Ottawa Senators Make Trade to Win Now
By Ian Smith
The Ottawa Senators are tired of underachieving, and the acquisition of Derick Brassard is a signal that they’re trying to win now. It’s playoffs or bust for this squad.
The Senators have missed the playoffs in 2 of the last 3 seasons, and have only won 1 playoff series in the 9 years since their last appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007.
They haven’t missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons since they missed the postseason each of their first 4 seasons of existence from 1992-1996. They don’t want to start a new trend of ineptness next season.
Brassard is a top line center that makes them better immediately. He’s a solid teammate, and although he struggles with some confidence issues, he possesses a fantastic shot.
First time general managers often want to leave their mark on their rosters, especially if the situation they’re inheriting isn’t coming off any recent success. Pierre Dorion has drastically reshaped this team with this recent trade.
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In a lot of ways, Mike Zibanejad embodied a lot of the frustration with this talented roster. He hadn’t yet made the leap to the star player he was supposed to become, and the Senators simply cut their losses before Zibanejad became a restricted free agent next season.
From one perspective, it’s a panic move. Why give up on a young player with tremendous upside for a guy like Brassard who has probably hit his peak?
However, it’s understandable that the Senators made this move, especially considering the economics of the deal. Brassard is cheaper than Zibanejad is going to be after next season.
Eugene Melnyk operates on a tight budget, and given the contractual realities of Mike Hoffman, Cody Ceci, and Zibanejad needing raises, keeping all of them was probably determined to be impossible at a price the team wanted.
Not to mention next offseason guys like Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Zack Smith will also be free agents. Perhaps they felt as though out of all of those guys with uncertain futures with the team, they could get the most trade return from Zibanejad. Based on his potential to grow into a star player and at just 23 years of age, it was probably the correct decision based on that logic.
The team is going to look pretty bad if they don’t sign Hoffman and Ceci long term after this, though. The shrewd economics of the trade have been highlighted so much that it’s drawing more attention to that increased payroll flexibility. Why not spend that money on talented assets like Hoffman and Ceci at fair market value for players of their skill?
Brassard has been the Rangers’ leading playoff scorer or tied for leading scorer each of the past 2 seasons, and 3 of the last 4 seasons. This guy is a proven performer in the postseason.
The Senators are tired of losing, and Brassard looks like a piece that sets them up well if they make the playoffs.
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They’re trading untapped potential for veteran leadership and production. On paper, the Senators look more likely to make the playoffs now than they did a few days ago. This is a proud franchise, and they seem like they’re committed to making tough decisions to get back to the level they’ve become accustomed to performing at as a team.