The Ottawa Senators bottomed out Tuesday in Vancouver, and Adam Proteau has broken down two Sens veterans he thinks are most likely to be moved by the NHL trade deadline.
The Ottawa Senators bottomed out Tuesday in Vancouver, and Adam Proteau has broken down two Sens veterans he thinks are most likely to be moved by the NHL trade deadline.
The Ottawa Senators bottomed out Tuesday night in Vancouver, getting rolled by the Canucks by a 6-3 score.
The game essentially was over in the first period when the Canucks scored five unanswered goals. And it pushed the Sens’ woeful record to 14-19-0, which includes a 3-7-0 mark in their last 10 games. Any notions of the team playing in the post-season are gone now, and all that’s left is for Ottawa’s management – GM-president of hockey operations Steve Staios, primarily – to figure out who to keep and who to send packing via the trade market.
The most desirable trade asset the Senators have – at least, in terms of a pure rental player – is veteran winger Vladimir Tarasenko, who scored twice against the Canucks to bump up his individual season totals on offense to eight goals and 24 points in 31 games.
The 32-year-old sniper is on a one-year, $5-million contract before he becomes a UFA next summer, and Staios could move him for younger players and draft picks.
Another winger is about as likely as Tarasenko to be moved: 28-year-old Dominik Kubalik, who hasn’t enjoyed much success in his first season as a Senator, posting eight goals and 10 points in 33 games.
Kubalik is also scheduled to be a UFA at the end of this season. Although he won’t fetch as many assets as Tarasenko will in a trade, Kubalik is more affordable at a cap hit of $2.5 million. Any team acquiring him will essentially be giving him a tryout for next season. If he thrives, he’ll be extended contractually, and if he struggles, he’ll be allowed to leave, and the team will use his cap space on someone else.
Despite Ottawa’s woes, it’s difficult to see Staios moving any of their core young players. The Senators have struggled for many years to be able to draft stars such as Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle – they aren’t likely to cut ties with those untouchables. The veterans around the core are another story, which is why this writer expects secondary contributors such as Tarasenko and Kubalik to be moved by the March 8 trade deadline.
The Sens’ current roster mix clearly does not work as hoped for. But the good news for Ottawa fans is they’ll likely be young and talented again next season. However, their current slump is spelling the end of the line for some of their veterans, and the team only has itself to blame for the changes that are coming.
