Ottawa Senators: Low-risk high-reward trade options

Julius Honka

Honka was the 14th overall pick of the 2014 NHL Draft and hasn’t quite panned out in Dallas. Honka came out of the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos with a ton of hype, which led him to being a mid-first-round pick. A little bit undersized at 5’11”, Honka uses his speed and skill to stand out on the ice surface. With how thin Ottawa is in the Right-Hand defence department they could use an influx of talent at the position.

Honka’s rights are still controlled by Dallas but he went unsigned last season and spent it playing in the Liiga in Finland with JYP totalling 15 points in 46 games. While not gaudy numbers, Honka is no slouch, Honka’s first three years with the Texas Stars in the AHL, he compiled 31,44 and 31 points respectively, which shows he can compete at the North American level. Honka struggled to crack the NHL roster only playing 87 games over three stints in the big league, with just 13 points. Passed by young defencemen John Klingberg, Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen, it looks unlikely Honka will be able to sneak on the roster.

With a trade being in the cards for Honka, some teams will look to take a chance on the skilled defenceman. Bob McKenzie reported in September, that a second, third or a young player could get a deal done since that was a while ago you would assume the asking price has decreased to a mid-round pick and lower-tier prospect. If the Senators swap a fourth or a fifth-round pick for Honka nobody should bat an eye, would be a low-risk move with the potential for a bargain for the Senators.