By Ian Mendes
SPORTSNET.CA
Even though they desperately crave a skilled defenseman, the Ottawa Senators were never really in the Brian Campbell sweepstakes.
Despite speaking to Campbell’s Ottawa-based agent Larry Kelly on several occasions on Tuesday, Ottawa general manager Bryan Murray conceded he did not have the money to meet their demands. Campbell chose an offer from the Chicago Blackhawks that far exceeded anything Ottawa could offer.
“The last time I talked to Larry Kelly, the numbers and the term were at such a point that with our cap situation, it didn’t work,” Murray said on Tuesday afternoon.
The Senators general manager feels he did enough to try and lure Campbell back to Ottawa — the city where he played his junior hockey.
“I talked to Campbell’s people six or seven times today,” Murray said. “The agent has to filter through all the offers that come in with the players and their families. And that’s what happened in Brian’s case.”
Campbell for his part felt it would have been nice to return "home," if it could have worked out.
“(Ottawa) was probably a top three for me," Campbell said following his signing with Chicago. "I talked to them a little bit, but it just didn’t work out.
"My heart is still here in a lot of ways. I’m a little disappointed, but that happens. I’m excited about Chicago, but Ottawa was definitely a place I wanted to come back to.”
The Senators need to replace Wade Redden on the blue line, after the veteran and the club officially parted ways on Tuesday. Murray said he will continue his pursuit of a puck-moving, offensive-minded defenceman in the next few days.
“There’s a variety of people still out there. We’ve had conversations with a couple of players,” he said. “This is still a long ways from being over. We would like to get another defenceman and one more forward.”
The Senators did make one move on Tuesday, agreeing to terms on a two-year, $2-million contract with netminder Alex Auld.
“He chose Ottawa over some other teams because he thinks he can get some games here,” said Murray, who originally drafted Auld when he was with the Florida Panthers. “He’s a really good guy and competitive and he’s going to be great in our locker room.”
The club also had no news on the negotiating front with restricted free agents Andrej Meszaros and Antoine Vermette. Both players are now free to offer their services to other clubs, who may send them an offer sheet — a risk Murray is well aware of.
“There’s always that fear,” he said. “But I believe they both want to be here. Our numbers are not that far apart. If they choose to take an offer sheet from another team, my decision would be based on what we could handle at that time.”
