Syracuse Olympic Sports update: — and more

We’re back today to get you caught up on the latest from Syracuse’s Olympic Sports as winter sports hit championship season.

Ice Hockey (14-16-4, 10-11-3):

Syracuse’s season came to an end with a 2-0 series loss to #3 Penn State. The Nittany Lions dominated game 1 with a 7-1 rout, but the Orange pushed them in game 2 before falling by a 2-1 score. Jackson Kinsler scored the lone Syracuse goal while Ava Drabyk made 28 saves in game 2- limiting the powerful Penn State offense to just two goals.

The Orange have a solid piece to build around in Drabyk, who had an outstanding first season. Can they find more scoring and improve the special teams? Syracuse averaged under 2 goals per game this season and their power play was 6th in the AHA while the penalty kill was last. Without a billionaire funding the program, the Orange need to find ways to win in the margins and improving the special teams will be key.

Softball (10-6):

Syracuse went 3-1 at the Terrapin Classic with wins over Fairfield, UMBC and Providence. This triple from Gabby Lantier helped the Orange close out the weekend on a winning note over the Friars.

The Orange head back to Maryland next weekend to compete in the UMBC Tournament in Baltimore.

Track and Field:

Jamir Brown’s 2nd place finish in the 60m hurdles in a time of 7.56 seconds was the top Syracuse performance at the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships. The other scorer for the men was Drew Zundell, who placed 8th in the mile in a time of 4:06.

For the Orange women, Talea Buxton (8.29) took 4th in the 60m hurdles while Tia Outlaw was 8th in a time of 8.50. Both teams finished in 16th place in the team competition, which were won by the Florida State men and Clemson women.

Tennis (5-5, 1-2):

Syracuse got their 1st ACC win with a 5-0 sweep over Boston College. Anastasia Sysoeva and Nelly Knezkova were able to secure the doubles point and then the Orange swept the singles matches.

The Orange will be back home next Sunday to take on SMU with an 11:00 am start at Drumlins

Check out The Feed for this week’s schedule of Syracuse games. We’ll have more updates next week.

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators‘ playoff chances are improving, but getting to the post-season is still going to be a mammoth undertaking. So, does Ottawa stand steadily pat or does it get aggressive? That conundrum is general manager Steve Staios’ riddle to solve.

The Senators sit five points out of a playoff spot. Teams that know they have a shot at making a run in the playoffs usually add strength at the deadline, while those who have fallen out of the race sell assets to build for the future. If you’re in the mushy middle, where a team might or might not make it, it makes for a perplexing deadline. 

If the Senators were to be bold, they would likely not add rentals but wouldn’t trade their rentals, either. In another world, maybe the Senators could try selling off pending unrestricted free agents such as Claude Giroux or David Perron, who would have value for other teams. But the Senators have been bull-headed in pursuing their playoff aspirations and probably won’t want to hurt their playoff odds at the deadline. 

An additional complication for the Senators is that they are staring down another wasted season of Brady Tkachuk’s prime, which would be a stain on their chances to keep No. 7 in the nation’s capital past 2028, when his contract expires.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Senators “think they are better than their record indicates.” 

The team stills believe a playoff berth is doable, and Moneypuck.com agrees: their mathematical formula states that Ottawa’s playoff odds sit at 45 per cent. But with the Senators sitting five points out, call us slightly skeptical. 

The Senators’ hands are also tied for dealing assets, as they have no first-round pick after being punished for botching the 2021 Evgeni Dadonov trade, and few prospects of note outside of Carter Yakemchuk and Logan Hensler. Staios will have limited flexibility, though that was also true last deadline, when he struck a blockbuster Dylan Cozens-for-Josh Norris trade. Don’t be so surprised if a big trade happens but don’t be shocked if it’s a steady, quiet deadline in Ottawa.

Projected deadline-day cap space: $11.6 million
Contracts: 45/50
Retention slots open: 2/3
Draft picks (via PuckPedia):

Needs

The Senators have four glaring needs, but foremost they need a better version of Linus Ullmark or they need goaltending from elsewhere. If you squint, there are reasons to believe.

The Senators’ contention plan needs to be saved by Ullmark. As Friedman said, they are committed to Ullmark.

Despite everything, goaltending likely won’t be addressed at the deadline. 

Meanwhile, it’s evident that the Senators have a hole in their defensive top four. The hope is that one day Yakemchuk and Hensler will be the solutions. The Senators aren’t about to give the keys to Yakemchuk this season; maybe next. But with Tkachuk’s contract up in two seasons, the team might not want to wait. Regardless, with Artem Zub a free agent after next season, if Ottawa wants to be a playoff contender to finish off the season into next, it will keep searching for a top-four right-shot defenceman. 

The Senators also need another scoring forward. The Senators are 11th in goals per game, despite the third-best shots-for-vs.-against ratio in the league. Every night, the team outshoots its opponents but can’t capitalize at a high enough rate because there is no elite sniper to finish off the chances they earn.

No current Senator has scored 40 goals, though Tim Stutzle has the capability to be a 40-goal guy and he’s on pace for that this season. Ultimately, if Staios wants Ottawa to reach another peak, he will need to find another bona fide goal scorer. 

Assets to trade

Carter Yakemchuk: Yakemchuk is the Senators’ best asset not on their roster, although he likely will be by next season. The team views him as an Evan Bouchard-type player. Yakemchuk was leading the AHL in rookie scoring before an injury in December set him back. At six-foot-three and 219 pounds, Yakemchuk is a big-body right-shot defenceman with offensive skill, a rare combination in today’s NHL. The Senators are very reluctant to trade Yakemchuk, as they should be.

