The Ottawa Senators have had an interesting offseason so far. All of their NHL Free Agency activity was essentially held up by their ongoing sale process. A sale process that dragged on further than anyone anticipated. Once that was settled, things became a bit clearer.
Of course, the sale created complications beyond just free agency. The uncertainty regarding the sale may have played a part in the rift between Ottawa and Alex DeBrincat. DeBrincat refused to sign long-term with the Sens, and he was shipped to his hometown Detroit Red Wings as a result.
As the new ownership group settles in, things are beginning to change in the front office as well. The Senators confirmed the departure of assistant general manager Trent Mann on Wednesday, for example.
All that said, NHL Free Agency is what we're here for. And despite the change throughout the organization, they did make a rather big splash. So, how did Ottawa do overall? Here are our grades for the Senators NHL Free Agency activity.
Zack MacEwen
Contract: 3 years, $2.325 million ($775K cap hit)
MacEwen split this past season with the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings. He mostly occupied a bottom-six role, averaging about 11 and a half minutes a night. He scored four goals and 10 points in 56 games this season.
This signing does one thing and one thing only: add some physicality in the bottom-six. MacEwen is not a goal-scorer or point producer. In fact, his career high for goals is five, and the 10 points he put up this season were a career-high.
That said, there are worse bottom-six options out there. And MacEwen's $775K cap hit is extremely affordable. He is 26, so maybe he finds a bit of an offensive flair. At the end of the day though, that's not what he's being paid for. For the role MacEwen does fill, it's a fine addition for the Senators.
GRADE: B
Travis Hamonic
Contract: 2 years, $2.2 million ($1.1M cap hit)
Hamonic returns to the Senators spending his first full season with the team in 2022-23. He played 75 games in Canada's capital city, scoring six goals and 21 points while averaging about 18 and a half minutes a night.
Hamonic likely doesn't see that amount of ice time this upcoming season. The veteran blueliner probably finds a home on the Senators third pairing, perhaps with Erik Brannstrom.
How Hamonic's signing affects the team's younger defensemen like Jacob Bernard-Docker remains to be seen. For a team looking to compete, a stabilizing veteran presence on the bottom pair is welcome. And at this price tag, it's hard to complain too much.
Hamonic's return to the Senators is not a needle-moving move. It won't make them instant playoff contenders, let alone Stanley Cup favorites. But it's solid veteran depth at a reasonable cost.
GRADE: B+
Joonas Korpisalo
Contract: 4 years, $20 million ($4M cap hit)
And now we get to Ottawa's grand prize of NHL Free Agency. Korpisalo split last season between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Kings. In 39 total regular season games, he held a record of 18-14-4 with a 2.87 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.
Korpisalo played pretty well down the stretch for the Kings. And he played extremely well for them in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Los Angeles decided to go with a lower-budget option, which ironically was former Senators goalie Cam Talbot, over keeping the Korpisalo.
This deal for Ottawa is a bit strange. They certainly had a need in goal, no question about that. However, five years is very risky for this player. And I do believe $4 million is a slight overpay, though it's not egregious.
At the end of the day, Ottawa got their starting puck-stopper. Given Korpisalo's track record, as well as the potential quality of the team in front of him, this is a major gamble for the Senators.
GRADE: C+
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