GARRIOCH: Senators general manager Pierre Dorion gets to work with the draft next week

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The NHL won’t have its usual fireworks display on Canada Day, but it could signal the start of changes to the Ottawa Senators roster.

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With the league rescheduling the usual free agent frenzy until July 13 at noon due to the late end of the season, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion and his staff are about to kick off what will be a busy three weeks. for the organization.

Not only is the NHL Draft scheduled for July 7-8 at the Bell Center in Montreal, but the first buyout window for players begins Friday and is open until July 12 at 5 p.m. EDT.

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It’s believed the Senators are weighing their options and it’s possible the club might choose to go that route. The top contender is center Colin White, while goaltender Matt Murray has been mentioned, but that doesn’t seem to be happening.

Defender Michael Del Zotto is another contender with one year remaining at $2 million.

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White has three years left on his contract with a cap of $4.75 million. Under the terms of the collective agreement, the 25-year-old can be bought out at a third of his contract due to his age.

According to the buyout calculator on capfriendly.com, it would cost the organization $5.25 million in real dollars to get away from White. That’s a savings of $10.5 million, so it wouldn’t be shocking if that happened.

Before making that decision, it may make sense for senators to at least explore the trade route. It is believed that they were close to reaching a deal with the Montreal Canadiens before the March deadline, but in the end, the Canadiens didn’t pull the trigger.

Montreal general manager Kent Hughes is White’s former agent and that’s why there was interest in getting the deal done. This could be reconsidered before the draft because senators have time before making a decision.

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As for Murray, it is not known whether he has fully recovered from the concussion he suffered in early March in Arizona. He’s supposed to be ready to return to training camp in September, but if he’s not 100 per cent by now, then buying him back isn’t an option.

Overall, the savings of $5 million of the $15 million in real money remaining on his contract is minimal. The club might be able to trade Murray if he is healthy, as the goalkeeping market is thin and a team or two might be ready to take a chance.

This is not the only business senators have to deal with.

Dorion is wrapping up his interviews for the assistant general manager position to replace Peter MacTavish and a decision on the club’s route could be made before the Senators arrive in Montreal.

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The club have candidates internally and externally, but that should be announced soon.

As for other roster decisions, there’s a lot on Dorion’s plate:

ELIGIBLE OFFERS: The club must make offers to restricted free agents to retain their rights by July 11.

The Senators will have to make qualifying offers to forwards Josh Norris, Alex Formenton and Mathieu Joseph as well as defenseman Erik Brannstrom.

Dorion has publicly stated that defenseman Victor Mete will not be offered a deal and that winger Adam Gaudette, picked up on waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks, will not be brought back either.

A decision must also be made on the future of winger Connor Brown. He’s one year away from unrestricted free agency and teams have said the Senators are open to offers.

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LISTENING ON THE FIRST ROUND: Once the final buzzer sounded about the NHL season, trade talks picked up dramatically.

The Senators listen to the 7th draft pick. It may be too close to home for the club, but we’ve been told the Canadiens are looking for a second-round, top-10 pick and have contacted all the teams to see what’s next. it would take to fetch.

Ideally, Hughes would like to make a splash and the club already have the No.1 selection.

There has been talk of wrapping Murray’s contract with the pick, but that doesn’t make sense unless it’s part of something that will bring the Senators a solid comeback.

Dorion said he wanted a top-four defenseman and a top-line winger.

Minnesota’s Kevin Fiala had been tied to the Senators but was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings on Friday for a first-round pick and a prospect. Then he signed a long-term extension at $7.9 million per season that would not have interested Ottawa.

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The Senators won’t run out of options. Several teams are considering offers and Fiala is only the first domino to fall, while Chicago’s Alex DeBrincat remains on the table.

THE FUTURE OF NIKITA ZAITSEV: He is due to receive a $2 million signing bonus on Friday and has two seasons left on his contract with a cap of $4.5 million.

He’s a useful defender who can help, but he doesn’t belong here anymore. It will be much more attractive to move once the bonus is paid.

The talk is that the Coyotes, Sharks and Hawks are willing to accept contracts with a draft pick to sweeten the deal. It wouldn’t be a surprise if we saw something like this with Zaitsev.

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Twitter: @sungarrioch