Trade Deadline Preview

Deadline Preview for the Ottawa Senators

With the March 3rd trade deadline fastly approaching, and with teams all around the NHL already making trades, I figured it’d be appropriate to make a deadline preview. So far, the Sens have sold Tyler Motte and shipped away Nikita Zaitsev. The first move would make you think that the team is selling off its expiring assets. However, the second trade and reports from various media personalities make it feel like Pierre Dorion is carefully engineering a trade for a top 4 defenceman, and maybe other pieces as well. This would honestly make some sense considering the Sens are currently 6 points out of a wildcard spot while having as many as 4 games in hand against many of the teams battling for those two spots. Let’s look over a few options that the Ottawa Senators have been linked to.

Colton Parayko

The Sens have been rumored to be interested in Colton Parayko. The 6’7 right shot defenceman has not played to the same caliber as he is known for, but when he is playing like himself, he is exactly what the Ottawa Senators need. He is a stay-at-home defenseman that would complement Thomas Chabot formidably. He has a heavy shot and can lay the body if need be. He’s not someone who will score a lot of points, nor is he the fastest player, but that’s okay. I’ll go on the record to say I’d rather have other players before Parayko, but if the Sens acquired him and he were to regain his former form I’d be a happy camper. This pairing of Chabot and Parayko would remind me a lot of Marc Methot and Erik Karlsson. The concern with Parayko is his dip in play over the last 2 years. He has not been himself this season. He did however have a relatively good 2021-22 season. I’ll also take a second to highlight that it’d be good to have this massive body on the blue line considering the Sens operate with a relatively smaller one compared to other NHL teams. Here’s to hoping he’s just having a bad season and will return to form with a new team.

Torey Krug

Another name that the Sens have been linked to on the St Louis Blues is Torey Krug. Krug is a completely different player than Parayko as he’s more offensively oriented. That’s not to say he’s horrible in his own end. He holds up his own. He would however not be a good partner for Chabot. I’d prefer to see Krug playing with Jake Sanderson should he be the defenceman the Sens acquire. Krug, like pretty much everyone on the Blues is, he’s having the best season on the Blues d-core. In 40 games this season he’s potted 5 goals and 17 assists for 22 points. He does have a cap hit of 6.5 million dollars, which is higher than the aforementioned Parayko’s 5.5 million. Krug’s contract is also up in 2026-27.

Mackenzie Weegar

So far, Mackenzie Weegar is my favorite option on the blue line for the Sens to pursue. The Ottawa-native right-shot defenceman would be a perfect partner to Chabot, as he’s the definition of a two-way defenceman. He is solid in his own end, but can also contribute to the offensive side of things. Weegar in my mind is one of the most underrated players in the entire NHL. He’s scoring less this season, but that is far from an issue. The only potential issue when it comes to him is that he is about to start a long-term extension, carrying an 8-year extension with an AAV of 6.25 million dollars. The money isn’t the issue, but rather the term. Weegar will perform up to standards for the first 3-4 year deals of his new contract but could tail off for the rest. This would not be the end of the world considering the Sens could just trade him away if needed, similar to what the Tampa Bay Lightning did with Ryan McDonagh this past offseason.

Jakob Chychrun

Another “local” boy, Jakob Chychrun spends his offseasons in Arnprior, Ontario (just outside Ottawa). He’s the youngest player on this list, and he also has the cheapest contract. In a perfect world, he’s the guy I’d love the Sens to acquire. He’s a two-way defenseman who can score up to 20 goals if everything is good. His salary would basically be a lateral move from Nikita Zaitsev‘s recent deal as Chychrun is only making 100k more than Zaitsev does. The issue with Chychrun is his handedness. He shoots left. It would not be the end of the world for the sens to deploy either Chabot, Sanderson, or even him on their offside, as it would provide a great opportunity to get one of them to shoot on their one-timer side. Ideally, you’d see Chychrun paired with Sanderson.

Closing Thoughts

Those are just a few of the MANY defensemen that the Ottawa Senators have been linked to. I compiled the most probable options, and the options I liked more. On the record, Weegar or Chychrun would be my number one choice, either one.