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Two teams that the Ottawa Senators have scouted with regularity over the past few weeks in the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets are currently locking horns in the second period at Nationwide Arena. Low and behold, an Ottawa contingent - reported by Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch - is taking in the action, certainly confirming initial beliefs that Ottawa's interest with the two above-mentioned parties is real.
The question, though, is what kind of scouting are the Ottawa Senators doing? The Chicago Blackhawks are buyers, not sellers. They're looking to add help on the back-end, and that's a luxury the Ottawa Senators can provide. The Columbus Blue Jackets, on the other hand, are in full-fledged sell mode. Every asset can be had for the right price. And, with Ottawa in the middle of a playoff race, it does makes a fair bit of sense to poke around the one franchise that's placed largely every roster player on the trading block over the past few weeks.
General Manager Bryan Murray has been adamant that the team will not make a monstrous splash at this year's trade deadline. They're unwilling to part with the prized prospects (e.g. Mika Zibanejad) in order to bring in help for this season's playoff push, and will only make a buyer's move if the additional depth comes at a reasonable cost. So, you can pretty much cross Rick Nash off of the list here.
And sure, Ottawa may very well be scouting the likes of a Jeff Carter, but that too seems a bit unrealistic. The team's not looking to add salary, even if they're ~ $13M under the cap. More than anything else, the front office thinks this current roster - much to the chagrin of analysts in the pre-season - can make a run at the playoffs without sacrificing the future.
Sizing up Columbus' roster, the one name that originally stood out above all else is D Marc Methot, who has been linked to the Ottawa Senators in the past. Methot's a stay-at-home defenseman currently signed for $3M through the 2014-2015 season, and would help provide some insulation in the Ottawa blue line after the inevitable departure of Sergei Gonchar, et al.
The only issue? Methot's out with a broken jaw right now, meaning his status as an available asset is - at best - questionable. There's even a chance that he could miss the rest of the season. In short: There's a good chance Ottawa could be looking at a name past the Ottawa native.
Columbus' defensive corps as per CapGeek:
You have to wonder, though, if the move to bring in a player like Marc Methot(or another CBJ defenseman) is one that signals a seller's move in the near future. After the ridiculous return for Hal Gill hauled in by the Montreal Canadiens, there's no question that the market for a top-four defenseman is gauged exponentially. There's no question that Filip Kuba, Sergei Gonchar, Matt Carkner, and Brian Lee can all be had right now off of the Ottawa roster, and my guess is that the Chicago Blackhawks would show a bit of interest here.
Is it possible that Ottawa could play the role of buyer and seller? Frankly, it'd be genius. Replacing the sunk cost sent away while avoiding to ship off any important picks/prospects could help this team measurably in the future. And, lord knows that the Chicago Blackhawks could use a bit of help on the back-end.
The only caveat? I'm guessing that Chicago's interest would come in the form of Filip Kuba, who has had a bounce back year like no other in 2011-2012. Ottawa's resident traffic cone last season has returned to form, now capable of logging heavy TOI and playing a shutdown role. And, Kuba can chip in offensively - an attribute that the offensive-minded Chicago Blackhawks would covet.
Some in Ottawa would hate to see Kuba go after the season that he's had, but considering Hal Gill just brought Montreal in a top-fifty draft pick and quality prospect in Blake Geoffrion, Bryan Murray might seriously listen to offers.
Right now, it's a lot of speculation, but there's no debating the smoke emanating from Nationwide Arena this afternoon. The question - will there be fire?
Back with more tomorrow.
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