Top 5 Possible Trade Candidates to Solve Senators Cap Crunch

To get Shane Pinto re-signed, the Senators will need to dump salary by opening night.

The days of the Ottawa Senators having an internal budget are long gone, and seemingly so are the days when big-name free agents would never consider coming to play in Kanata. Both of these things were supported by GM Pierre Dorion signing winger Vladimir Tarasenko to a one-year, $5 million contract. As a result, according to Puckpedia, the Senators now are left with just under $800K to sign RFA Shane Pinto, who is expected to be their third-line centre when the season begins.

This now means that Ottawa must move money to sign the young centreman and still be cap compliant for opening day. As Pinto does not have any leverage (no arbitration rights, and not eligible for offer sheets due to games played), it is expected that the Senators will be playing relative hardball to get him on a short-term bridge contract, likely between $1-3 million. So reading between the lines, the Senators need to move at least $2 million or more to get Pinto on the books and replace the player being shipped out, while rounding out the rest of the forward group in camp.

Yes, we've reached the point where being able to carry all three healthy scratches on the roster daily may be a problem for the Senators. As a result, let's examine the top candidates to be moved, as well as the pros and cons of each going out the door.

1. Mathieu Joseph

The most obvious candidate on the roster to be moved is Mathieu Joseph. Scoring only three goals all of last year, with zero coming at even strength, his $3M price tag for the next three years is now the "worst money" on the team.

Starting with the pros, his $3 million off the books would immediately create the room to sign Pinto, potentially beyond one year, while replacing his spot in the lineup with a minimum contract or close to it. It would be the cleanest move to keep forward progress moving.

As for the cons, having close to $9 million left on his deal over the next three years will be an issue. Coming off a very poor year, and making that kind of money, Joseph will have to be moved with at least one pick or prospect for another team to take him. 

Also, being one of the Senators' more defensively responsible forwards, it may hurt to see another type of those players walk out the door in favour of more offence.

2. Erik Brannstrom

Erik Brannstrom would be the next "cleanest" way to move mone. Signing a one-year, $2 million contract this off-season, Brannstrom is not making too much per se, but with Tyler Kleven knocking on the doorstep and being relegated to a bottom pairing role, there are questions about his long-term future in Ottawa.

The pros: They can likely get a decent asset in return for Brannstrom on that contract. Making "only" $2 million, the Senators could get a return of, let's say, a third-round pick. That's an asset they're currently missing in the 2024 draft. This would see Ottawa add to a futures cupboard that has quickly been decimated over the past year.

The cons: Brannstrom is a promising young defenceman on a good deal. It would be a shame for Dorion to spend this much time developing the main piece of the Mark Stone trade, just for him to break out elsewhere. Additionally, while "only" making $2M, there would be questions if that's enough money to fill out the rest of the lineup.

3. Drake Batherson

After a terrible year defensively and the signing of Tarasenko (a clear top-six player) there may be questions of whether there's too much sameness going on at the top of the lineup. Making nearly $5 million, Drake Batherson may be a candidate to move.

The pros: Even though he had a down year, being signed for under $5 million for the next three seasons is an incredible contract that the Senators could get real value for. Not only would that immediately clear the space to sign Pinto, but the Sens might get a top prospect or pick in return. Or, potentially a cheaper, but still productive player to fit in the top nine.

The cons: These come quite easily. Batherson is a main piece of this team for the foreseeable future and moving him would make them worse. Both Dominik Kubalik and Tarasenko will potentially be gone after this season, and Claude Giroux needs a new deal one year after that. Adding Batherson to that list is a ton of talent to replace with very little currently in the pipeline for what is supposed to be this team's contending window. 

Finally, still battling the effects of a high ankle sprain suffered in the 2021-22 throughout most of last season, there is an expectation that Batherson should bounce back in production, especially with the return of Josh Norris.

4. Artem Zub

The next candidate is Artem Zub. Although very unlikely, with his $4.6 million cap hit, and now slotting as the clear number four defenceman on the team, Zub could be the solution to the current cap crunch.

The pros: Instant cap relief without moving on from any other core pieces of the team. Additionally, it would probably mean that the Senators feel that they can be competitive with Kleven, Brannstrom, and Jacob Bernard-Docker all making consistent contributions this season.

The cons: Ottawa instantly loses one of their best defensive players. Zub is the best defensive defenceman on the roster, although he may soon be passed by Jake Sanderson. Taking Zub out of the lineup, when there are already questions about the defensive capabilities of this team is risky. Additionally, relying on that much inexperience, with little depth behind them, would be a tough decision in a year when playoffs are expected.

5. Anton Forsberg

Finally, after the signing of Joonas Korpisalo to a long-term deal, Anton Forsberg may be an option to be traded. It's highly unlikely, though, because the signing of Korpisalo indicates Mads Sogaard is not ready to share a tandem role, and moving Forsberg would make that a reality.

The only "pro" to this move would be the ability to sign Pinto and be cap compliant. It also appears Ottawa is planning for a 2024/25 tandem of Korpisalo and Sogaard, so making the move now would speed up that process, while getting an asset for Forsberg, who is on a decent deal.

The cons are that the Senators have had extremely unreliable and unavailable goaltending in recent years, and moving on from Forsberg might be putting them into an all-too-familiar position. If Korpisalo happens to go down with an injury, they would be relying on a tandem of Sogaard and Leevi Merilinen, something that did not go well last year. Relying on that kind of inexperience is likely not something this team will do again.

In reality, we'll likely see a more simple move that sends Joseph or Brannstrom, maybe both, somewhere else. Outside of those two candidates, the Senators would be pushing their depth to the limit, which hasn't worked in the past. 

Regardless, this team will be much more talented than it was last year. That is a win. But now they must do what any contender has had to do recently, and that's manage the upper limit of the salary cap. 

It's a new problem, but a good one to have.

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