The Ottawa Senators are four days away from returning to play against the Montreal Canadiens at home once the NHL concludes the 4 Nations Face-Off. When the Senators return to play, the trade deadline will be closer on the horizon.
With the Senators holding the first Wild Card seed in the Eastern Conference with 62 points, the team is too far into the season to not make a trade to better the roster.
While other teams have already made bold trades, the Senators haven't made a trade yet. The Senators do have players on expiring contracts that the team can look to get rid of at the deadline. Despite having expiring contracts to get rid of, another Senator who's on an expiring contract, could still have some trade value.
Cole Reinhardt still might have some value for a trade
One Senators player who still could have value is 25-year-old forward Cole Reinhardt. Earlier today, the Senators recalled Reinhardt from the AHL in Belleville. Although the Senators are still dealing with both Josh Norris and Shane Pinto injured, the team is still trying to see if Reinhardt can capitalize on a chance to earn full-time play.
This season has seen Reinhardt have small stints in the NHL with the Senators:
October- two games played
November- three games played
December- three games played
January- four games played
February- four games played
In his 14 NHL games played this season, Reinhardt has only managed to record two points while averaging under eight minutes of ice time per game. Reinhardt hasn't quite fit well into Travis Green's system with playing mainly in the bottom-nine. It appears the Senators will only play Reinhardt when the team has injuries.
Reinhardt has seen better success in the AHL than in the NHL. In 20 games this season in Belleville, Reinhardt has recorded 20 points. Even though Reinhardt hasn't played in most of Belleville's games, his 20 points are the sixth most on Belleville's roster.
After this season, Reinhardt's contract runs out at $775,000. Other NHL teams still could see that there is still potential there for Reinhardt with his age and his AHL play. A better system for Reinhardt might be best on both sides if he wants to be more of a productive player. The Senators could get more of a productive bottom-nine forward or call up someone from Belleville who has had good seasons so far. Stephen Halliday and Angus Crookshank could be two potential options to call up.
The trade deadline is set for March 7. If the Senators want to go all in for a better bottom-nine forward than Reinhardt, a trade involving him could be a possibility. If NHL teams still think Reinhardt could be a better player, playing him in the NHL to see if a new system fits him might be an option.
Teams will give a young player a chance to try and fit into their system with a fresh start. If Reinhardt does play often following the 4 Nations Face-Off, it can be a test to see how far he can go with the Senators.