Maybe the Senators didn’t need Vladimir Tarasenko

After trading Alex DeBrincat to Detroit, the Senators and Pierre Dorion wanted to add another quality forward to the lineup.

They succeeded in their mission, agreeing on the terms of a one-season contract with Vladimir Tarasenko, who was an unrestricted free agent.

The former Blues and Rangers player comes to Ottawa with a club that, on paper, is very dangerous…

But we still wonder if his addition will be enough for the team to qualify for the playoffs in an Atlantic division that is more talented than ever:

Sens fans are obviously thrilled to see Tarasenko come to town.

After all, the Russian has shown since the beginning of his career that he’s one of the NHL’s good players, and usually when a goal scorer of his caliber arrives on a new team, the fans of that team are excited.

It makes sense.

But not everyone in Ottawa is happy with his signature. Journalist Sylvain St-Laurent, who covers the team for Le Droit, wonders if the Senators really, really needed Tarasenko…

And his point of view makes sense. On BPM Sports, he argued that we’re forgetting that the Sens replaced DeBrincat’s goals with Dominik Kubalik’s… But he also reminds us that the Sens will be able to count on the services of Josh Norris next season, who missed almost the entire 2022-2023 campaign.

Sylvain St-Laurent also adds that the Sens will have the luxury of counting on Jakob Chychrun for a full season, which was not the case last year…

And these “additions” mean that, right now, Pierre Dorion’s hands are tied when it comes to his payroll(current cap space of $895,953).

I understand where this is coming from…

But on the other hand, I don’t think Dorion had much choice but to move because he knows this may be his last chance as GM in Ottawa.

He has to do everything in his power to ensure that his club is in a position – at least – to make the playoffs…

And it may be now or never for the Senators. One thing’s for sure.

The activities of the club from the nation’s capital will be particularly interesting to follow in the coming months. If the team fails to live up to expectations…

It’s likely to be a bumpy ride before long.

In brief

– They’re all excellent.

– New faces join the Armada.

Yan-Cédric Gaudreault & Marc Therriault join the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada coaching staff.

Welcome to BLB, gentlemen! 🙌

Details in the press release 👉 https://t.co/HyxOY99IUX#RéEmbarqueDansLArmada ⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/MQcjRPqr7Z

– ArmadaBLB (@ArmadaBLB) July 31, 2023

– The Saudi league comes to dip into the MLS yard.

– Here’s hoping.

– Another medal for Aurélie Rivard.