Newcomers

The Senators welcome Randy Robitaille to the fold tonight as he will make his debut against the Montreal Canadiens. An interesting depth addition, Robitaille is another hometown boy that GM Bryan Murray has brought in since taking charge. Robitaille is no stranger to being the newcomer in an NHL dressing room which means two things: he's good enough that people want to bring him but he's not so good that teams do not want to let him go. A player with some skill and offensive flair who has never been able to find a niche in the NHL. The intention seems to be to start him tonight on the fourth line, between Shean Donovan and Cristoph Schubert with the possibility of augmenting his ice time with some powerplay minutes. At this stage, he seems to be a depth player, possibly allowing them to send Nick Foligno to the AHL for some good minutes and a confidence boost and giving them a proven NHL player to slide into different spots in the lineup in the event of injuries. I don't imagine this ends Murray's search for a top-six forward but it certainly allows him to take his time and find the right fit. The signing has little downside and the potential upside of Robitaille finding a groove and producing something in line with his talent while surrounded with the good examples in the Senators' lineup and the comforts of home. We'll see tonight how he steps for the first time on this road.