Sens' Update: Team Inks Waugh and Smith, Look To Lock Up Meszaros

Over the last week the Ottawa Senators have made minor moves to keep their farm system intact. The Sens re-signed defenseman Geoff Waugh to a one-year two-way contract while inking Zack Smith to a three-year entry-level deal.

Waugh, 24, spent last season with Binghamton of the AHL. In 71 games with the B-Sens he recorded three goals and three assists. The stay-at-home defenseman also compiled 139 penalty minutes.

It is highly unlikely that we will see Waugh in an NHL uniform this season but has been making strides in the right direction. With the Senators having many defensive defensemen on their roster—most notably Chris Phillips, Jason Smith and Anton Volchenkov—the signing of Waugh was made with intentions of developing the Binghamton Senators into a competitive team.

The Winnipeg native has size and strength and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. His offensive skills will have to improve, but Waugh's hockey sense will be the difference-maker in his future NHL career.

Smith, 20, was the Senators' third-round pick in this year's draft. Smith laced up for the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL last year and posted 70 points (22 goals and 48 assists). In the process Smith also picked up 136 PIMs.

After attending the Sens' development camp in July team management seen Smith as a great young talent who has the right mindset to play at the next level. He is responsible on both sides of the puck and can play all three forward positions. In the future he could find himself being a useful forward on the Senators.

With Smith coming out of junior at the age of 20 it’s expected that he will suit up with the B-Sens next season. He could still be returned to junior but only if the Broncos have an over-age card available for him.

The way the numbers stack up it looks like he has slim chance of cracking the Ottawa line-up in six weeks. Don’t be surprised to see Smith play in the majority of the exhibition showdowns. If he doesn't get a spot in the Nation's Capital it would indicate that Smith would head to play his first full season in the AHL in Binghamton.

On another topic there is nothing new on Andrej Meszaros' status. The restricted free-agent has been the centre of recent trade rumours that most notably include the Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks.

Although nothing has occurred it would be reasonable to suggest that we will hear an update on the situation within the next couple weeks. With the season closing in and some teams struggling to come to terms with the salary cap the Senators can certainly make waves before September comes.