NHL Training Camp Preview – Ottawa And Philadelphia

The National Hockey League will begin its 106^th season in early October, with a number of clubs looking to unseat the Colorado Avalanche after their Stanley Cup victory earlier this summer, while others are preparing to make a run at getting the best odds to select presumptive first overall pick, Connor Bedard. NHL training camp starts next week.

With the NHL salary cap going up only $1 million, many clubs had to make difficult roster decisions. Nearly half the league is currently over the $82.5 million limit and will be using long-term injured reserve to get under the cap ceiling, while budget clubs used their cap space to add draft capital.

Here is the preview of one club that made significant upgrades via trade and free agency over the summer and another that hired a big-name head coach, but is facing a significant rebuild:

Ottawa Senators (33-42-7 – 7th place in the Atlantic Division)

Who’s Out – Connor Brown, Tyler Ennis, Chris Tierney, Michael Del Zotto, Colin White, Victor Mete, Matt Murray, Filip Gustavsson

Who’s In – Claude Giroux, Alex DeBrincat, Tyler Motte, Cam Talbot

GM Pierre Dorion accomplished a great deal of business over the summer in hopes of making the Sens of a playoff contender. After trading Murray to Toronto, Ottawa dealt with Minnesota for Talbot to team up with goalie Anton Forsberg, added a 40-goal sniper in DeBrincat in a deal with Chicago, and signed veteran Giroux as a free agent. The Sens made the most impact by locking up a pair of key pieces of their future, signing forwards Josh Norris and Tim Stutzle to eight-year extensions.

2022-23 NHL Training Camp Potential Impact Prospects

D – Jake Sanderson

D – Jacob Bernard-Docker

C – Ridly Greig

Sanderson’s stock rose last season after being selected fifth overall two years ago. He made both Team USA for the World Juniors and Olympics. He will be a part of the Sens’ blueline after signing his ELC. Bernard-Docker played most of 2022 with AHL Belleville. He could fit in as a bottom-pairing candidate on a thin Ottawa blueline. Greig scored 63 points in 39 games with Brandon (WHL) and was a key cog for Team Canada in their WJC victory.

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Philadelphia Flyers (25-46-11 – 8th place in the Metropolitan Division)

Who’s Out –  Oskar Lindblom, Keith Yandle, Martin Jones

Who’s In –  Nicolas Deslaurier, Anthony DeAngelo, Justin Braun

The Flyers were decimated by injuries last season, losing Sean Couturier and Ryan Ellis for most of the year, and fired head coach Alain Vigneault. GM Chuck Fletcher brought in John Tortorella to reshape the team, but cap issues limited his ability to make an impact move like signing free agent Johnny Gaudreau. Philadelphia was able to re-acquire Braun after trading him at the deadline and added toughness and character in Deslauriers. The acquisition of DeAngelo gives Tortorella an offensive quarterback to replace Ellis, whose career is in question with chronic knee issues.

2022-23 NHL Training Camp Potential Impact Prospects

W – Cutter Gauthier

W – Tyson Foerster

D – Ronnie Attard

Gauthier is a big-bodied forward selected fifth overall at the 2022 Draft in Montreal. He will be playing center at Boston College this fall. Foerster played in the AHL as a 19-year-old due to the OHL being shut down in 2021. He split time between Barrie, Lehigh Valley, and Team Canada last season. Attard signed with the Flyers after scoring 36 points in his junior year at Western Michigan. He played 15 games at the end of the year, giving him a head start at making the club with a good training camp.