Yesterday we looked for reasons to think that there would be growth from within (focusing on the forwards), and pretty much determined that the cupboard that Bryan Murray is leaving behind for Pierre Dorion isn't exactly teeming with potential. Not quite what John Muckler left for Murray, but certainly not a packed lineup. Lots of guys who can play bottom 6 minutes, but in terms of high end prospects, there is certainly a lack.

We (I) also determined that there needs to be an upgrade, if for nothing else, Clarke MacArthur insurance. I think Ottawa's projected top 6 really does have 6 top-6 forwards, but probably lacking in true first line players, and after that the drop-off is pretty significant, unless you believe that Zack Smith is a perennial 25-goal scorer.

So that means finding help from outside the organization. Free Agency, trade and (if they are 2% lottery lucky) the draft. So we won't count on the draft.

Trading might be a possibility, but in most cases to get something you are going to have to give something and the Senators aren't in a position to get thinner in any areas to shore up. With the Cap not likely moving a whole lot, there may be some bad contracts out there, or guys that teams just can't fit in, that might be available but is that going to be someone who knocks one of the current top 6 out of that role? Maybe Matt Duchene or Scott Hartnell, but what would Ottawa have to send in return?

So that leaves free agency.

Set aside the pipe dreams that if Steven Stamkos is willing to go to the province with the highest marginal tax rate that he would eschew his hometown, free spending Leafs for the Senators. Not going to happen.

This isn't a fantastic crop of unrestricted free agents set to enter the market come July, but there are certainly some names that are pretty interesting, even if they aren't the upper echelon players.

David Backes (32 years old in July), Milan Lucic (28), Andrew Ladd (30) and Kyle Okposo (28) are three names that are the most intriguing to me. Lucic currently makes the most money of the three, with a salary this season of $6.5M and cap hit of $6M. Backes is making $4.75 this year with a cap hit of $4.5M, Ladd $4.4M cap hit, $4.5M salary and Okposo is the biggest current bargain with a cap hit of just $2.8M and a salary of $4.5M.

All four are going to get paid regardless of where they go, and really are guys that would be an upgrade on the current Senators' top 6, in different spots and would likely move MacArthur to a 3rd line role (if healthy) and a guy who can step up in case of injury or a shakeup is needed. The salaries they are going to command might be out of Ottawa's price range, so they might be pipe dreams as well.

You could even experiment with keeping the effective trio of Mark Stone - Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Zack Smith together as a third line that could be scary on any given night.

Backes is the oldest of the group, but is also the most versatile and could play any forward position which would give (Insert name of new head coach here) a lot of interesting options. He also might not require the size and length of contract of the other three, who have more prime years ahead of them.

The big question is will the Senators ante up for an elite upgrade or will the continue to go with the dollars per point philosophy that has kept them in the middle of the pack for so long. Not good enough to be considered a contender, but not bad enough to hit rock bottom and get a legitimate top end prospect that they haven't had internally since Jason Spezza (excluding Erik Karlsson from that group because who really expected to get what they had from Karlsson?)

If they don't spend the money, you could be looking at guys like David Perron, Troy Brouwer, Kris Versteeg type of guys, who would be a nice addition but not exactly lineup-changing and relatively lateral moves.

If they were really going to ante up, signing a Sean Monahan or Nathan MacKinnon to an offer sheet would really rock the boat, but they don't have their second rounder next year that would be necessary to make such an offer.

So it is going to be interesting when the game of musical chairs begins, but I sense there will be a level of frustration among the Senators fan base when the music stops and the team hasn't made the upgrades they were hoping for.

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