MacKenzie Weegar’s stop in Ottawa was brief, but it came with a little bit of what-ifs attached.
The Utah Mammoth defenceman was back in his hometown on Friday night, sharing dinner with his family at his parents’ place in Barrhaven before his club faced the Senators on Saturday at Canadian Tire Centre and then headed back to Salt Lake City late that night. It was a short homecoming, but one that naturally stirred up the possibility of a different hockey path.
There was a point last season when Ottawa might have been the destination.
The Senators and Flames had several conversations between Steve Staios, Ottawa’s president of hockey operations and general manager, and Calgary GM Craig Conroy, but the pieces never lined up. Ottawa didn’t have the assets to complete the deal, and Weegar ended up going to Utah instead when he waived his full no-move clause on March 4, just days before the NHL trade deadline. Calgary received defenceman Olli Maatta, prospect forward Jonathan Castagna and three draft picks in the swap.
Weegar said he had heard the chatter that he could land with the Senators, but Ottawa was never actually presented to him by the Flames.
“I always give thought to Ottawa,” Weegar told the Ottawa Citizen following the Mammoth’s morning skate on Saturday. “It’s obviously home, but there wasn’t any trade talks that came in front of me with (Conroy) about that, so I didn’t have any options really with that.
For Weegar, the move to Utah has turned out to be a comfortable one. He’s on a contract that pays him $6.25 million U.S. per season through 2030-31, and he’s settled in as a top-four defenceman for a team that believes it’s ready to take another step.
“It’s been great. It’s been an easy change, honestly. I think at first, when I first got traded last year, you’re just trying to get yourself comfortable and get relationships,” Weegar said.
“You’re growing as fast as you can, just to make it feel a little bit more like home. But I think this year I feel a lot more like myself and having a lot more fun this year.
And just knowing everybody at training camp, and familiar faces coming in at training camp, always helps me a lot. I’ve been having a blast with Utah.”
Before the game, Weegar was sitting No. 2 in the NHL in blocked shots with 47 and No. 14 in hits with 55 this season, a snapshot of the kind of player he’s become: physical, reliable and willing to pay the price.
That’s exactly why Ottawa had interest in him. The Senators saw a defenceman who would fit their needs, even if the trade never got close enough to happen.
In Other News...
Senators Face An Early Test With Lineup Questions Still Lingering
The Senators get right back to work at Canadian Tire Centre with a matchup that should tell them a little more about where they stand this early in the season. Ottawa and Utah both enter at 10-6-1, and the Senators are trying to build on a tight 2-1 win over Buffalo while the Mammoth arrive after a 5-4 overtime loss to Montreal. Both clubs are dealing with injuries, but each has still put together projected lineups, which at this point of the schedule is often as revealing as the standings themselves.
For Ottawa, the bigger question is not just the opponent but how much certainty the lineup will actually have once puck drop gets closer. The Senators have been managing absences while trying to keep their recent momentum intact, and the game presents another chance to test their depth against a team with similar results so far. There is still some pregame uncertainty hanging over the group, and how the final lineup settles in could matter just as much as the result against a Mammoth team that has already shown it can push games deep into the night. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Face A Carter Yakemchuk Decision That Could Shape Their Blue Line
Tyler Klevens return has given Ottawa a healthier look on the back end, but it has also created one of those early-season roster puzzles that can linger for weeks. Travis Green now has to decide how to handle Carter Yakemchuk, a young defender whose offensive upside is obvious enough to keep him in the conversation, even as his positioning and puck management have made his learning curve hard to ignore.
The Senators have options, and none of them are simple. Green can keep Yakemchuk in the mix, shift him in and out with Nikolas Matinpalo, or consider a longer developmental reset with Belleville if the growing pains start to outweigh the flashes. For now, Yakemchuk is getting the nod as Ottawa faces the Utah Mammoth, which at least buys the club a little more time before the bigger blue-line decision comes due. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Face A Goalie Decision As Another Lineup Concern Grows
The Senators are heading into their matchup with the Utah Mammoth carrying a couple of lineup questions, and both sit in spots that matter. Ridly Greig is dealing with a lower-body injury, while Tyler Kleven has gotten back on the ice after missing the previous game with an illness, giving Ottawa at least one encouraging sign as it prepares to host Utah.
The bigger uncertainty is in net, where the club is still sorting through Linus Ullmarks status after he continued to progress in practice. Ottawa has not had much time to settle the crease situation with another game on deck, and with Greig likely unavailable, the Senators could be forced to adjust both up front and in goal before puck drop. [Read more 🡒]