Adam Proteau argues it's time for the Ottawa Senators to get assets for players by the NHL trade deadline and try to push for the playoffs again next season.
The Ottawa Senators have not been a great team this season. Sure, there have been small stretches of excellent play – they’ve won four games in a row three times this year, including right before the all-star break – but for the most part, the Sens have let down their long-suffering fanbase.
Their overall subpar performance has left them in seventh place in the Atlantic Division, three standings points behind Detroit for sixth place but just three points ahead of the eighth-place Montreal Canadiens.
And now, with 31 games to play in the regular season, the Senators have lost veteran goalie Anton Forsberg to injury for two to three months at least. With tandem-mate Cam Talbot also on the sidelines, Ottawa has to turn to a pair of 22-year-olds, Mads Sogaard and Kevin Mandolese, to work between the pipes.
To say this isn’t ideal is an understatement, but it feels like the hockey gods are trying to tell the Sens something despite their improved play heading into last Saturday's game. Something like, “this just isn’t your year,” “it’s time to focus on being a better team next season,” and “let’s not finish sixth in the division.”
Indeed, although Senators GM Pierre Dorion has a lot of salary cap space to use this year – more than $14.8 million by the trade deadline, as per CapFriendly – he shouldn’t be using it to acquire players to assist in their playoff hopes this season. Rather, Dorion ought to be a seller at the deadline, putting Ottawa’s soon-to-be UFAs, including forward Auston Watson and defensemen Travis Hamonic and Nick Holden, up for grabs by a buyer team.
He likely won’t get a king’s ransom for any of those three players, but every additional asset helps down the line. If the departure of those players sends the Senators further down the league’s standings, so be it. Short-term pain, long-term gain.
In addition, Dorion could use his draft space at the deadline to help other teams stay under the cap in any trade deal. Pulling in more draft picks will help the Sens one way or the other. They can draft and develop more youngsters or use the picks in other transactions.
As it stands, the Senators have a solid core group of young players, and they probably need more veteran help, especially on defense. So, another high draft pick could be used to land Ottawa an experienced defender. A draft selection could also be used to get another team to pick up the contract of D-man Nikita Zaitsev (who has another season remaining on his contract) and give them $4.5 million in cap space for next season.
Flexibility is everything in today’s NHL, and Dorion has to know he’ll be in a better position to pick up talent for the long term by making moves to improve the roster over the summer and not now.
Regardless of who gets moved, the Senators are settling into a good spot for the draft lottery. They’re currently tied with St. Louis as the NHL’s eighth-worst team, and another long losing streak could push the Sens down to the fifth-worst position in the league. Suddenly, the idea of winning the draft lottery and claiming phenom Connor Bedard wouldn’t be impossible. And even if they didn’t get Bedard, Ottawa would guarantee themselves a top player in a deep draft. Adding another young/cheap elite competitor is exactly what the Sens need. With another youngster aboard, the Sens’ 2023-24 season would be extremely promising.
For now, though, the Senators’ situation is grim. The next couple of months will continue to be painful, and once new ownership of the team is established, there could be great change within the management and coaching ranks of the organization. It’s got to be frustrating for Sens supporters, but the alternative for Ottawa – chasing a post-season berth and most likely falling short – is an even worse possibility.