With Ottawa’s cap challenge dating back to the preseason, winger Dominik Kubalik’s presence on the roster has always felt a little tenuous. Acquired in the move that sent Alex DeBrincat to Detroit, the 28-year-old’s inclusion seemed more for contract-matching purposes than filling a specific void in the lineup. To that end, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the Senators have been trying to move Kubalik for the past two months but have yet to find a taker. Kubalik has nine goals and three assists in 41 games so far and is on an expiring contract that carries a $2.5MM cap charge. When Anton Forsberg is ready to return from his injury, the Sens will be in a cap crunch so it wouldn’t be surprising to see GM Steve Staios redouble his efforts to clear Kubalik’s contract from their books.
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- Also from Garrioch’s piece, he suggests that there’s a sense that defenseman Erik Brannstrom and center Mark Kastelic could both be on the move. Brannstrom has been a regular on the third pairing most nights although he briefly lined up as a winger as well. At a $2MM price tag, he’s a possible non-tender candidate this summer as he’ll have arbitration rights so if there’s a team that wants to take a look at him, moving him now would make some sense and help their cap situation. Kastelic, meanwhile, has been scratched several times this month and has just two points in 28 games. However, he does play with a physical edge and is winning over 56% of his draws this season so he could have some value as a depth piece elsewhere.
- The Senators are among the teams believed to have shown some level of interest in Kings winger Arthur Kaliyev, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports in his latest Toronto Star column. The 22-year-old had been a capable secondary scorer the last two seasons but has struggled this year with just six goals and eight assists in 37 games while being healthy scratched with some regularity lately. There’s a connection between Kaliyev and the Sens front office as the winger played for OHL Hamilton in junior, a team run by Staios and owned by new team owner Michael Andlauer.