Ottawa Senators

Colin White signs ATO; Andy nom for Masterton; Ideal forward lines for P/O
March 27, 2017, 9:05 AM ET [11 Comments]
Jared Crozier
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Colin White's season will continue after all - in Binghamton for the moment.

As the club has been pushing for for the last week or so, since White's NCAA season ended, the Senators' first rounder in 2015 has agreed to an amateur tryout with the club and will report to the AHL.

With the Bingo Senators officially eliminated from playoff contention, it will be a chance to throw him into the fire quickly and he will have 9 games to make an impression.

So, even though this is considered an "amateur" contract, I believe (and correct me if I am wrong) that because he will be accepting travel to and from the games that he has officially "turned pro" as in he has forsaken the last two years of NCAA eligibility. Which will allay the fears of anyone who might have been concerned that he would go Schultz or Vesey. White will sign his Entry Level deal in the summer or...

So let's deal with a hypothetical , what happens if he goes to Binghamton and lights it up in his first couple of games and looks like a man among boys. It is always tough to tell how a player coming out of NCAA will transition to the pro game, and White is a top level prospect who has good pedigree, and it is not impossible to think he could come in and excel.

If he proves his merit and shows he could contribute at the NHL level, would the Senators scrap the ATO plan and give him his NHL Entry level deal, even if it means playing a single game burns off the first year? Because he is signing after age 20, there is no slide rule, or 9 game "tryout" that teenagers are subject to when they sign.

That is of course a "best case" hypothetical scenario, with the most likely one being the original plan of playing out the season with Bingo, perhaps joining Team USA for the World Championships (if the American based players don't choose to boycott in support of the US Women's team battle with USA Hockey, as was suggested by agent Allan Walsh), and then starting fresh next season with a shot at making the team out of training camp.

Whatever happens, having him in the fold instead of letting the battle get potentially messier shows that the groups want to work together and be a part of each other's lives for the foreseeable future.


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Craig Anderson has been named the Senators' nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy, for perseverance, dedication to hockey. Its a no-brainer given what he has been going through, but then when I thought about it a little further, it should be the exact opposite. Anderson's dedication was to his family first and foremost, which it should be, and it was Nicholle's celebrated push of her husband back to join the team when Andrew Hammond initially went down, before Mike Condon arrived, that was the true dedication to hockey. Anderson's abilty to juggle both for a time was remarkable and the nomination is well deserved and he probably has a decent shot at winning it.


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One more thing to ponder for the off day....now that the squad seems to be getting healthy (not including the non-existent fingertip of Marc Methot), what would your ideal forward lines be as the playoffs approach? Where would you fit Bobby Ryan? Would he be in the top 6? With the new bodies on the wing, would it make sense to move Zack Smith or Ryan Dzingel back to centre and create more depth down the middle? He has been a beast at times this season, but his scoring has also dried up so maybe he is better off in a defensive role, with some special teams time?

Here is what I came up with, as food for thought:

Hoffman - Turris - Stone
Ryan - Brassard - Dzingel
Burrows - Smith - Pyatt
Stalberg - Pageau - Wingels

extras - Neil, Kelly, DiDomenico

I would load the top line with the three best forwards available. The second line would be a line with potential but have been underwhelming this season. A third line that would be physical and tough to play against and then a fourth line that can skate with anyone and shut down opposing big lines very effectively. The big question for me is if the second line can find enough offense, especially on nights when the first line might not have it.