NHL Rumors: Ottawa Senators, Coaches, And Summer Goalies

Ottawa Taking Their Time On Finding A Coach

Bruce Garrioch Of the Ottawa Sun: For the Ottawa Senators, there is no urgency on finding a coach. Jacques Martin will coach out the remaining 15 games then continue his advisory role. He will help Steve Staios find the next man behind the bench.

Now, this is where the intrigue rises some. Who does Ottawa have in mind? One of the big things the Senators have to fix is a goaltending issue. Yes, that means get in line this summer.

By the way, that coach finding process has already started. Some candidates include Craig Berube, Todd McLellan, Brad Shaw, Dean Evason, and John Gruden.

League executives believe Ottawa figures to wait for a couple of more potential candidates before making a decision. It makes sense given the expectations in Ottawa for the 2024-25 season.

Ottawa figures to upgrade a few positions but a new coach has to be able to work with the younger players.

Summer Goalies Out In The Sun

Jesse Granger of The Athletic: Alright, Jacob Markstrom, Juuse Saros, and Linus Ullmark are finding different addresses this summer. Right? Right? That seems to be the plan when NHL summer gets underway. Summer goalies will truly be a theme and right around the NHL Draft.

With an extremely quiet trade deadline, teams did not want to pay the prices for goaltending or lacked cap space. As a result, several goaltenders were destined to wait until the summer months.

New Jersey upgraded slightly to shed Vitek Vanecek‘s contract. Jake Allen was the more worthwhile piece there after a potential move to Colorado fell through. Goalie free agency is not the greatest led by Anthony Stolarz. Some other goaltenders are out there but are far from “big game.”

Also, consider teams like Ottawa. They may be in the market for a goaltender. Do they swing back or go free agency? Several other teams are in the same boat, err quandary. Either way, summer goalie love will be a thing.