Cam Talbot’s name didn’t show up on the scoresheet on Claude Giroux’s spectacular overtime goal in Los Angeles, but Tim Stützle is pretty certain his goaltender deserves an assist on the highlight-reel play.
Stützle showed remarkable vision and skill to execute a backhanded pass from his own goal line that sprung Giroux on a breakaway at the opposition blue line. And on Tuesday morning, Stützle revealed that Talbot was the one who initially alerted him to the fact Giroux was breaking free up the ice.
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“I think Talbs kind of gave me a look there. He said, ‘Look up the ice,'” Stützle said. “And then I just saw (Giroux) screaming at me. I saw him and he took off. What a great move by him.”
Giroux was unaware that Talbot notified Stützle that he was wide open in the neutral zone.
“If he did, thank God,” Giroux said with a laugh. “When I saw that (Stützle) beat his guy, I tried to yell as loud as I could. He obviously made a great backhand pass.”
D.J. Smith admitted that sequence was “nerve-wracking” as the puck quickly found its way into Ottawa’s zone to start the overtime session. But then Stützle collected a loose puck below his own goal line and managed to keep it away from Anze Kopitar. Stützle gracefully spun away from the Kings’ captain — who has the reputation of being one of the best two-way centres on the planet — and then flung the backhand pass down the ice to Giroux.
“That was a situation where I was just trying to read off him and protect the puck,” Stützle said of his encounter with Kopitar. “It was just a great play by (Giroux) to get open.”
Now THAT is how you end a game! 😤@timstuetzle18 finds Claude Giroux (@28CGiroux) who pulls off a beautiful move for the @Energizer OT winner! pic.twitter.com/TrLpA7oRpe
— NHL (@NHL) November 28, 2022
“Timmy’s skill set just takes over. He’s got the ability to make all kinds of plays,” added Smith.
The Senators have only been in two overtime games this season, tied with Edmonton and Buffalo for the fewest in the league to date. But it’s probably a safe bet Smith will start his next overtime session with the Stützle and Giroux combination on the ice.
Sanderson’s souvenir puck headed to a special place
Jake Sanderson was thrilled to be able to score his first NHL goal in Vegas last week with his father Geoff in attendance at T-Mobile Arena.
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“It was pretty sick to have my dad there,” Sanderson said. “He was pretty fired up when that puck went in.”
As for the whereabouts of the puck itself, Sanderson is certain a staff member hung onto the souvenir for him.
“I don’t have the puck. Somebody else has the puck,” Sanderson said. “But hopefully I’ll get it with a little plaque or something.”
The 20-year-old knows exactly where the puck will end up once he gets it back. The Sanderson family home in Whitefish, Montana is filled with hockey memorabilia from Geoff’s 17-year NHL career. Among the souvenirs on display on a mantle is the puck from Geoff’s first NHL goal from March of 1991. Jake Sanderson says he’s planning on putting his puck right next to his dad’s.
“That would be cool. I feel like that will definitely be something I bring back home and hang up with his,” Sanderson said.
Geoff wasn’t the only one who was able to witness Jake’s first career NHL goal. Last week’s game in Vegas was broadcast by TNT — marking the only Senators game scheduled to be on national television in the United States.
“I’m pretty sure my mom mentioned it was televised in Montana. And my buddy was watching it back home in Idaho, so I know it was all over the U.S. So that was kind of cool,” added Sanderson.
DeBrincat’s backcheck draws rave reviews
After each game, D.J. Smith and his video staff put together video clips to highlight some examples of hard work on the ice that don’t necessarily show up on the stat sheet. The head coach especially likes to show examples of players tracking back into their own zone and showing responsible play on the defensive side of the puck.
The players are able to watch these clips while they are sitting around the lounge and getting ready for practice or a game. And after Sunday’s game in Los Angeles, Alex DeBrincat was the player who showed up with the most video highlights.
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“He was in my most tracking clips last game,” said Smith. “And I don’t think you would say that at the start of the year.”
In particular, DeBrincat’s tenacious effort on a backcheck late in the third period drew rave reviews from the coaching staff and his teammates.
DeBrincat’s hustle earned him the postgame goggles handed out to the player of the game. In the video posted by the club’s social media team, Brady Tkachuk announces he’s handing the goggles to DeBrincat because, “We wouldn’t be tied if it wasn’t for Brinky’s back check there.”
