Ottawa Senators: One trade target from each non-playoff team

Hockey is back. A jam-packed schedule that started this weekend sees the league’s top 24 teams begin the quest for an unorthodox Stanley Cup.

So while the hockey world is focused on the teams still in contention, let’s turn our attention to the Ottawa Senators and the other six loveable losers who won’t see the ice again until training camps open up in November. There’s still nothing to talk about for this season though, so we’ll find a player on each of the other non-playoff teams that the Sens could target in the off-season.

This will be harder than most similar exercises, as these teams are largely in similar positions to Ottawa, so they likely won’t be as interested in giving up young talent for immediate help. Still, there’s talent all over the league and Pierre Dorion will no doubt do his due diligence and leave no stone unturned when it comes to improving this team.

Colin Miller – Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres acquired Colin Miller this past off-season from Vegas in an attempt to shore up their blueline as part of their continuing rebuild. The move hasn’t particularly worked out for either side, as Miller scored just once in 51 games this season while ranking sixth in ice time per game among Sabres blueliners. Given their inclusion in this post, the Sabres evidently fell short even of the expanded  post-season.

It’s possible Miller bounces back next season and becomes the player the Sabres were hoping for, but with patience wearing thin in Buffalo, an underachiever like Miller may have already worn out his welcome there. If that is the case, Ottawa would be wise to jump on the opportunity as Miller is still 27 for a few more months with two more years left on a contract that carries a modest $3.875 million cap hit. Buffalo acquired Miller as well as a 5th rounder for a 2nd last off-season as Vegas was facing a mini-cap crunch, so Ottawa could probably use one of their seconds or thirds and get a potential top six staple who can play on the second pair in a pinch.

Marcus Sorensen – San Jose Sharks

Of all the teams on this list, San Jose was definitely the hardest to find a target on. Their bad contracts like Marc-Edouard Vlasic are all long-term, so a cap dump doesn’t make sense from a Sens perspective. They also lack in prospect depth, so they likely wouldn’t be willing to part with one as they embark on their rebuild. So while Sorensen may not be the best fit for Ottawa, he’s the best we can do.

Originally drafted by Ottawa in the 4th round of the 2010 Entry Draft, Sorensen has become a dependable two-way player in San Jose with some offensive touch, scoring 17 goals in 2018-19. Like almost every Shark, he regressed dramatically this season and as a UFA in 2021, he may not be part of Ottawa’s long term plans. Still, San Jose is just embarking on a rebuild, meaning they’ll be looking to unload veteran players and pending UFAs, so if Ottawa was able to pry Sorensen away for a mid-round pick, he could be an interesting gamble for the team.

Pavel Zacha – New Jersey Devils

Since being taken 6th overall in 2015, it’s safe to say Zacha has not lived up to his billing. While he’s been a passable defensive forward, his offense is woefully inadequate for a player picked so high, as in four full seasons he’s totalled 37 goals, only topping 10 once. Zacha is still fairly young, but at 23 time is quickly running out for him to even come close to realizing his potential.

Unlike Colin Miller in Buffalo, there doesn’t seem to be a sense of New Jersey giving up on him. He’s only one year through a three year extension and will still be an RFA when it expires, so there’s no rush for them to pull the plug. That contract, however, was signed when the Devils were hoping to compete this season and before they traded Taylor Hall to Arizona. New Jersey is in an interesting spot as they still have young prospects from their rebuild, but have also embarked on a new quasi-rebuild. Zacha may not be on the trading block, but he could be worth watching in case he gets squeezed out by younger, more promising players.

Rickard Rakell – Anaheim Ducks

Rakell is by far the best player on this list, as he’s only two years removed from back-to-back 30 goal campaigns. Like Marcus Sorensen though, his production fell off alongside his team’s decline. While it may not appear to make sense for Ottawa to target a 27-year old who’ll be a UFA in two years, there’s a stronger case for this type of move than one may think.

Unlike Ottawa, the Ducks are in the early stages of their rebuild. They do have some good prospects and will be picking 6th in the 2020 draft, put compared to the deep prospect cupboard in Ottawa, the Ducks have a ways to go. A player like Rakell may be exactly the type of player Ottawa may want to target as a rental in a couple of years if they manage to come out of this rebuild as a contender, so if he’s available now they could bring him in a year early to allow him to settle into his role with the team and hit the ground running if and when the team is good again.

Rakell wouldn’t come cheap, with the Islanders pick likely being the starting point with a good prospect possibly thrown in as well, but an established top 6 player like Rakell could prove to be invaluable on a team full of potential and question marks.

2020 1st Round Pick (2nd) – Los Angeles Kings

We’re cheating a bit with our last pick, as Los Angeles was fairly devoid of players that would make logical trade targets for Ottawa. While Ottawa should be fairly content with picking third and fifth, there’s something to be said for trading up to 2nd and getting their pick of Byfield or Stützle instead of having to settle for the one left at 3rd.

Ottawa Senators

This trade would involve giving the Kings the third overall pick and probably only makes sense if they don’t have a strong preference between Byfield or Stützle. If this trade would involve the fifth overall pick as well, forget it. Maybe the team could live with parting with the Islanders first as well, but even that seems like a stretch. But if Los Angeles is indifferent as to who they take at 2nd and are simply looking to add a bit more depth to their prospect pool whereas Ottawa have a definite preference, it’s possible the two teams could work something out.

Conclusion

There’s no other way to put it, the seven teams that failed to qualify for this year’s historically large post-season are bad. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have talent though, as shown by the six targets mentioned in this piece.

Part of a rebuild is finding value in unexpected places, and few places are as unexpected as the bottom of the barrel in the NHL. As an added bonus, these teams are allowed to start trading right now, so it’s possible one of these happens sooner than you think.