Ottawa Senators Trade Tiers

Bad Contracts Tier

Nikita Zaitsev, Bobby Ryan

Fresh off his Masterton win, Bobby Ryan has re-endeared himself to Sens fans. If his brief stint after completing the Player Assistance Program is any indication, there’s reason to believe that he may still have something to contribute on the ice after all. That said, if there’s an opportunity to get out from under his massive contract, you almost have to take it. Ryan will still be making $7.25 million against the cap for the next two seasons and even though the Sens are far from capped out, the flat cap has the potential to wreak havoc across the league. That said, because of the feel-good story and the flat cap making contracts like his even less appealing, Ryan is an unlikely candidate to be moved in the off-season. While his contract is bad, there are only two years left, which likely won’t be a major roadblock to the Sens next contention window.

Zaitsev, on the other hand, has four more years on his deal, albeit at a moderately more reasonable $4.5 million. Ottawa would likely be more inclined to move him, but the same flat cap factors apply to him as they do to Ryan. The four-year term is tough to swallow, and if the Sens are actually able to become a top team with their upcoming core, that could prove a problem. That said, Zaitsev is a veteran who can play some minutes at the NHL level, so while the team is still rebuilding he won’t likely pose much of a problem. If his contract does put the Sens in a bind in the future, they can always trade him later when the term will be more digestible to other teams.

The Sens should be eager to move both of these contracts off of their books. But with the league’s economic climate uncertain, it’s unlikely they’ll find an acceptable offer this off-season.