“Brady gives him the player of the game because of that play,” added Smith. “We’re not playing on if not for his second effort.”
Smith believes DeBrincat — who fired five shots on goal and scored a power-play marker on Sunday — is firmly on board with the idea of playing a 200-foot game.
“That’s something we communicated. Something that’s going to help our defence is how hard you guys can track and come back and help them. It’s going to help us break out,” said Smith. “And he’s bought in, 100 per cent.
Good morning #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/HrWT8YeRAM
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) November 28, 2022
Deadline for Alex Formenton’s contract approaches
We’ll wrap up this notebook by taking a look at where things stand between the Senators and Alex Formenton. The two sides have a deadline of Thursday at 5 p.m. ET if they want to get a contract signed in order for Formenton to play in the NHL this season.
Formenton’s agent, Wade Arnott, did not respond to an email request from The Athletic to provide an update on his client’s negotiations.
In his most recent public statement on the matter earlier this month, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said, “I think both parties know we have a December 1st timeline. And from there, there is nothing else to report.”
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This is certainly a unique situation with a lot of questions surrounding it.
Why is there a deadline for Formenton to sign a contract?
Even though Formenton made his NHL debut all the way back in October 2017, he’s still just coming out of his entry-level contract. Because he played fewer than 10 games in each of his first two seasons in the league, Formenton’s entry-level deal was allowed to “slide” — meaning it only kicked in for the 2019-20 season. That means Formenton is now a restricted free agent who falls into the Group 2 category, based on the fact he’s only 23 years old. As per the current collective bargaining agreement, all players who are in this category have a Dec. 1 deadline to sign a contract for the current NHL season. Section 11.4 of the CBA states:
Signing Deadline for Group 2 Free Agent. An SPC for a Group 2 Free Agent will be rejected and will be null and void ab initio (i.e., the Player’s Free Agency and contractual status shall revert to the status he held prior to signing his SPC), if it is not signed and filed with Central Registry by 5:00 p.m. New York time on December 1 in the then current NHL Season.
Did the Senators extend a qualifying offer to Formenton?
Each offseason, an NHL team must make a mandatory qualifying offer if they want to retain the rights to a restricted free agent. This past summer, for example, the Senators opted not to extend qualifying offers to RFAs Victor Mete and Adam Gaudette — making them unrestricted free agents. But Ottawa did extend qualifying offers to Formenton, Josh Norris, Mathieu Joseph and Erik Brannstrom. However, as per section 10.2 (v) of the CBA, those qualifying offers expire on July 15:
A Qualifying Offer shall automatically expire at 5:00 p.m. New York time on July 15; provided, however, that the Club may by written notice to Central Registry and the NHLPA, sent in accordance with Exhibit 3 hereof, provided on or before 5:00 p.m. New York time on July 15, extend the deadline for Qualifying Offer acceptance to a date (which must be a fixed and definitive calendar date) determined in its sole discretion.
None of the four Ottawa players accepted their qualifying offers, instead opting to hammer out separate deals with the hockey club. Norris landed an eight-year, $63.6 million contract, while Joseph inked a four-year deal at just under $12 million. Brannstrom opted for a one-year contract at $900,000, leaving Formenton as the only RFA unsigned out of the group that was qualified by Ottawa.
Have other RFAs signed contracts this close to the Dec. 1 deadline?
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We’re into pretty rarefied air here in the contractual stalemate between Formenton and the Senators. Since the CBA that ended the full-season lockout was signed back in 2005, only two RFA players have signed a contract within the 10-day window of the Dec. 1 deadline in their respective seasons.
The first was Kyle Turris, who signed a two-year extension with the Coyotes on Nov. 22, 2011. However, that deal was struck with the understanding that Turris would likely be traded, since he was unhappy with the situation in Arizona. But in order to facilitate a trade, the Coyotes needed to get Turris signed before the Dec. 1 deadline. Turris appeared in only six games for the Coyotes before he was traded to Ottawa on Dec. 17, 2011.
The other instance is the well-documented standoff between William Nylander and the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2018-19 season. Nylander’s camp took the negotiations as close to the 5 p.m. deadline as possible on Dec. 1, 2018, before eventually agreeing to a six-year, $45 million contract with Toronto.
Have any other RFAs let the Dec. 1 deadline pass without a contract?
