Now sightseeing – and padel – awaits
There has been a huge storm surrounding the Ottawa Senators in recent weeks.
Now the Chaos Club is in Sweden – and will try to turn the season around.
“This trip comes at an ideal time for us,” says defender Erik Brännström, who will be given the role of mentor and game leader for his teammates during the days in Stockholm.
The Ottawa Senators entered the season with high expectations.
After a long drought – the last time the team reached the Stanley Cup was under Erik Karlsson in 2017 – the clear goal for the club is to get over the line this time around.
Several young players, such as Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson, have established themselves as stars in the NHL, and in the free agent market, Ottawa was able to land a proven top quality in the form of veterans Claude Giroux and Vladimir Tarasenko.
But just over a month into the season, the Senators are at the bottom of the division, sitting in 25th place out of 32 teams in the league.
And things didn’t just get worse during the fall on the ice. Below is a selection of events that have caused black headlines around the club in recent weeks.
- Talented center Shane Pinto — who has already been in the news because he is in an ongoing contract dispute with Ottawa — was found guilty in an NHL investigation into illegal betting and handed a 41-game suspension.
- The Senators have been stripped of a first-round pick in the upcoming draft, as a result of the club’s failure to provide the Vegas Golden Knights with information on the “no trade” list for forward Evgeniy Dadonov. In 2021, Dadonov was traded from Ottawa to Vegas, and nine months later from Vegas to the Anaheim Ducks. But Anaheim was on Dadonov’s no-trade list, without Vegas or Anaheim’s knowledge, so the trade was abruptly canceled. 18 months later, the NHL investigated the matter and concluded that all the blame lay with Ottawa.
- Senator General Manager Pierre Dorion, responsible for Dadonov’s trip to Vegas, has been fired. A direct result of the collapse with the no trade list.
- The team lost five of their last six home games — and the “fire DJ” chant was chanted loudly at the Canadian Tire Centre. Coach DJ Smith is not very popular with the fans.
- Big star Brady Tkachuk called fans’ booing and demands for the coach’s resignation “nonsense,” which in turn led to criticism of himself. Should a captain see his fans, as they are paying spectators, open and challenging?
“We should come together as a group”
Before departing for Sweden, Ottawa managed to break the negative trend with a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames, and the team is now hoping the week in Stockholm marks a clear turning point in the season.
– This is perfect for us, says Swedish defender Erik Brannstrom in a press conference at the Avicii Arena, where the Senators went live from Arlanda on Monday.
– Hopefully we can come together more as a group during this trip and play a couple of good matches. For us as a team, I think that would mean a lot.
How did you face all the hype surrounding the club?
– It’s definitely been a bit hectic, but we as a team are just trying to focus on what we can influence. I think we still handle it decently, even though you don’t want things like this to happen. We played a good game last time against Calgary, and now we’ll try to build on that.
Compact trainer DJ Smith fills in:
-We’ve been through a lot in a short time. So, it seems like great timing to get away from everything now, stay together and be able to bring the group together. Of course, we’re here primarily to get the points – and that’s what it’s all about in the end – but we both want to get the points And I feel like we’ve grown as a team.
Alfredsson’s new role
On the ice during Ottawa’s first practice in Stockholm was a true icon of the club: Daniel Alfredsson. Alfie has returned to the organization and a few weeks ago was given a dedicated role as an advisor to both players and staff.
The 50-year-old from Gothenburg was not available to the media on Monday, but was praised in unison by those who met the press:
Alfredsson probably understands hockey better than anyone, so it’s great to have him here now, says Brannstrom, who changed his stick and angle on the legend’s advice.
– It was not fun to meet Daniel as a player once, because he is very smart. “He sees the ice differently, so we very much appreciate having him around the team every day,” says star forward Claude Giroux.
DJ Smith was hit with Alfredsson’s winning skullcap.
-I’ve heard a lot about his competitive instinct before, but now I can see it up close for myself. I can tell you that Alfie recently played table tennis against Mathieu Joseph (Ottawa forward, editor’s note) and came with his advanced racket in a leather bag. Then I realized he was completely serious and really wanted to win. He crushed Matteo.
Padel tournament awaits
Speaking of racquet sports, Ottawa players are waiting for the racquets tournament in Stockholm on Tuesday, to lighten the mood before matches at the world championships.
It’s Erik Brannström who has been running the whole thing, and along with the other two Swedes in the squad – goalkeeper Anton Forsberg and defender Jakob Larsson – he will act as a side runner to his teammates in the Swedish capital.
-The boys have very high expectations of me, Forsberg and Jakob. We’ll take them out to dinner and take them on a tour around the city and check out some of the sights and stuff. He says: And then we will play padel.
Have North Americans tried it on the team before?
-At least they’ve played pickleball before, but some will probably have some problems with the bounces…
Claude Giroux:
– Yes, we played pickleball, but never with the glass around the court like in padel. “I think some would be good at it anyway, but there are a lot of bad people too,” the Canadian says with a laugh, before answering who he would like to collaborate with the most:
– “Alfie”!
The Ottawa Senators face the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday (8 p.m. tip-off) and the Minnesota Wild on Saturday (5 p.m.).