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Senators’ Trade Deadline Preview

March 4, 2024, 12:47 AM ET [1 Comments]
Sens Writer
Ottawa Senators Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
By Ken Hawkins (a.k.a. khawk)

Amid a tumultuous season that’s already claimed the jobs of former GM Pierre Dorion and former head coach DJ Smith, the Senators find themselves entering the final week before the trade deadline in last place of the Atlantic Division on a disappointing 4-game losing streak. Despite the best effort of interim head coach Jacques Martin, the once-promising season many had expected has deteriorated beyond the point of no return. The job now for GM Steve Staios and VP Dave Poulin will be to chart a new direction for the team, and that could potentially start with moves made between now and March 8th. They don’t have a lot of obvious deadline assets in play, but we’ll review the ones that could draw attention from other teams.

W Vladimir Tarasenko (UFA, $5.0M AAV, NTC)

There’s little question of which Senators player will be getting the most attention in the coming week, as Vladimir Tarasenko has an expiring UFA contract, and brings proven offensive ability plus Cup experience to the table. He’s also played consistently well for the Senators this year, but has a full NTC which means he will only get traded if he wants to. The team’s recent decline likely raises the chances of him being open to a trade, but it will still have to be the right fit to get any deal made, and negotiating around the NTC could impact the quality of the trade return. That said, it's worth noting that Tarasenko has expressed interest in staying, and there's an equal chance that an extension offer may be on the table for Tarasenko to consider.

Potential Teams: NYR, PHI, VGK, LAK
Likely Trade Return: 2nd Round Pick, or Solid Prospect


W Dominik Kubalik (UFA, $2.5M AAV)

Flying under the radar screen a bit is Dominik Kubalik, who just hasn’t been a good fit for the Senators since coming over in the Alex DeBrincat trade. That said, in many ways the signing of Vladimir Tarasenko kind of robbed him of a larger potential role. There is decent upside to Kubalik in terms of offensive ability, but his defensive lapses have clearly cost him in terms of quality ice time opportunities. Still, he’s got decent size/speed plus a very hard shot, and could be a low-risk roster addition for a playoff-race team with limited offensive skill.

Potential Teams: NSH, NYI, LAK, WSH
Likely Trade Return: 5th Round Pick


D Jakob Chychrun (1.5Yrs, $4.6M AAV)

Last week marked the 1-year anniversary of Chychrun being acquired by the Senators, but despite the initial hype it really hasn’t addressed the team’s most urgent blue line problems. Not unlike Kubalik, Chychrun immediately found himself in direct competition with other key roster players for his optimal role as a top-4 LHD, and this year he’s effectively been miscast either playing on his weaker RH side, or in a less prominent offensive role than he deserves. The Senators don’t need to trade him, and he still has a very team-friendly AAV, but if the right deal comes along it’s possible you could see this trade made. The lack of high-end D options on the trade market could also result in addition interest as the trade dominos start to fall.

Potential Teams: BOS, FLA, CAR, PHI
Likely Trade Return: 1st Round Pick, Quality Prospect


The other major question is whether it’s possible that GM Steve Staois could actually be a trade deadline buyer, despite the team’s current position. Most would just assume no, but it’s been rumoured for a long time that Staios wants to make changes, and if he’s presented with an opportunity to make the team better I don’t think he’ll shy away from that. This is especially true with Josh Norris being back on LTIR, which will give them additional cap space to work with. This allows them to consider not only players who are impending UFA who they believe could be re-signed, but also players with term remaining on their existing deals. Personally, I think players like Dumba (ARI) and Scott Laughton (PHI) could be of notable interest, but it largely depends on how keen Staios is to start making changes.

What do you think the Senators will do at the trade deadline? Please leave your comments below, and as always thanks for reading!
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