Three Forwards the Ottawa Senators Should Target via Trade

With the Ottawa Senators season on pause for the 4 Nations Face-Off, now makes a great time to take a look at the trade market. The Senators are looking to be buyers this time around, sitting in a playoff spot as they head into their final two months of the season. With injuries currently impacting their forward group, especially Nick Cousins’ long term knee injury, it makes sense for Steve Staios to target a forward. Let’s dive into the best three forward trade options for the Ottawa Senators.

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What Can the Ottawa Senators Afford?

I think it’s important to start with some realism. The Ottawa Senators will be without a first round pick in one of the next two seasons due to the Evgenii Dadonov fiasco. They also have a rather weak prospect pool. Then of course, there’s the Senators lack of cap space. They also aren’t exactly a true cup contender. For all those reasons, you won’t see the types of players on this list that would require huge returns. The Senators are most likely to look to trade mid-round picks or mid-level prospects.

Brandon Tanev

Reasoning: Tanev is the last year of his contract, with a cap hit of $3.5 million. That started off as a six year deal that a lot of people criticized at the time. Tanev ended up making it through the contract as a solid bottom six forward that brings a lot in the way of energy and physicality. Here’s his statline this season:

• 55 games, 9 goals, 17 points, 14:05 time on ice per game

Here are a few deeper stats: He has 114 hits, ranking him third on Seattle. His 87 blocked shots rank first in the NHL among forwards. He gets offensive zone starts just 43% of the time, ranking second last on Seattle. He leads Seattle with 2:18 shorthanded time on ice per game.

You get the idea. He’s a defense first forward, willing to sacrifice his body to help the team. He plays with speed and grit, two assets that could help the Senators a lot in their playoff push. With the Seattle Kraken 11 points out of a playoff spot, it would make sense for them to trade Tanev, seeing as he is a 33 year old who is set to hit free agency this summer.

Justin Brazeau

Reasoning: Brazeau is set to be a free agent this summer, and is earning just $775,000 this season. Brazeau has been a feel good story with the Boston Bruins this season. In 2019 he finished his time in the OHL. From there, he spent most of the next five seasons split between the ECHL and the AHL. He earned some NHL time last season, and this season he has become a regular. Here are his current numbers:

• 53 games, 10 goals, 20 points, 13:04 time on ice per game

A few other numbers to note: Brazeau is a giant, standing at 6’5″, 225 pounds. He’s not the meanest or most physical player, but he’s a willing competitor, and he’s thrown 81 hits this year. He’s used on the power play a little bit (1:30 per game), but not on the penalty kill. Boston’s next couple of weeks will determine whether they are sellers at the deadline. What we do know is that Boston and Ottawa are willing trade partners, fresh off the summertime deal that saw Linus Ullmark come to Ottawa. Brazeau has been cold recently, though, with no points in his last eight games. He was even a healthy scratch during that time.

Ryan Donato

Reasoning: Donato is a good target if Staios is looking to add more of an offensive minded forward. He’s also set to hit free agency this summer, and he currently has a $2 million cap hit. Let’s take a look at his numbers this season with the Chicago Blackhawks:

• 53 games, 19 goals, 37 points, 15:02 time on ice per game

Donato has already played for five teams in his career and he’s only 28 years old. His 19 goals and 37 points are already career highs. One has to wonder if playing on such a weak team is why he’s putting up these types of numbers. On the other hand, he’s thrown his body around this season with 89 hits, and he’s the Blackhawks most productive play at even strength with 29 points. The Blackhawks will be sellers at the deadline, but if they can’t get a good return on Donato, they might be better off just re-signing him.

Honorable Mentions

Jake Evans is a hard-working forward that’s about to hit free agency with the Montreal Canadiens. If Staios is looking for a more offensive forward, Gustav Nyquist scored 75 points last season with Nashville. This season, like the rest of the team, he’s seen his numbers fall off to just 20 points in 53 games. If the Boston Bruins are indeed sellers, Trent Frederic is another big forward that is set to become a free agent this summer.