Should the Ottawa Senators Trade for a Defenseman?

Time is ticking for the Ottawa Senators to make a trade before the deadline. With the Sens currently battling to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017, the argument could be made that Steve Staios owes it to this team to do his very best to somehow be a buyer and push this team into the playoffs. I use the word somehow, because it’s going to be tough. Buyers have been extremely aggressive thus far, meaning the Senators would have to be ready to give up a decent amount on any noteworthy deal. To make it even more challenging, the Senators are tight against the cap. I’ve already made some forward trade suggestions, which seems like the obvious trade route for Staios to pursue. What about adding a d-man? Would it make sense, and who’s available? Let’s dive into the details!

READ MORE: Ottawa Senators Trade Deadline Preview

The Case for Adding a Defenseman

The reason to add a defenseman is simple- the defenseman coming in would be seen as an upgrade on one of the current d-men. It’s not as if they’d bring in a guy to sit in the pressbox just in case of injury. It’s also not as if the Senators group of d-men is so great that they shouldn’t explore the possibility of an upgrade. Tyler Kleven has shown promise, but he’s also just a rookie. Travis Hamonic is a limited player at this point. Nikolas Matinpalo has shown some promise, but he’s still a work in progress. Jacob Bernard-Docker has his question marks as well. Even Artem Zub has been inconsistent this season, and Nick Jensen’s play hasn’t been quite as good lately as it was early in the season.

The Senators have to treat every game like the playoffs at this point. Do you remember the last time the Sens were in the playoffs? There’s nothing scarier as a fan in those big games than when those defensemen that you don’t fully trust are on the ice. The Florida Panthers seemingly had six guys that they trusted last payoffs, to some extent. This season, they didn’t feel that way, so they made a huge trade by adding Seth Jones.

The Case Against Adding a Defenseman

The Ottawa Senators have eight defensemen on their roster right now. They’re already having trouble figuring out what to do with Bernard-Docker. They are also, as mentioned, extremely tight against the cap. Making a deal work right now, both in terms of the cap and available roster spots on the back-end would be challenging to say the least.

Who’s Available

Let’s take a look at some potentially available defensemen for the Ottawa Senators to pursue:

Right Defensemen:

• Brandon Carlo (Boston Bruins): RD, $4.1 million cap hit, two years
• David Savard (Montreal Canadiens): RD, $3.5 million cap hit, UFA
• Connor Murphy (Chicago Blackhawks): RD, $4.4 million cap hit, one year remaining

Left Defensemen:

• Carson Soucy (Vancouver Canucks): LD, $3.3 million cap hit, one year remaining
• Jamie Oleksiak (Seattle Kraken): LD, $4.6 million cap hit, one year remaining
• Matt Grzelcyk (Pittsburgh Penguins): LD, $2.75 million cap hit, UFA
• Mario Ferraro (San Jose Sharks): LD, $3.25 cap hit, one year remaining

The Bottom Line

A right shot defenseman makes more sense here. None of the cap hits above are overwhelming, although the Senators would have to shed some salary to make it work. Of the players above, I’ve seen enough of Brandon Carlo to have an appreciating for his game. At 28 years old and with two years left on his deal, I like the idea of going after a guy that isn’t a pure rental. Of course, that would come at a cost. For me, I’m much more willing to give up valued futures for someone with term left on their deal.

I won’t be writing about how Staios needs to add Brandon Carlo or he should be fired! I’m pretty level-headed about the Senators current situation. They are competing to earn a wild card spot, not to become a favourite for the Stanley Cup. They have no cap space, and they have a weak prospect pool. It seems a lot more likely for this type of deal to go down in the off-season. Hamonic will be off the books, and the Senators will have a clearer idea of what to make of Matinpalo and Bernard-Docker. My hope is that Staios is addressing all possibilities to make this team better, so adding a defenseman should be in play. Will it happen before the deadline? I would bet against it. Adding a depth forward is the more likely move tomorrow.