Ottawa Senators: Risk vs Reward

A Precarious Position

The trade deadline approaches and the Ottawa Senators find themselves in a precarious playoff spot. The Atlantic division, while not the strongest, is by far the closest division in the league. With three games in hand the Sens find themselves just four points back of the first place Montreal Canadiens. However, they’re just two points away from being knocked out of the playoff picture entirely. With three of their top six forwards battling injuries, the Sens should be looking to buy at the trade deadline.

The Big Fish

The biggest name being thrown around as the deadline approaches is Matt Duchene. The star centre of the Colorado Avalanche has 16 goals and 36 points in 55 games this season while playing on one of the worst non expansion teams the league has seen in years. The asking price is high, but the consensus seems to be that the package of Cody Ceci, Colin White, and a 1^st round pick would get a deal done. While a steep price, this would add scoring power to the team without the Senators risking too much of their future.

The Future

Should this deal come to fruition Fredrik Claesson would step in as the 6^th defenceman for the remainder of the season, while, Chris Wideman would take Ceci’s spot in the top four. Following this season Thomas Chabot will likely be added to the team to help stabilize the defence. This means that the loss of Ceci wouldn’t cripple the team’s defencive future.

A Contender

The addition of Duchene immediately makes the Senators a contender to make it out of the East this season as long as they stay healthy. Duchene would likely switch to the left wing. This would give the Sens a top six of Hoffman-Turris-Stone and Duchene-Brassard-Ryan. This forward core could compete with the best in the league. Helped with Erik Karlsson at the back end the Senators would be a threat to even the best in the league.

Risk

With any trade there’s a risk. The Sens would be giving up a young, potential top-four defenceman and a very impressive prospect in the form of Colin White. However, it’s important to look at this deal in context. Teams have limited windows where they have an opportunity to compete for the cup. The core of this team can’t wait for Colin White to become the next Patrice Bergeron. Stone is 24, Karlsson is 26, Turris and Hoffman are 27. Both Brassard and Ryan are 29 and Ryan looks like his best years could be behind him. Additionally, both Phaneuf and Ryan are 31. Duchene, at 26 is a good fit. This team must look to win in the next three to four years while Karlsson is still in his prime. Sometimes in order to win you have to take a risk.

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Reward

The playoffs are approaching rapidly. There’s just over 20 games left in the season and it’s going to be a fight to get in. The Senators are good enough to make a run, but they have to survive the current injuries. The addition of Duchene would get them through this difficult portion of the season and make them a true contender. With Duchene, they should be able to get out of the Atlantic. After that it’s only the matter of beating Penguins or Capitals to get out of the east. Not an easy task, but anything can happen in one series. This could be the year where something special happens, but it all has to start with taking a risk.

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Ottawa Senators Rumours: Risk vs Reward