The Ottawa Senators have started their season with an impressive 5-1 record, despite missing their top pairing of Artem Zub and Jake Sanderson and losing William Eklund in game four of the young season for what seems like a few months. Ottawa sits 13th league-wide in goals scored, which is still a respectable ranking, but with Eklund out and Sanderson unable to drive offense from the back end, the Senators could use some help.
So far this season, the Philadelphia Flyers remain winless, starting 0-5-2, and the heat on Rick Tocchet’s seat continues to rise. Falling as far behind as they have to start doesn’t bode well, especially with the Metropolitan Division looking quite a bit more difficult than it was last season. If the Flyers were to consider trading some pieces away, Ottawa would definitely be interested.
Travis Konecny
The Flyers have three forwards who could entice the Senators to varying degrees, with the most obvious choice being Travis Konecny. The 29-year-old forward plays with the level of tenacity that Ottawa fans would covet, and he also consistently scores 20+ goals and 65+ points. He brings an edge to his game that would complement Tim Stützle or Dylan Cozens very well and would also take some of the playmaking reliance off them. He’s in the second year of his eight-year, $8.75 million contract, which will expire when he is 36 years old. The Flyers would most likely want a large haul for Konecny, but he would be an excellent addition to Ottawa’s core. According to the Daily Faceoff, though, there seems to be a growing sense of frustration surrounding Konecny.
Owen Tippett
The next target the Senators should consider is forward Owen Tippett. The 27-year-old winger would come at a lower cost to the Senators’ cap ($6.2M) and require fewer assets to acquire than Konecny, but he’s still a great option to target. Tippett has scored 28, 27, 20, and 28 goals in his last four seasons, generally hovering around the 50-point mark. Tippett is even more of a physical player than Konecny and has a bit more size to back it up.
With his 6’1” frame, Tippett recorded a career-high 155 hits last season. Tippett’s biggest asset, though, is his speed. Tippett ranks in the 97th percentile across the league for top skating speed and in the 99th percentile for skating bursts of 20–22 miles per hour, one percentile ahead of Tim Stützle. With his goal-scoring and skating speed, Tippett would be an interesting addition to Ottawa’s top six.
Matvei Michkov
Finally, Ottawa could take a home-run swing and acquire Matvei Michkov. When Michkov joined the league, he recorded 63 points in 80 games, with many expecting that we were about to witness the next Russian superstar. That’s when Tocchet entered the fray as head coach, and he is notorious for muzzling offense to improve team defence. For some players, that absolutely works; Stützle in Ottawa is actually a perfect example of that.
Michkov had 51 points in 81 games last season, which is respectable, but the sky is the limit for one of the most offensively gifted players in the NHL. Michkov is dynamic offensively and looks to make something out of nothing, and Ottawa currently lacks that type of player on its other lines. Michkov recently purged his social media of anything to do with the Flyers and would most likely welcome a change of scenery.
Though early-season trades of this magnitude don’t generally happen, it makes a ton of sense for Ottawa to add a player early, before prices are driven up as the season goes on. Any of these players would be a welcome addition to Ottawa’s top six and could become part of its core for years to come.
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