Senators waive Bernard-Docker, Sokolov to send them to AHL

Another day, another Ottawa Senators first-round pick on the waiver wire.

The Senators waived defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker and forward Egor Sokolov, along with blue-liner Jacob Larsson and winger Matthew Highmore, in order to assign all four to their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, the NHL club announced Monday night.

Ottawa also sent goaltender Kevin Mandolese, rearguards Tyler Kleven and Nikolas Matinpalo, and forwards Zack Ostapchuk and Cole Reinhardt to Belleville. Those five players don’t require waivers to be demoted.

The Sens drafted Bernard-Docker 26th overall in 2018. He then spent three years at North Dakota. The 23-year-old has played the majority of his pro career with Belleville, collecting four goals and 11 assists in 99 games over the last two seasons. He’s played briefly with Ottawa, registering a pair of helpers in 32 games across three campaigns.

Sokolov, who’s also 23 years old, signed a one-year, two-way contract worth the league minimum of $775,000 at the NHL level in September. The Senators selected Sokolov 61st overall in 2020.

On Saturday, Ottawa placed defenseman Lassi Thomson on waivers, and the Anaheim Ducks claimed him Sunday. The Sens chose the 23-year-old 19th overall in 2019.

Ottawa forward Shane Pinto remains without a contract for the upcoming season. The 22-year-old is a “10.2c” player, meaning he hasn’t played enough to obtain Group 2 (standard) restricted free-agent status.

Pinto – who played with Bernard-Docker for two years at North Dakota – notched 20 goals and 15 assists while playing all 82 games in his first full NHL campaign in 2022-23. Ottawa picked Pinto 32nd overall in 2019.

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