There used to be a running joke in America about the old Washington Senators baseball team.
“Washington – first in war, first in peace, last in the American League,” wrote Charles Dryden.
This bipolar classification of a city and its sports team comes to mind while considering the modern day woeful Senators, a certain hockey club in Canada’s capital city.
Today’s Ottawa Senators are last in the Eastern Conference, but first in trade deadline offerings. The Senators are the farthest thing from a contender, but they are at or near the top when it comes to being a prime seller at the deadline. Ottawa, this is your moment. Try not to mess it up.
Former third overall pick, centre Matt Duchene, homegrown winger Mark Stone and fellow productive winger Ryan Dzingel are merely the headliners of who might be available from Ottawa prior to Monday’s NHL trade deadline.
All of this in the name of a “rebuild,” which fans are hoping is not merely a fire sale disguised as creating something lasting for the future. Oh ye of so little faith, thy name is Sens Fan.
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Needs:
The smart-ass response would be – they need the 2019 first-round pick they gave up for Duchene, who is about to be dealt. Reaping a current contender’s first-rounder in a new deal doesn’t cut it as it will be a later selection. Ottawa’s 2019 first (which resides with Colorado) is destined to be a lottery pick, with such draft gems as Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko up for grabs.
Beyond that lost lottery pick, the Senators would like to scoop a blue chip prospect out of their trade deadline dealings, and not just picks and warm bodies. They have the cap room to take back a contract on a veteran who could help bring the kids along.
Big picture, the Senators have a lot of talented young forwards with Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Alex Formenton, Logan Brown, Filip Chlapik, Colin White and Josh Norris. But they could use a boost on defence, where there is no obvious first-pairing partner for star rookie Thomas Chabot. Christian Jaros, Dylan DeMelo and Maxime Lajoie have been pleasant surprises on the back end, but are more likely to round out a defence corps, rather than become top-pair types.
In goal, 37-year-old Craig Anderson remains a stabilizing influence and is under contract through 2019-20 at $4.75 million. Backup Mike Condon has been injured most of the season and newly acquired Anders Nilsson, a pending UFA, is not likely to be re-signed. At AHL Belleville are prospects Filip Gustavsson, 20, and Marcus Hogberg, 24.
Pending free agents, age, salaries:
RFAs:
• Colin White, 22, $925,000
• Codi Ceci, 25, $4.3 million
UFAs:
• Matt Duchene, 28, $6 million
• Mark Stone, 26, $7.35 million
• Ryan Dzingel, 26, $1.8 million
• Magnus Paajarvi, 27, $900,000
• Cody Goloubef, 29, $650,000
• Anders Nilsson, 28, $2.5 million
Potential assets to move:
Unless the Senators’ furious last-minute pitch to re-sign Stone bears fruit (where was this urgency in January?), then the Big Three of Duchene, Stone and Dzingel could all be in play and are generating vast interest for obvious reasons. All three have been on a scoring tear and Duchene and Stone are better than point-per-game players this season.
Since Duchene joined the Senators in November of 2017, he has scored 50 goals and produced 107 points in 118 games, yet Ottawa was 39-69-10 with him in the lineup, according to Postmedia’s Don Brennan. Dzingel, who has reached the 20-goal mark for a second straight year, might be an option for Ottawa if Stone goes on the market.
Ceci, 25, is a perennial whipping boy for Ottawa fans, but has contributed big minutes — 22-plus per game — on a frightfully young blue line and would likely benefit by a change of scenery. Paajarvi, 27, will also be in play but is unlikely to garner much interest. The former 10th overall pick of the Edmonton Oilers continues to underwhelm with his production despite endless opportunities. Ottawa is his third NHL stop and will not be his last. Nilsson, 28, is available for some team looking for goaltending insurance in a rental.
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Draft picks:
2019: 2nd, 2nd (SJ), 3rd (PIT), 4th, 5th, 7th, 7th (CGY)
2020: 1st, 1st (SJ), 2nd, 3rd, 3rd (CLB), 4th, 6th, 6th (SJ), 6th (STL), 7th
One bold move the team could make:
It looks as though Duchene will move as a rental, but if Dorion could swing it, a Duchene sign and trade with the Nashville Predators or another suitor would maximize the return and help set up Ottawa for the future.
I think the Senators shouldn’t…:
Have waited so long to get serious with the Mark Stone negotiations. If they get it done prior to Monday at 3 p.m., all is forgiven. Stone is a symbolic presence for the most jaded of Senators supporters. He represents a captain for the foreseeable future, a homegrown, character player whose signature on a contract would instantly change the perception of the franchise.
As it stands, the Senators are viewed as a place where franchise players opt to leave or are forced out. Daniel Alfredsson, Erik Karlsson, Zdeno Chara, Jason Spezza, Marian Hossa, Mike Fisher etc., were all considered fixtures in Ottawa – until they weren’t.
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