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Tkachuk yet to report as Sens open camp

Senators set to open camp without Tkachuk as contract talks with left winger continue

BRUCE GARRIOCH bgarrioch@postmedia.com Twitter: @sungarrioch

Brady Tkachuk was noticeable by his absence as the Ottawa Senators released their training camp roster Tuesday morning.

While Senators general manager Pierre Dorion was hopeful to have the 22-year-old Tkachuk signed to a long-term contract extension before the players report for medicals Wednesday at the Canadian Tire Centre, life will go on without him as the club prepares to hit the ice for the first time Thursday.

As the Senators and Tkachuk's agents, Craig Oster and Don Meehan of Newport Sports, continue to try to get a contract in place, coach D.J. Smith and his staff have to prepare this team for the season opener Oct. 14 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, so they'll work with the players here.

The lines of communication between Dorion and Tkachuk's agents will remain open while he skates with fellow restricted free agents Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks at the U.S. National Development Team facilities in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Remember, anything can change with one phone call and there's a willingness on both sides to get a deal done, so that doesn't mean it can't come together quickly. Neither the Senators nor Tkachuk's people want him to miss camp.

There will be 54 players in camp and the Senators are expected to confirm Wednesday that all their players and staff are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Tkachuk is included in that group.

The Senators will have six goaltenders, 18 defencemen and 30 forwards in camp. Smith is splitting them into three groups and, of course, everybody will be watching to see, with Tkachuk unavailable, how the club makes its line combinations. Naturally, that's a big hole to fill.

Unless there's a last-minute change of heart, and that can always happen, this space noted Monday that we can expect Nick Paul to start on the top line with Josh Norris and Drake Batherson. It's a move that makes sense because he's a reliable forward who can play up and down the lineup.

There are some interesting decisions to make in the middle because at this point Norris is the No. 1 centre and there's no reason, based on his work last season, that will change. Behind him, plenty of guys will be trying to push for playing time.

The Senators didn't even have Chris Tierney pencilled into this group in the off-season, but with little trade value, he's back and, by all accounts, determined to push for more time. If that's the case, he'll be in the mix for the second line with Colin White and Shane Pinto.

Pinto wasn't supposed to play in the club's 4-3 rookie-game win over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday in Brossard, Que., but an injury to centre Phillipe Daoust pressed him into service. Pinto was impressive and that should give him some confidence heading into camp.

Centre Logan Brown signed a qualifying offer on the weekend and will be at camp. If he can stay healthy, he's got a chance to show he can earn some playing time in the middle. If that's not in Ottawa, maybe it's elsewhere because the club has to waive him to send him down.

Forward Angus Crookshank is listed among the 54 players but suffered what appeared to be a knee injury Monday that will keep him out long term.

The competition on the back end should also be intriguing.

Smith wants to pair Thomas Chabot with Artem Zub in camp to see if that duo can work. The thinking is the club would like to play Chabot a little less so he's more effective at both ends of the ice. If this club is going to be successful, Chabot has to be more involved in the offence.

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2021-09-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

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