My 4 would be Paul, Batherson, Norris, Formenton
Tough call I'd like to push Brown in there
Before getting into the 4, who are the 8 who are considered locks? I only see 7.
Tkachuk - White - Brown
- Tierney -Duclair
- Anisimov - Ryan
- -
From guys who played last year, you’ve then got Hawryluk, Sabourin, Peca, Boedker, and Beaudin.
I’d guess we qualify or extend Hawryluk. Boedker kicks rocks. Sabourin might get another deal but starts as 13th forward or AHL depth. Peca might be brought back to compete but isn’t a lock by any means. Beaudin is depth.
To recap, I think 5 spots are up for grabs. Now as it pertains to the guys listed, obviously it’s super early and we don’t know who gets drafted/signed/has a monster off season, but based on what I think we know:
In my view the biggest lock of that group is Paul. He secured his spot last year, as long as he doesn’t let off during this time and off season he’s a sure fire bet to make the team. Huge, dependable, consistent effort, and positional versatility isn’t ab easy combo to find. DJ already likes him. 1/5
Among the rest, it’s really a winner take all but I’d guess Batherson is the next best bet. He was starting to look much better in his last call up, hopefully his play away from the puck is better rounded and his confidence higher to start next year. The sens need his infusion of skill. 2/5
I’d also have Brown on the team. He would have benefitted from a bit more AHL time this season but I don’t think there is all that much left for him to squeeze from that level. Unless the sens get Laf, they just don’t have that many good PP options. Logan is already the best playmaking forward on the team IMO, breaking camp without him in the lineup makes the sens less competitive while offering little on terms of development. 3/5
Balcers and Chlapik have both had a few cups of coffee and have shown interesting qualities most times Balcers having more offensive potential and Chlapik being stronger and more suited for bottom 6. I don’t think either has much left to learn at the AHL level. Unless I’m mistaken, both would have to go through waivers to be sent down next season. It’s make or break time for both. I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of them traded at the draft or before the end of camp. 4/5; 5/5
Norris showed some flashes in his call-up. He did look very thin for the NHL. Certainly played at an excellent level last season in the AHL. From what I remember of the Mann interviews he could still work on his two way game. I think he’d benefit from the challenge of being the catalyst, the straw that stirs the drink down there with Balcers, Brown, and Batherson called up. I’d send him down to work on the two way game with the expectation that he’s the first call up and will likely bump someone before the season ends.
Formenton’s elite speed will be very tempting to keep around, particularly if he has another offseason of weight gain. Again, from what I remember Mann said he could use more seasoning and I’d tend to agree. In particular Mann spoke to making him one of the best PK players in the AHL. If he can come up in 2021-2022 with even more offensive confidence and a strong PK game at the lower level he’ll be an excellent contributor.
Abramov gets caught in a numbers game. He’s another guy Mann says needs to work on the two way game. He’s also getting passed by guys like Norris and Formenton. He needs a big season in the AHL to show he’s got what it takes to take the next step.
Tkachuk - L. Brown - Ryan
Duclair - Tierney - Batherson
Paul - White - C. Brown
Balcers - Anisimov - Hawryluk
Chlapik