, led the team in goals with 35.
Expect talks with agent Craig Oster to begin very soon.
“Josh would like to get something done . . . we hope we can do something quickly,” Dorion said.
Similarly, Dorion hopes to have a contract settled with defenceman Brannstrom, and noted the 22-year-old had a breakthrough season while stepping in to fill holes in the lineup due to injuries, especially to Chabot.
Dorion’s overall assessment of the 2021-22 Senators: after a slow start, this group “took a big step in the right direction.”
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
CALGARY – Mired in their first four-game losing skid in 20 years, the Calgary Stampeders are going back to Jake Maier at quarterback on Saturday after he was benched for a game.
It won’t be an easy assignment.
Visiting McMahon Stadium are the Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Alouettes (10-2) who own the CFL’s best record. The Stampeders (4-8) have fallen to last in the Western Conference.
“Six games is plenty of time, but also it is just six games,” said Maier. “We’ve got to be able to get on the right track.”
Calgary is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
“I do still believe in this team,” said Stampeders’ head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson. “I want to see improvement, though. I want to see guys on a weekly basis elevating their game, and we haven’t been doing that.”
Maier is one of the guys under the microscope. Two weeks ago, the second-year starter threw four interceptions in a 35-20 home loss to the Edmonton Elks.
After his replacement, rookie Logan Bonner, threw five picks in last week’s 37-16 loss to the Elks in Edmonton, the football is back in Maier’s hands.
“Any time you fail or something doesn’t go your way in life, does it stink in the moment? Yeah. But then the days go on and you learn things about yourself and you learn how to prepare a little bit better,” said Maier. “It makes you mentally tougher.”
Dickenson wants to see his quarterback making better decisions with the football.
“Things are going to happen, interceptions will happen, but try to take calculated risks, rather than just putting the ball up there and hoping that we catch it,” said Dickenson.
A former quarterback himself, he knows the importance of that vital position.
“You cannot win without good quarterback play,” Dickenson said. “You’ve got to be able to make some plays — off-schedule plays, move-around plays, plays that break down, plays that aren’t designed perfectly, but somehow you found the right guy, and then those big throws where you’re taking that hit.”
But it’s going to take a team effort, and that includes the club’s receiving corp.
“We always have to band together because we need everything to go right for our receivers to get the ball,” said Nik Lewis, the Stampeders’ receivers coach. “The running back has to pick up the blitz, the o-line has to block, the quarterback has to make the right reads, and then give us a catchable ball.”
Lewis brings a unique perspective to this season’s frustrations as he was a 22-year-old rookie in Calgary in 2004 when the Stamps went 4-14 under coach Matt Dunigan. They turned it around the next season and haven’t missed the playoffs since.”
“Thinking back and just looking at it, there’s just got to be an ultimate belief that you can get it done. Look at Montreal, they were 6-7 last year and they’ve gone 18-2 since then,” said Lewis.
Montreal is also looking to rebound from a 37-23 loss to the B.C. Lions last week. But for head coach Jason Maas, he says his team’s mindset doesn’t change, regardless of what happened the previous week.
“Last year when we went through a four-game losing streak, you couldn’t tell if we were on a four-game winning streak or a four-game losing streak by the way the guys were in the building, the way we prepared, the type of work ethic we have,” said Maas. “All our standards are set, so that’s all we focus on.”
While they may have already clinched a playoff spot, Alouettes’ quarterback Cody Fajardo says this closing stretch remains critical because they want to finish the season strong, just like last year when they won their final five regular-season games before ultimately winning the Grey Cup.
“It doesn’t matter about what you do at the beginning of the year,” said Fajardo. “All that matters is how you end the year and how well you’re playing going into the playoffs so that’s what these games are about.”
The Alouettes’ are kicking off a three-game road stretch, one Fajardo looks forward to.
“You understand what kind of team you have when you play on the road because it’s us versus the world mentality and you can feel everybody against you,” said Fajardo. “Plus, I always tend to find more joy in silencing thousands of people than bringing thousands of people to their feet.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