There have also been two instances where RFA players let the Dec. 1 deadline pass without a new contract with their team, making them ineligible for the rest of the season. And they both happened in the 2019-20 NHL season.
In the summer of 2019, Jesse Puljujarvi had asked for a trade out of Edmonton after his entry-level contract expired. However, when the Oilers didn’t grant his wish, he signed a one-year contract with Karpat in the Finnish Elite League. Puljujarvi’s contract in Europe provided an opt-out clause for him to return to the NHL, provided he signed an RFA contract before Dec. 1, 2019. However, that deadline passed and Puljujarvi stayed in Finland for the entire campaign. He later returned to the NHL and signed a two-year contract with the Oilers in the fall of 2020 because Edmonton retained his rights.
That same season, Julius Honka had requested a trade from the Dallas Stars while he was also a restricted free agent. The Stars did not accommodate his wish and Honka also signed a contract to play overseas in the Finnish Elite League. The Dec. 1, 2019 deadline also passed for Honka and the Stars, making the defenceman ineligible for the remainder of that NHL campaign. Honka signed a one-year, two-way contract the following offseason with the Stars, but he has not played another NHL game since.
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It’s fair to say the only times we’ve seen the Dec. 1 deadline pass for an RFA without a contract agreement are when there has been a trade demand on the table.
Are the ongoing Hockey Canada investigations a factor in Formenton’s uncertain contract situation?
Formenton was a member of Team Canada’s gold medal-winning club at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships.
There are currently multiple investigations into members of that team after a woman alleged she was sexually assaulted by eight players in a London, Ontario, hotel room following a Hockey Canada Foundation event in June of 2018. The London Police department reopened its investigation into the incident in July. Meanwhile, the NHL launched its own probe into the matter in May, writing in a statement, “We will endeavor to determine the underlying facts and, to the extent this may involve players who are now in the NHL, we will determine what action, if any, would be appropriate.”
Prior to the regular season starting in October, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters, “I’m waiting for the final report, and I’m told we’re much closer to the end of the investigation than the beginning. But it has taken time. Obviously, the allegations are horrific. Those allegations have to be addressed.”
As the deadline for Formenton’s contract approaches, there is no clarity on when we might expect those investigations to conclude.
During his introductory press conference on Sept. 22, Senators GM Pierre Dorion was asked if any of the investigations around Hockey Canada have impacted his roster-making decisions or contract negotiations this offseason.
Dorion responded by simply saying, “No.”
Then in late September, Pierre LeBrun had an extended sit-down interview with Dorion ahead of the regular season.
When LeBrun asked Dorion if the investigations had any bearing on Formenton still being unsigned.
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“With all due respect, I think they’re totally two different things,” Dorion said. “One’s a contract issue and the other is a Hockey Canada issue that I can’t comment on until the NHL investigation its over.”
What should Formenton’s next contract look like? And do the Senators have the salary-cap room to sign him?
According to Evolving Hockey’s contract projection tool, Formenton’s next contract would likely be in the range of a two-year deal with an approximate AAV coming in around $1.7 million. Formenton led the NHL with five short-handed goals last season and carved out a fairly consistent spot in Ottawa’s top nine. This next contract was likely going to be a bridge deal, given his relative inexperience in the league. Formenton only has 109 NHL games under his belt and the 2021-22 campaign was his first full season in the NHL.
While there are a lot of teams who would have trouble sliding another contract into the mix right now, Ottawa is not one of them.
According to CapFriendly, the Senators currently have just under $6.5 million in available salary-cap space — the fifth-most of any NHL club. Plus when you consider a good portion of Norris’ contract will be picked up by insurance since he’s on LTIR with a shoulder injury, there really shouldn’t be too many financial obstacles precluding a deal with Formenton.
If Formenton doesn’t sign before 5 p.m. on Thursday, what’s next?
If the two sides cannot reach an agreement, it officially ends Formenton’s 2022-23 NHL season. He would not be eligible to return to NHL action until the start of the 2023-24 season.
The Senators could trade his rights to another club, but it’s unlikely an NHL team would want to give up assets for a player who cannot play this season. Formenton could sign a contract overseas, similar to what Puljujarvi and Honka did while they were in RFA contract standoffs with their respective clubs.
But even in that scenario, the Senators would continue to hold Formenton’s NHL rights in the future.
(Top photo of Tim Stützle: Jayne Kamin / Oncea-USA Today)