The Ottawa Senators want to add some heavy veteran presence to their bottom six, and pending unrestricted free agent Oskar Sundqvist could be a good target. With the market opening tomorrow, general manager Steve Staios has been open about wanting to make Ottawa harder to play against. Sundqvist fits exactly what the front office is looking for.
The 32 year old Swedish center brings plenty of size at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, but he also brings playoff experience. He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, winning titles with Pittsburgh in 2016 and St. Louis in 2019. That's exactly what this core needs as they try to push for a playoff spot in an even stronger Atlantic Division.
Sundqvist is the perfect Eller replacement
Sundqvist is coming off a season with the St. Louis Blues, where he put up five goals and 17 points in 52 games. It was a tough year on the injury front. He missed time early with a lower-body issue and later sat out with an ankle laceration from a skate blade. The time missed as well as the younger players in St. Louis kept him playing lower in the lineup. But never really out of the lineup, given that his game has always been more about the defensive side of the puck.
He is still a highly effective utility forward who can shut down top lines, take heavy defensive zone starts, and anchor a penalty kill. For the Senators, bringing in Sundqvist on a short-term, affordable deal gives them a reliable fourth-line anchor and a solid veteran voice for the dressing room. Especially with them letting Lars Eller walk to free agency. They are in need of a reliable, defensive first fourth-line center that can make an impact when needed.
They won't be asking for Sundqvist to go out there in an offensive zone situation and score. They will be asking him to take a faceoff in his own end and kill the clock. Which is something that he can do very well.
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