The Ottawa Senators lightened their load on Thursday.<\/p>\n
With the clock ticking on training camp and the opening of the regular season against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Senators assigned 17 players to their American Hockey League affiliate before shifting training camp to Quebec City.<\/p>\n
The Senators boarded their Air Canada Jetz charter late in the afternoon with 31 players left in camp.<\/p>\n
The decisions by Steve Staios, the club\u2019s general manager and president of hockey operations, along with head coach Travis Green leave 31 players in camp \u2014 three goalies, 10 defenceman and 18 forwards.<\/p>\n
Green noted on Thursday, with the season set to open on Oct. 9, it\u2019s time for the Senators to get down to workable numbers.<\/p>\n
There is a balance between giving players a chance at making the Senators or being on a list of callups, plus giving the veteran players an opportunity to get ready for the start of the new campaign.<\/p>\n
Except for a few changes here or there, the Senators already had pretty much split into two groups, so a lot of what happened on Thursday was making it official.<\/p>\n
Green and his staff need to start pressing systems, getting work done on the power play and the penalty kill. You can\u2019t do that sort of thing with 49 players in camp, it\u2019s just not going to work.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s definitely part of it,\u201d he said. \u201cI like to split the groups up. Some coaches like to go with more than an AHL group at the beginning of camp and then spot guys in and out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to divide it up evenly. It\u2019s important that some guys who aren\u2019t going to make the NHL team, who aren\u2019t going to be here, get some time with some top players to understand how good they are. But there is always a time when you\u2019re looking to get down to your team or as close to it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a lot closer today than we were yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
While there were no surprises amongst the choices, Green said these decisions are never easy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always tough to decide who is going to go and who is going to stay and how many numbers you are going to need the rest of camp,\u201d Green said. \u201cNever mind deciding who is on the team, but you\u2019ve also got to keep in mind that you\u2019ve got games left.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Senators are looking forward to spending time together Quebec City. They\u2019ll have Friday off and will hit the ice at the Videotron Centre at noon on Saturday to prepare to face the Devils.<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of training camp is if there\u2019s time to get away, you do it,\u201d Green said. \u201cThey can play a little golf or something and then get back to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Defenceman Tyler Kleven, who has been out with an ankle injury he suffered last Sunday against the Leafs, skated on Thursday before the club left and did accompany the team to Quebec City.<\/p>\n
The Senators assigned eight players directly to Belleville: Matthew Andonovski, Tyler Boucher, Jake Chiasson, Jorian Donovan, Tomas Hamara, Jackson Parsons, Oskar Pettersson and Djibril Toure.<\/p>\n
Related<\/p>\n
Five more were placed on waivers on Thursday at 2 p.m. and, once they clear, they\u2019ll be assigned to Belleville. That includes Wyatt Bongiovanni, Xavier Bourgault, Cameron Crotty, Garrett Pilon and Hunter Shepard.<\/p>\n
Four players in Ottawa\u2019s camp who are on AHL contracts, including Philippe Daoust, Landen Hookey, Jamieson Rees and Keean Washkurak. were assigned to Belleville.<\/p>\n
There still are decisions to be made with Drake Batherson out for at least two weeks with a pulled muscle. That has opened up an unexpected forward spot, which means there will be a battle down the stretch here.<\/p>\n
The Senators are taking a long look at former New York Rangers winger Arthur Kaliyev in camp and he skated as the 13th forward.<\/p>\n
Judging by the amount of playing time winger Ollie Lycksell has gotten in the first two pre-season games, he\u2019s another guy who has put himself on the radar for a position on the fourth line.<\/p>\n
Veteran centre Lars Eller joined the full Ottawa group on Thursday for the first time, but no decision has been made on whether he\u2019ll play in the pre-season.<\/p>\n