The Ottawa Senators have a well-documented aversion to trading within the Atlantic Division, last summer’s Cody Ceci trade notwithstanding. Because the NHL season is currently on suspension, those rules don’t apply. To help pass the time here at HockeyBuzz, I’m introducing a seven-part series called “Sens Marketplace,… where I’ll pitch a completely fictitious trade between the Senators and each of their Atlantic Division rivals. You can then vote on the substance of each trade, and discuss further in the comments section. If a majority votes to accept the trade from both perspectives, I’ll mark it down as a 'completed' trade. We can then speculate as to what the new and improved Senators roster might look like next year and beyond.
First up, there's the Florida Panthers:
The Trade
To Florida: Nick Paul (RFA) To Ottawa: Brett Connolly
Why Florida Makes the Trade… There were rumors floating around at the trade deadline that Florida’s management had been told by ownership to cut $10M in payroll prior to next season. This deal helps them do that without having to jettison any of their premier names. Connolly is slated to make $3.5M annually through 2022-23; it’s unlikely that Nick Paul will come close to that in his Restricted Free Agent negotiation, even if the Panthers were to extend him. That's a direct path to dollars saved.
Why Ottawa Makes the Trade… Having established himself as a fairly reliable 15-plus goal scorer over the last few seasons, Connolly and his $3.5M cap hit will fit nicely onto a middle-six line for a revamped Ottawa team. The reasonable cap hit and term will keep ownership happy, especially in the event that contract negotiations for players like Anthony Duclair or Connor Brown get uncomfortable due to expensive player asks.
While there’s certainly a debate to be had about the value of veteran presence, it’s clear that this management group and coaching staff value it. With so many prospects likely to graduate next year, you can bet that the Senators would love the idea of adding a Stanley Cup winner to their room. To get that benefit at a locked-in, affordable cap hit is basically this organization's dream.
From a trade cost perspective, Paul has shown promise on occasions while with the Senators, but at 24 years old it’s difficult to see where he fits in long-term among the bevy of prospects that Ottawa has moving through the system. His role remains relatively undefined. Add the fact that the Senators may need some help getting to the cap floor next season, and swapping Paul for a more expensive player like Connolly could make sense.
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As always, thanks for reading.