Senators AGM on re-signing Hemsky, Michalek: 'They have to accept where they fit in'

The Ottawa Senators are a budget team, not a cap team, and will operate well below the projected $69-70 million dollar salary cap upper-limit next season. 

Currently the Senators have 18 players signed to one-way NHL deals, and roughly $20 million in projected salary cap space - and they could have even more if a rumored Jason Spezza trade comes to fruition. 

While it wouldn't be difficult for the Senators to fill out their roster with cost effective players including restricted free-agents like Matt Hoffman, Eric Gryba and Robin Lehner, the club does have two big name players that are pending unrestricted free-agents in Milan Michalek and Ales Hemsky - who are due to hit the open market in a little over five weeks.

During an interview on TSN1200 on Tuesday, Senators assistant general manager Pierre Dorion discussed the status of Michalek and Hemsky. From the sounds of it, Hemsy and Michalek will have to accept a paycut if either Czech Olympian is to remain in Ottawa next season.

I know (Senators general manager Bryan Murray) has had discussions with (Ales Hemsky's agent) and... with (Milan Michalek's agent), so both those players we've had talks with them. The number has to fit, the number has to make sense, the number of years has to make sense. 

But they're both players who've performed well for us. Y'know, Milan in the years that he's been with us, and Ales - I thought he was a really good deal - he was the player that was traded and had the most points from the trade deadline on so... We'd like to keep both, if we could. But they have to accept where they fit in, in the scheme of things, as far as money wise.