Links, News, Notes: Arbitration Station

The Sens news is few and far between... but NHL arbitration hearings are actually being awarded. Your Monday links, news, and notes, now:

• Dobber Hockey's assessment of the Sens' offseason, including some thoughts on Jiri Smejkal, who they see as the wild-card joining the Sens this year
• The latest Elite Sens Brain features a shoutout to me, so you'd better listen
• It's almost a week old, but the Zubcast's latest episode included thoughts on the best malls in Ottawa, along with discussing DeBrincat and the Manns
• The Hockey Writers looks at some of the players in Sens history with Indigenous and Métis roots
• THW also argues Kubalik could be a natural fit in the Sens' top six
• Ian Mendes focuses on Hockey Canada this week, looking at the hesitancy from sponsors, even as new CEO Katherine Henderson steps in
• The Ottawa 67s'  video series Between Barber Poles returns for a Season 2, and is definitely worth a watch, especially if you enjoy hearing Dave Cameron
• Some Kraken news: Vince Dunn extended for four years at $7.35M, and coach Dave Hakstol extended until the end of the 2025-26 season
• Ilya Samsonov was awarded a one-year, $3.55M deal with the Leafs by an arbitrator, which was about $400k lower than people were expecting (Side note: I love Pension Plan Puppets' commitment to using stock images in all their articles)
• Meanwhile, another arbitration award came out for Chicago's Philipp Kurashev, this one for two years and $2.5M per year. It's surprising to have so many negotiations actually going to arbitration, and also to see a two-year award come out
• Some quick league-wide news updates, including on Evan Bouchard, Ryan McLeod, Dawson Mercer, and a potential Tarasenko deal with the Panthers
• Sportsnet released their mid-season power rankings, with Colorado at the top, followed by the depending champs
• The Hockey News lists six of the NHL's most underappreciated players, which always feels silly to me, because it requires someone to appreciate the player to put them on the list. Kevin Fiala seems a funny pick, since he was a much-hyped trade option last summer, but Filip Gustavsson... stings a bit as a Sens fan.
• The UFA class of 2024 is actually a pretty big deal, headlined by Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Sebastian Aho (the Hurricanes one)
• And finally, here's the latest Sens Breakaway, a behind-the-scenes look at the 2023 Draft: