Bongiovanni agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way contract with Ottawa on Tuesday.
Bongiovanni has yet to make his NHL debut after originally signing with Winnipeg coming out of Quinnipiac University. In the minors this season, the 24-year-old center notched 16 goals and nine assists in 48 combined games for AHL Manitoba and AHL Belleville. At this point, the Michigan native looks like a long shot to become a full-time NHL player, though his new two-way deal will allow him to be on the list of potential call-ups during the 2024-25 campaign.
... See More... See Less
Senators' Linus Ullmark: Dealt to Ottawa
Rotowire
Boston traded Ullmark to the Senators for Joonas Korpisalo, Mark Kastelic and a 2024 first-round pick Monday.
Ullmark will head to Ottawa with one year remaining on his contract, but it seems likely that the team will look to work out an extension. He won the Vezina Trophy during the 2022-23 campaign with just 49 regular-season appearances and split the workload with Jeremy Swayman again for most of this season, producing a .915 save percentage and a 2.58 GAA in the process. With Korpisalo heading to the Bruins, Ullmark should see more action during the 2024-25 campaign while Anton Forsberg serves as the backup. Ullmark appeared in just two of Boston's 13 postseason games.
... See More... See Less
Senators' Jamieson Rees: Signs one-year deal
Rotowire
Rees inked a one-year, two-way contract with the Senators on Friday.
Rees was dealt to the Senators in mid-March from Carolina for a 2024 sixth-round pick. Rees finished the campaign with AHL Belleville, picking up four assists in 14 regular-season contests. The 44th pick in the 2019 Draft, Rees has yet to see any action at the NHL level.
Matinpalo signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Senators on Thursday.
Matinpalo was eligible to become a restricted free agent this summer after completing his previous one-year, two-way deal for the 2023-24 campaign. He had four goals and 14 points in 67 regular-season outings with AHL Belleville in 2023-24. Matinpalo also appeared in four contests with Ottawa, recording no points, two shots, four hits and two blocks in that span.
... See More... See Less
Senators' Maxence Guenette: Signs one-year deal
Rotowire
Guenette signed a one-year, two-way contract extension with Ottawa on Tuesday.
Guenette produced seven goals and 34 points in 58 AHL regular-season contests with Belleville in 2023-24. He didn't earn a point in seven outings with Ottawa last campaign but provided six shots on goal, six blocked shots and six hits. The 23-year-old defender will probably spend most, if not all, of the 2024-25 season in the minors.
... See More... See Less
Senators' Cole Reinhardt: Inks two-way contract
Rotowire
Reinhardt signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Senators on Friday.
Reinhardt had eight goals, 23 points and 76 PIM in 56 regular-season contests with AHL Belleville in 2023-24. The 24-year-old appeared in one NHL game in 2021-22, but he hasn't played at the top level over the past two campaigns.
... See More... See Less
Senators' Angus Crookshank: Signs new deal
Rotowire
Crookshank signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Senators on Wednesday, per PuckPedia.
Crookshank made his NHL debut in 2023-24, picking up three points, 20 shots on net, 20 hits and a minus-3 rating over 13 appearances. He also had 46 points in 50 contests with AHL Belleville. Crookshank will likely spend some time in the minors in 2024-25, but he may be ready to push for a larger role at the NHL level.
... See More... See Less
Senators' Lassi Thomson: Signs with SHL team
Rotowire
Thomson has signed a contract with with the Malmo Redhawks of the SHL.
Thomson wasn't able to catch on with the Senators after being selected by the team with the 19th overall pick in the 2019 Draft -- he appeared in 18 games with Ottawa from 2021-23, picking up five helpers and a minus-10 rating over that span, but he didn't see any action with the big club in 2023-24, instead spending the entirety of the campaign with AHL Belleville, recording 21 points in 67 contests. As a restricted free agent, the Senators still own Thomson's NHL rights, so they'll get the first crack at signing him if he returns to North America in the future.
... See More... See Less
Senators' Thomas Chabot: Expected to have wrist surgery
Rotowire
Chabot is slated to undergo offseason wrist surgery, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen reports Tuesday.
