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Ottawa Senators Trade Tiers

By Jack Baines

CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 23: Pierre Dorion of the Ottawa Sentaors works the 2017 NHL Draft at the United Center on June 23, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 23: Pierre Dorion of the Ottawa Sentaors works the 2017 NHL Draft at the United Center on June 23, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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SUNRISE, FL – DECEMBER 16: Goaltender Anders Nilsson #31 of the Ottawa Senators defends the net against the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center on December 16, 2019 in Sunrise, Florida. The Panthers defeated the Senators 6-1. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FL – DECEMBER 16: Goaltender Anders Nilsson #31 of the Ottawa Senators defends the net against the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center on December 16, 2019 in Sunrise, Florida. The Panthers defeated the Senators 6-1. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /

Deadline Bait Tier

Artem Anisimov, Mike Reilly, Anders Nilsson

All three of these players will be unrestricted free agents in 2021, and given the current state of the Sens, they will likely be poised to be sellers at the trade deadline once again next season. If that is the case, then these three will likely be the ones who’ll be packing their bags sometime between now and the deadline, whenever that may be. Unlike past years, there’s no Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, or even Jean-Gabriel Pageau on this list, so it’s not as if teams will be lining up for their services. Still, all three provide enough value to lead me to believe they won’t be a Senator at the end of next season, and it’s also possible that teams do their deadline shopping early and one or more are gone by the start of next season.

None of these players are a lock to be traded though. Anisimov’s contract is going to be a tough one to move as he’s still making $4.55 million against the cap and the goalie market is so unpredictable so it’s hard to say with any confidence that Nilsson will be gone. While I don’t see any as a re-sign target, it’s always possible that Ottawa decides to hold on to one or more if they want to maintain some semblance of depth if there are injuries, other trades, etc.

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