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Wednesday, November 3, 1999
A thin blue line
Gardiner, Prospal the bait as Sens seek defensive help
WASHINGTON -- Bruce Gardiner figures his next check could be at a check-in counter.
With the Senators searching for a defenceman, the Ottawa winger knows he's one of the players who could be sent packing if general manager Marshall Johnston has a chance to bring in help for the blue line.
The Senators lost defenceman Sami Salo for eight-10 weeks and will find out today just how bad the injury to Igor Kravchuk's knee is, though coach Jacques Martin has already said the veteran will be out for an extended period.
Defenceman Karel Rachunek has been called-up from the IHL's Grand Rapids Griffins and will get the opportunity to prove himself, but the club needs another defenceman.
That means Johnston is going to have to make move.
'NOT WORRIED'
"I'm not worried ... not at all," said Gardiner. "Being traded is part of the business and if it happens, it happens. There's nothing you can do about it.
"Everybody believes that in this situation that something is going to be done. When you lose two defencemen like Kravchuk and Salo with injuries, you know that the organization is going to be re-evaluating everything.
"They're going to do what's best to help the club and that means somebody could be traded. I know I could be one of those guys."
Johnston intensified his search for help last night when he travelled to Pittsburgh to watch the Penguins and Los Angeles Kings after spending all of Monday working the phones from his Atlanta hotel room.
It's believed the Senators are floating Gardiner and struggling centre Vaclav Prospal to teams interested in making a deal. Whether they might draw some interest isn't known.
The Chicago Blackhawks are trying to unload defencemen Bryan Muir, Dave Manson and Jamie Allison, while the Tampa Bay Lightning have made it clear that Pavel Kubina is available for the right price.
The Senators have to decide what they can give up. The possibility also exists, after losing winger Steve Martins on waivers, that Johnston will try to make a deal for future considerations.
'NOT WORRIED'
"I can't worry about things I can't control," said Gardiner, sitting in a locker stall playing nervously with his hat. "In the situation we're in, you're going to hear things and there's nothing I can do about that."
Gardiner does want to stay in Ottawa. He's been here three seasons, became a father last summer and likes the area.
"It's part of the game and you can't be worried about it. There's a lot of decisions that have to be made right now. Everybody just wants this team to go in the right direction."
The 27-year-old, who signed a $525,000 US contract during training camp, isn't paid to score a lot of goals, but he hasn't had one in seven games this season. Playing with Prospal and newcomer Joe Juneau, Gardiner is expected to contribute at least a bit.
"I'm not supposed to be an offensive player, but you have to contribute every so often," said Gardiner. "The thing for me right now is skating hard and playing well defensively. Offensively, I've been getting a lot of chances.
"I don't want to pressure myself to score goals, but I do want to contribute. I don't think it's been a struggle for me. Obviously, I haven't scored, but I've been getting some chances and sooner or later they'll go in."
He just isn't sure if his next goal is going to come in an Ottawa uniform.
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