Chabot could have the procedure in the coming weeks, and his recovery time is expected to be in the range of two-to-three months. That should put him on track to participate in training camp. The 27-year-old defender registered nine goals, 30 points, 118 shots on net, 44 hits and 88 blocked shots in 51 appearances during the 2023-24 campaign.
... See More... See Less
Senators' Angus Crookshank: Headed for minors
Rotowire
Crookshank (lower body) was reassigned to AHL Belleville on Monday.
Crookshank will link up with Belleville for the Calder Cup playoffs after having missed the final eight games of the NHL season due to his lower-body injury. In his 13 games with the Senators, the 24-year-old winger notched two goals on 20 shots, one assist and 20 hits while averaging 10:07 of ice time.
... See More... See Less
Senators' Josh Norris: Will be ready for training camp
Rotowire
Norris (shoulder) will be ready for the start of training camp in September, Claire Hanna of TSN reports.
Norris underwent his third shoulder operation in his career in March and he is well on his way to recovery. The talented center had 16 goals and 30 points in 50 games this season, but he struggled at times due to his lingering shoulder woes. Norris has missed 106 games over the last two seasons, dampening his fantasy value heading into the 2024-25 campaign.
... See More... See Less
Senators' Tim Stutzle: Dealing with shoulder issue
Rotowire
Stutzle said Thursday that he dealt with a shoulder injury during the 2023-24 campaign, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports.
Stutzle will need another opinion in terms of whether or not he'll require surgery. The talented center missed the last seven games of the season. Stutzle ended up with 18 goals, 70 points, 192 shots on goal and 100 hits in 75 appearances this season. He regressed from 2022-23, when he managed 39 goals and 90 points in 78 appearances.
... See More... See Less
Senators' Thomas Chabot: Surgery not necessary?
Rotowire
Chabot (upper body) most likely won't need surgery in the offseason, per Wayne Scanlan of Sportsnet.
Chabot battled injuries most of the year, ultimately playing in only 51 games. The 27-year-old recorded nine goals and 21 assists to go along with 118 shots on goal over that stretch. Another update on Chabot's status should surface if it's decided surgery will be necessary.
Imama (upper body) was reassigned to AHL Belleville on Thursday.
Imama left Monday's tilt versus the Rangers late in the second period with the injury and missed Tuesday's game in Boston, but his demotion to the minors suggests he's now healthy. The 27-year-old winger had 22 hits but failed to pick up a point in six NHL games this season.
Smejkal was reassigned to AHL Belleville on Wednesday.
Smejkal had a goal and an assist in 20 NHL games with the Senators in 2023-24. He's also contributed nine goals and 22 points in 45 outings with Belleville. Ottawa's campaign is over, which is why the 27-year-old is returning to the minors.
... See More... See Less
Senators' Zack Ostapchuk: Headed back to minors
Rotowire
Ostapchuk was returned to AHL Belleville on Wednesday.
Ostapchuk will bolster the forward depth for Belleville as the minor-league club tries to hold on to a playoff spot with three games remaining. On the year, the 20-year-old Alberta native has generated 17 goals and 11 helpers in 66 minor-league contests but failed to record a point in his seven appearances with Ottawa. Still, Ostapchuk should be in the mix for a spot on the Opening Night roster for the 2024-25 campaign.
... See More... See Less
Senators' Jiri Smejkal: Pots first NHL goal
Rotowire
Smejkal scored his first career NHL goal in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Bruins.
The 27-year-old rookie opened the scoring midway through the second period -- his quick shot handcuffed Linus Ullmark and trickled past the Boston goalie. Smejkal has played 20 games for Ottawa during his first season in North America, managing only two points over that stretch, and his nine goals and 22 points in 45 AHL contests this year don't suggest he'll serve as anything more than organizational depth next season.
... See More... See Less
Senators' Anton Forsberg: Sharp in win No. 15
Rotowire
Forsberg made 34 saves in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Bruins.
The 31-year-old netminder nearly recorded his third shutout of the season, but Pavel Zacha tucked home a power-play tally midway through the third period. Forsberg wraps up the campaign with a 15-12-0 record in 30 outings with a 3.21 GAA and .890 save percentage, his worst ratios since he became an NHL regular in 2017-18. He has one season left on his contract at an affordable $2.75 million, so Forsberg is likely to be back in Ottawa next season, even if only in a backup role.