But if they were to go big-game hunting to acquire a star defenceman or forward, it likely would require sending out the 2024 seventh-overall pick.

Ridly Greig: The Senators are flush with NHL centres: Stutzle, Shane Pinto, Cozens and Greig. The Senators are unlikely to trade Cozens or Pinto, unless it’s in a deal for a superstar. Meaning, Greig is the most expendable centre, despite his very useful always-annoying-in-a-good-way style. Greig could help Ottawa land an upgrade in an area of need, maybe for a top-four defenceman. Greig is an impactful two-way player with trade value, but his offensive upside seems limited compared to Cozens and Pinto. 

Fabian Zetterlund: Zetterlund was supposed to be impactful; instead, he’s become a fourth-liner making over $4 million a season, while scoring 14 goals and 14 assists in 78 games as a Senator. It’s been a failed experiment. It might be smart for Ottawa to trade him at a low point to recoup a middling asset while gaining much-needed cap space. 

Stephen Halliday: Speaking of centres, Halliday has proven himself to be a very productive NHL player, despite limited minutes. At only 23, Halliday is eighth in the NHL with 2.88 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five in a minimum 100 minutes played. Because of Ottawa’s lack of other assets, Halliday could be a viable piece in a trade.

Logan Hensler: Hensler was chosen 23rd overall in 2025 by the Senators, and with Yakemchuk provides first-round talent in a system that doesn’t have another first-rounder in 2026. If Ottawa wants to make a win-now move, Hensler is an option to be expended. 

Potential targets

MacKenzie Weegar: Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reported that Ottawa native Weegar would potentially waive his no-trade clause to come to the Canadian Tire Centre. Weegar is 32, in the midst of a down season with 21 points in 58 games on the lowly Calgary Flames. He is signed until 2030 at a cap hit of $6.25 million a season. He has offensive touch, physicality and leadership. Acquiring him at a lower-value point could reduce the cost, and last season we witnessed Seth Jones go from lost in a bad environment in Chicago to thriving in Florida on a great team. Ottawa might not have to give up a lot to get a player who was in contention for Team Canada only a year ago as a hugely impactful player. The only downside is that Weegar is paid handsomely into his mid- to late-30s. Bringing in a good player who loves Ottawa worked out for Giroux and could for Weegar as well.

Robert Thomas: For the Senators to take the next step, they need high-level skill. Thomas is that, with three seasons over a point per game under his belt. He’s also very good friends with Tkachuk, which wouldn’t hurt the re-signing pitch to Ottawa’s captain. Thomas is signed until 2031 at $8.125 million a season. With Ottawa not being very active in free agency, acquiring a player with term would be smart. It will cost you a lot, but sometimes it’s better to overpay for star talent than sit idle. 

Jesper Wallstedt: Ullmark may be turning it around slightly. Nevertheless, the eye test still gives grounds for worry. That’s why the Senators will need to address the goaltending position eventually. Ottawa needs a 1A/1B solution in goal to help Ullmark. Wallstedt is a young, upcoming goaltender with a first-round pedigree. Wallstedt has been solid with 0.8 goals saved above expected, and is only 23. Ottawa has given up on too many young netminders in the past; maybe it’s time to take a flyer on one instead of booting them out the door like they did with Ben Bishop, Joey Daccord and Filip Gustavsson. 

Zach Whitecloud: Calgary is selling, and if Ottawa can’t get Weegar as a top-four right-shot defenceman, Whitecloud would be a good consolation prize. Whitecloud has two more years at a team-friendly $2.75-million cap hit. It would be a significant price for Ottawa but likely wouldn’t cost Ottawa an arm or a Yakemchuk. Whitecloud doesn’t have much offensive pop but is big, rangy and can defend.

Notable mentions: Rasmus Ristolainen, Justin Faulk

Other considerations

Ottawa is a small-market team, so be mindful of the real dollars if it takes on money in any deals. It’s likely the Senators will not spend to the cap in years to come as the salary cap rises. 

Mike and Dan are relaxed and excited as the Islanders win three in a row and put themselves in good position for both the playoffs and the NHL Trade Deadline.

We were worried that going into two places they never win in – Montreal and Columbus – and coming back to face the rabid Panthers at home could be a significant hill for the Islanders to climb immediately after the Olympic break. But behind the Disney Dads, Anders Lee and J-G Pageau, and the literally unbelievable Matthew Schaefer, they won all three in uncharacteristically exciting fashion and have us thinking that something special is going on here. Going down 0-2 in each of them isn’t ideal, but coming back to get points and create separation between them and the teams chasing them means everything right now as teams enter their final 24 game stretch.

The wins also mean that the games this week in California against the Ducks, Kings and Sharks have just a little less weight on them. If they can keep the streak going, they have a real chance to lock things up long before the season’s final week, which is huge departure from the last few seasons.

Later, we look ahead to Friday’s NHL Trade Deadline and how the Islanders have positioned themselves to do something big. Adding around the edges might be okay in most seasons, but if they can find some bigger fish to relieve the pressure on their current leaders, they might really scare the rest of the field.

Finally, we pay our respects to two great NHL voices that we have lost recently.

REFERENCES

• The Islanders already made a huge trade (for Bridgeport). Goodbye, Julien Gauthier.
• RIP Jim Robson, who’s call of Bob Nystrom’s goal in 1980 will remain in Islanders and NHL lore forever.
• RIP Boomer Gordon, a great radio host, good person and a friend who will be missed.
• This picture really is incredible:
  

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