Could Ryan Dzingel return to the Ottawa Senators this summer?

The Ottawa Senators traded Ryan Dzingel at the trade deadline this season, but could he find himself back with the team this summer?

Ryan Dzingel was traded by the Ottawa Senators to the Columbus Blue Jackets as part of the Canadian team’s efforts to acquire assets that will assist their rebuild.

Prior to the trade, Dzingel was having a strong season in the Canadian capital, with 22 goals and 22 further assists in 57 regular season games.

This kind of production, along with his very low $1.8 million cap hit, is what attracted Columbus to the Wheaton, Illinois native – but they have yet to see the same player since the trade was made.

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In 21 regular season games, Dzingel had four goals and 12 total points – but the 26-year-old has remained scoreless in the playoffs.

After moving down to Ohio, Dzingel saw his playing time drop by three-and-a-half minutes (disregarding the playoffs, where it has dropped even further), and his shooting percentage dropped 1.1%.

If Dzingel had a larger role on the Blue Jackets, it would be reasonable to expect the former seventh round (204th overall) selection in the 2011 draft to return to a similar scoring pace as his previous two seasons in Ottawa.

In his past two seasons with the Senators, Dzingel registered 23 and 22 goals respectively – with 26 in total this season, including his spell in Columbus.

Dzingel’s disappointing showing in the playoffs, however, will surely be a concern for the Blue Jackets – especially when it comes time to offer free agents new contracts.

With Dzingel becoming a UFA this summer, the Blue Jackets will need to consider whether or not to bring him back or allow him to test the waters.

If the latter occurs, the Ottawa Senators could be ideal suitors for Dzingel – who would become a focal point of the team’s young, rebuilding offence.

The 26-year-old winger isn’t likely to cost too much on the open market, especially if his playoff scoring drought continues, and the Senators might be one of the few teams willing to give him a larger role – already being familiar with his body of work over the previous few seasons.

Bringing back Dzingel would make general manager Pierre Dorion look like a genius, acquiring Anthony Duclair and second-round picks in 2020 and 2021 while also bringing back the player that got him those assets.

With cap concerns coming next season, a contract in the region of $3.5 million to $4 million could go a long way to bringing Dzingel back to the capital, while also helping the organisation sit comfortably in the expected cap range.

The Ottawa Senators need to add some veterans in free agency this summer and Dzingel could be one that returns if his role with the Blue Jackets becomes far less secure than it already looks to be.

But what do you think Sens fans? Would you like to see Dzingel return this summer? Do you think he would get much interest on the open market? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!