We are now less than two weeks away from the NHL Trade Deadline and talks are heating up. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Ottawa Senators.
It has been a bit of an up-and-down year for Ottawa as they’ve been able to hold their own against half of the North Division but have been dominated badly by the other half. The end result has them about where many expected, in the basement but showing signs of improvement as the season progresses. However, with where they are, they’re not yet in a position where they’ll be trying to add players at the deadline.
Record
12-21-4, 7th in North Division
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$25.2MM in full-season space ($35.87MM at the trade deadline), 0/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2021: OTT 1st, OTT 2nd, SJ 2nd, OTT 3rd, OTT 6th, OTT 7th
2022: OTT 1st, OTT 2nd, TB 2nd, OTT 3rd, OTT 4th, OTT 5th, OTT 6th, OTT 7th, SJ 7th
Trade Chips
When you’re a team in the basement, rentals are usually the currency to be moved and that’s no exception here. Erik Gudbranson is no doubt overpaid at $4MM but can still help a third pairing of some playoff-bound squads. This is the time of year where teams will look for grit and he provides plenty of that as he’s one of the more physical blueliners in the league. Teams also tend to look for players who can play shorthanded and Gudbranson does that too. It’ll certainly take some retention in order to facilitate a trade but as long as Ottawa is willing to do so, there should be a market for the 29-year-old if they don’t work out any sort of contract extension first.
From the day that Ottawa acquired Ryan Dzingel, it felt like he could be on the move again. The winger has actually produced relatively well since joining the team with five goals in 12 games but with their young group of forwards, he’s someone that seemingly doesn’t fit into their long-term plans. Again, some retention will be needed as he carries a $3.375MM cap hit but he could fit the bill for a team looking for depth scoring. Mike Reilly, a puck-moving defenseman, should also draw some interest. He’s more affordable than Gudbranson with a $1.5MM price tag and already has 15 assists on the season.
As for a non-rental player, Logan Brown has been in trade speculation for a while after his agent Andy Scott sounded off about Ottawa’s treatment of his client back in October of 2019. The 11th-overall pick in 2016 has just 29 career NHL games under his belt and doesn’t appear to be a big part of their long-term plans. What doesn’t help here is that Brown has been out for most of the AHL season with no timeline for a return but this is a situation where teams may be trying to buy low knowing that the pending restricted free agent will be waiver-eligible next season. Of course, GM Pierre Dorion isn’t obligated to provide the center with a change of scenery at this juncture but it wouldn’t be surprising to see teams call about his possible availability.
Others to Watch For: D Josh Brown ($1.2MM through 2021-22), D Braydon Coburn ($1.7MM, UFA)
Team Needs
1) Draft Picks – With the possible exception of Logan Brown, none of the others on this list are likely to garner enough interest to the point where a quality prospect would be involved. Instead, they’re more likely to be worth mid to late-round draft picks. The Sens are down fourth and fifth-rounders from trades that brought in veterans and these next couple of weeks represent a good opportunity to replenish those.
2) Impact Defenseman – While this goes directly against the idea of being a seller, Ottawa’s back end has been a problem for a while now. There is hope on the horizon with some of their prospects and it even appears that Jacob Bernard-Docker is going to get a look once he gets through quarantine. But a stabilizing top-four option would really help this roster. It would take some pressure off the youngsters that are developing and ideally lessen the need to play Thomas Chabot over 30 minutes a night, a mark he has surpassed in four of the last six games. If there’s an opportunity to take advantage of a cap-strapped team to add such a blueliner, they’d be wise to take it now rather than wait until the offseason when such a move may make more sense.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.