If the team is trying to move Joseph, the most pressing question would be, "Why?"
If the Ottawa Senators handed out team awards, Mathieu Joseph would be a good candidate for bounce-back player of the year. Joseph had a career-high in points (35), almost doubling his total (18) from last season.
At age 27, that makes Joseph a decent sell-high candidate if the Senators wanted to explore the idea of trading the speedy winger this summer.
And they may be trying to do just that.
According to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch, "a league executive said Tuesday the club is trying to move winger Mathieu Joseph before the draft."
Joseph has two years left on his deal with a cap hit of $2.95 million ($3.3 million in actual money). He's established himself as a fine bottom-six player in the league with great speed, two-way play, and penalty-killing prowess. Joseph can be a temporary sub in the top six, but on a playoff contender, he's an everyday third-line guy who can get you 30 points.
At a glance, $2.95 million isn't a bad deal for a player like that. So why in the world would the Senators have an eye on trading him?
As there often is, there may something behind the scenes that we don't know.
But let's examine what we do know. Joseph creates a lot of chances and breakaways but frequently fails to convert. It also didn't inspire anyone that, as the season got away from the team, Joseph's scoring almost completely dried up. He had six points in his final 27 games and zero in his final 12.
He's also the only player former head coach D.J. Smith ever benched for an undisclosed "non-hockey reason."
As GM Steve Staios attempts to remodel the roster this summer, he may be seeking a player with a little more edge to his game. Perhaps he believes he can get comparable production internally from someone on their entry-level deal. But I'm not seeing anyone in Belleville who's ready for that.
If the Senators do decide to trade Joseph, the cap saving could help fund one of the roster needs. That will include, unfortunately, the one they just created.