Should Ottawa Claim Nabokov?

With the news of Detroit Red Wings signing free agent goalie Evgeni Nabokov, and with him having to pass through waivers before he can suit up for an NHL club, should your Ottawa Senators put a claim on him considering their current goalie troubles?

Nabokov was signed to a one year $570,000 contract which included a no-movement clause which means he controls his fate. He cannot be put on waivers or play in the AHL, or be traded without his permission.

Now with Brian Elliott having lost ten straight games, and with Ottawa sitting in 13th in the East, would claiming Nabokov be the right move? Let’s look at the pros and the cons.

If they were to bring in Nabokov and he plays the way we all know he can, he could bring some stability to the net and give Elliott a break. He also could be a good mentor for young Robin Lehner. And, if he plays well, we could re-sign him knowing that he can handle the pressure in Ottawa as a number one goalie seeing that we will need to sign a new number one in the summer.

On the other hand, Ottawa does not have a good track record with aging Russians (see Kovalev and Gonchar). I think that says it all.

So Ottawa fans, what would you do?