The Ottawa Senators really turned themselves around the past season. The team made the NHL playoffs in what could be termed a historical act, ending the eight-year playoff drought. The team was last in the playoffs in the 2016-17 season.
Even though the team lost the first round, it was an unparalleled moment. It also helped quieten rumors about Brady Tkachuk’s potential exit from the team.
Tkachuk is going nowhere and has stated that the sky is the limit for the Senators. Meanwhile, the team’s front office and GM Steve Staios deserve props for managing finances like pros. In a list of NHL teams that spend their money the most wisely curated by Dom Luszczyszyn, the team featured in the fifth position.
The Ottawa Senators Rise to the Fifth from the 17th Position in Contract Efficiency
It looks like it wasn’t the players on the ice who were working their magic to redeem the team’s dying glory; the front office at Ottawa was working its magic in the background.
Luszczyszyn writes that while he still believes there is room for improvement, the Senators are doing a fine job when it comes to managing their cap sheet. “While I still have some reservations regarding Ottawa’s ultimate ceiling until someone emerges as an elite forward beyond the big two, it’s hard not to be optimistic about the future with a cap sheet like this.”
Winger David Perron is surely a liability, but he has only one year left until he hits UFA, thus reducing worries. “David Perron being paid $4 million isn’t ideal, but with one year left, it’s fine.” There is also Dylan Cozens, but apart from those two, the team looks like it’s in pretty good shape. “Ottawa’s only problem contract is Dylan Cozens, an upside bet many would gladly take a flier on.”
To offset two bad contracts, the Ottawa outfit has several great ones. For starters, one of the team’s best forwards, Stützle, and one of the best defensemen, Jake Sanderson, have a combined worth that is a steal for players of such caliber: “That’s a potential franchise forward and franchise defenseman locked up for six and seven years at a combined $16.5 million. In terms of budding young talent, few teams can compare at that price.”
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Tkachuk, the undeniable franchise cornerstone, has an average annual value of $8.2 million, further strengthening the team’s contract efficiency. With the current contracts of star players like Stützle, Sanderson, and Tkachuk, the team’s management is the clear winner. “Add Brady Tkachuk to that mix and it’s a trio of A-grade deals that give Ottawa a real shot to contend over the next few years.”
As Luszczyszyn further wrote, there are other contracts for which the management deserves applause: ” It’s not just the stars, though. It’s the plethora of good deals beyond them. Ridly Greig, Drake Batherson, Claude Giroux and Shane Pinto are effective top-six pieces coming in at a very cheap cost.”
The Senators are pursuing greatness, and with such a cap sheet, the journey ought to get easier.