Ottawa Senators Trade Deadline Preview

We are two days away from the NHL’s trade deadline! The Ottawa Senators find themselves in the thick of a jam packed playoff race, with several teams in the mix for the two Eastern Conference Wild Card spots. Steve Staios will have some tough decisions to make. On the one hand, this is a franchise desperate for playoff hockey. Their core, led by Brady Tkachuk, has never played in the playoffs. The team as a whole has gone a franchise worst seven years in a row without making the playoffs. On the other hand, they certainly aren’t viewed as true contenders. They also have limited cap space, and they don’t necessarily have a ton of assets to offer up in trades. So, what’s Staios going to do to help this team compete both now and in the future? Let’s dive into the details with a trade deadline preview!

READ MORE: Three Players That Need to Step Up For the Ottawa Senators

Temper Expectations

Let’s face it, the Ottawa Senators aren’t likely to do a whole lot. The talk around trading Josh Norris or Drake Batherson, or bringing in a big-time player seems poorly timed right now. If those types of deals were to happen, they would likely happen in the off-season. The cap is tight for not just the Ottawa Senators, but also a lot of other teams. Once the off-season comes around, it’s a chance for teams to reset and make those bigger moves.

For now, it seems more likely that Steve Staios will pursue lesser moves. The type of moves that don’t require huge amounts of futures going the other way. The Senators have a weak prospect pool, and still have to decide whether they’re giving up their first round pick this year or next from the Evgenii Dadonov debacle. They don’t have a ton of easy ways to clear cap space, either. Jacob Bernard-Docker might be a trade chip, but who knows if Staios could find any takers there. Anton Forsberg is another option, but again, would there be a team that’s interested enough in him?

Depth Pieces in Play

Three weeks ago, I wrote about three forwards that the Senators should pursue at the deadline. Good news, all three of those forwards are still available: Brandon Tanev from the Seattle Kraken, Justin Brazeau from the Boston Bruins, and Ryan Donato from the Chicago Blackhawks. With regards to Tanev, he has a 10 team no-trade list, so he could block a trade here if he wanted to. It was just over a year ago that the Senators were linked to his brother, Chris. In the end, he became a Dallas Star, and then chose to join the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent. If the rumours are true, it sounds like Staios has a bit of an infatuation with the Tanev’s, which makes sense given their work ethic and strong defensive play. The problem is, if it’s not a mutual feeling, Brandon could do the same as his brother and end up elsewhere.

As for the other two, the good news is that both those teams have shown that they are sellers. The bad news is, Ryan Donato is red hot right now, possibly upping the asking price from the Blackhawks. Since the start of February, Donato has 7 goals and 16 points in 10 games. Brazeau’s play has gone the other way. He has gone pointless in 12 games and goalless in 17 straight. He’s also been a healthy scratch during that time. So basically, he’d probably come cheap, but is it even worth it?

Who else might Staios target that isn’t too expensive? Luke Kunin is a physical forward from the San Jose Sharks. Michael McCarron is a tough, 6’6″ forward with the Nashville Predators, although he has a year left on his deal.

Pricier Options

I’ve been focusing on forwards because the Ottawa Senators already have a logjam on defense. They have a solid top four with Sanderson, Zub, Chabot and Jensen, although Jensen has been playing less minutes lately. Beyond that, they have Kleven, Matinpalo, Hamonic and Bernard-Docker as bottom pair options. Adding a forward just seems to make more sense. Let’s call these the more fun but much less likely options. These players would either cost a decent amount, or have term left on their deals.

• Brock Boeser is set to hit free agency, but his current cap hit is $6.65 million. Vancouver will be asking for a big return there.
• Scott Laughton is a name Sens fans have heard of before as a potential trade target. He has a year left on his deal and his two way play probably makes him more expensive than his so-so stats would make you think.
• The St.Louis Blues would ask a lot for Brayden Schenn, and he still has three years left on a deal that has a $6.5 million cap hit.
• JJ Peterka is a 23 year old who has scored 49 points in 58 games. He scored 28 goals last season. The question isn’t whether the Senators should be interested in him. It’s why the heck would the Buffalo Sabres trade him?

I do expect Staios to make some big moves, but probably not until the off-season. A depth forward makes the most sense right now. Now that I’ve listed all these options and mentioned not to expect anything huge, watch as Mikko Rantanen heads to the Ottawa Senators in a blockbuster!