Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios has been scratching his head these days, and it's not just because of the disappointing performances of his team, which sits at the bottom of the standings.
The Sens are last in the Atlantic Section of the National Hockey League (NHL) with a record seven games under the .500 mark and have had a pressing case to deal with on their payroll of late. In fact, Quebecer Mathieu Joseph will return to action in Tuesday's clash against the Calgary Flames and Staios had to make room to include the $2.95 million the attacker earns annually.
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Notably, after ceding two skaters to the American League and placing Rourke Chartier's name on the long-term disabled list, the GM now has room to maneuver at… $12,836, according to the website CapFriendly. However, he may have postponed the problem for a few days.
The end of the suspension of Shane Pinto, who was punished by the NHL for a sports betting scandal for 41 games and is eligible to play starting January 21, will force the Senators organization to make a move unless an injury occurs by then. According to the Ottawa Sun newspaper, we should expect the former player to accept a qualifying offer of one year and exactly $874,125; Due to the club's financial obligations, he is not in the ideal position to sign a long-term deal with Pinto.
Therefore, in addition to possible demotions to the Belleville-based school club, changes can also be expected, especially if Chartier returns to competition. The Sun recalled senior vice president Dave Poulin's comments a few days ago and made it clear that the team was confident of finding a solution.
Kubalik?
However, this could mean the departure of Dominik Kubalik, one of the few squad members entitled to full autonomy this summer. The striker is entitled to $2.5 million in compensation in 2023-2024. However, Ottawa will have to convince to encourage a rival team to take a chance on an athlete who has settled for 11 points in 35 meetings this season. The former Red Wings will have difficulty matching his performance of 45 points in 81 games played in Detroit last season.
In addition, the 28-year-old winger does not seem to be the most reliable defensively: in the last three years, including the current one, he maintained a -47 differential.