Former Maple Leafs forward out of luck: cut by the Ottawa Senators

As the Ottawa Senators continue to firm up their opening night roster, another slew of changes were made on Monday evening. After a brutal dismantling 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday at the Kraft Hockeyville celebration in Sudbury, the Senators took the opportunity on Monday evening to make some more roster decisions while giving their players a well-deserved day off. With a week to go before the season opener against the Florida Panthers on October 10, the Senators are in the process of trimming their roster down to its final form.

Some of the moves the team made last night involved former Maple Leafs forward Nikolay Kulemin being let go of his professional tryout contract (PTO). Others that were assigned included goaltender Leevi Merilainen and defensemen Filip Roos and Donovan Sebrango to affiliate AHL team Belleville Senators. This now puts the roster at 16 forwards, nine defensemen, and four goaltenders, as only three preseason games remain. All it took were the Pittsburgh Penguins to light the lamp and school the Senators players for management to finally decide to make some changes. Next up, the Senators will play the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. Their coaches will definitely be hoping for a much better showing this time around.

And with several players still fighting for just a handful of spots, the tough calls are still to come for Steve Staios, the Senators' president of hockey operations and general manager. That included the 38-year-old Nikolay Kulemin, who has been trying to make it back to the NHL after six seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia. Knowing full well the chances of him making the roster were slim, Kulemin was hoping to show he can contribute once again at the highest level of hockey after returning to Canada this summer. Leafs fans will remember he did have several successful seasons playing for the Blue and White, and he was hoping he could have done the same thing for the rival Senators, but that just wasn't the case.

A 44th overall draft choice of the Toronto Maple Leafs back in 2006, Nikolay Kulemin brought a load of experience into the Senators' training camp. He didn't end up making the roster, but he took the opportunity to see if he could make an NHL comeback, seeing as his son Aleks, plays midget AAA hockey in the Toronto area, which isn't too far away from Ottawa. The Senators were happy to extend Kulemin an opportunity to compete, knowing there was no financial cost and that they needed capable players to fill the lineup for their preseason matchups.

While the Senators continue to cut players off their roster, management's attention now falls on fine-tuning their team entering the new season. Head coach Travis Green and his coaching staff will use the final exhibition games to bring players up to speed heading into opening night. The Senators still have some time to fine-tune the lineup, including a second matchup against the Montreal Canadiens at the Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa on Saturday night, but decisions on who will make the final roster will need to be made soon.