With the trade deadline approaching, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion confirmed yesterday that he has had trade talks with Avalanche general manger Joe Sakic (via Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun). However, Dorion noted that the Avalanche’s current asking price is too high.
“I’ve talked to (Sakic), as I’ve talked a lot of my other counterparts, and maybe some names aren’t out there,” Dorion said during an appearnce on TSN 1200. “It’s the right thing to do to kick tires to find out what’s available and what’s not available from their team.
“I don’t think the reports are always accurate and sometimes it’s better to hear from the horse’s mouth. Joe and I talked and, at this point in time, I can’t see us going in that direction. It wouldn’t make sense. We want to do something to try to improve the team and making deals is very difficult to do.
“We’re second after Florida as far as making deals but I can’t see us mortgaging everything in the future and some stuff in the present to get one or two or whatever players are out there. I think we have to be realistic that we want to improve but to give up three, four or five assets would be something that would be very difficult to do.”
Dorion didn’t mention which players were discussed, but Garrioch assumes the general manager was eyeing Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog, who is believed to be on the trade block. The writer notes that Colorado would presumably want defenseman Cody Ceci, a first-round pick in 2017, one of the Senators’ top prospects (Thomas Chabot or Colin White) and other pieces in exchange for the veteran. Landeskog’s been having a below-average season, scoring 11 goals and collecting 11 assists in 43 games.
The Senators made a deal for former Sharks forward Tommy Wingels last month, and Dorion has noted that he’d welcome an additional forward or defender.
Landeskog is not a center and is having a terrible season, not a “solid season”
Oof, that’s a lot to ask in return for him, if that’s indeed what they’ve been talking about. Get Murray on the phone with Sakic. He’ll get it done.
No way I’m giving up a prospect like chabot or white plus a first rounder.
I think Sakic is going to have just hold onto these guys. His asking price is very high and teams nowadays just aren’t going to bend over backwards to drain their prospect system to get a guy like Landeskog, who is valuable but not worth multiple top prospects from an organization. I think GMs nowadays are so afraid of losing trades, especially knowing how long it takes to bring prospects along, that they these types of trades simply aren’t going to happen.