Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Senators prospects could earn roster spots with strong showings

NHL Rookie Tournament - Toronto Maple Leafs v Ottawa Senators

LONDON,ON - SEPTEMBER 14 : of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates in a game against the Ottawa Senators during the NHL Rookie Tournament on September 14,2010 at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

Claus Andersen

While prospects from eight different teams will gather for the 2011 Traverse City tournament in Michigan, the Ottawa Senators plan on watching their own youngsters very closely in a different rookie competition that also involves players from the Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs.

One would imagine that Senators training camp will serve as more substantial proving grounds for young players who hope to make the 2011-12 roster, but GM Bryan Murray hopes to see something from those prospects during the next few days. He also admitted that the franchise would be willing to trade veteran players if prospects prove that they’re ready to compete at the NHL level.

Bruce Garrioch tabs five different Senators prospects who will probably receive the most attention during the tournament, which runs through Tuesday: defensemen David Rundblad and Jared Cowen, forwards Mika Zibanejad and Stephane De Costa and goalie Robin Lehner. Each one of those players could conceivably make a case for themselves to jump to the NHL in the short-to-mid-term future, but it all comes down to Murray being willing to open that door. Murray told Garrioch that the team would do what it takes to give younger players that opportunity, if they earn it.

“We’ll look at what has to be done,” Murray said at the Bell Sensplex. “If some of these young guys are ready to play, then it’s up to me to try to create a spot for them. That may mean we have to do something.

“I think we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves. We’ve got to go through training camp and pre-season and see who really deserves a chance to be on the team. If the young guys are good enough to play, we’ll let them play. There may not be a spot at the beginning of the year, but as we go forward if they deserve to play, at some point they’ll get a chance to do that.”

That rookie tournament represents a small sliver of the assessment process for Ottawa, but that doesn’t mean those prospects should take that opportunity lightly. They should seize every chance they get to impress the Senators’ front office, so this weekend represents the first test of the 11-12 season for these prospects.