Rest is important right now for the Ottawa Senators. After losing 1-0 against the Los Angeles Kings this past Saturday, Thursday night's game against the Anaheim Ducks will be the start of a pivotal seven-game road trip.
Even with being in the second Wild Card seed in the Eastern Conference, scoring depth seems to be an issue outside of the Senators' top forwards on the depth chart.
Kurtis MacDermid, Nick Cousins, Lars Eller, Ridly Greig, Fabian Zetterlund, Olle Lycksell, David Perron and Hayden Hodgson haven't provided much scoring this season. However, one current player in the AHL with the Belleville Senators would be a perfect player to provide depth scoring.
Kaliyev's scoring has been unbelievable lately
This past Summer, Arthur Kaliyev joined the Senators on a one-year contract. Kaliyev was eager for a fresh start after playing in just 15 games last season with the New York Rangers.
So far, Kaliyev has delivered big for Belleville. In 13 games, Kaliyev's 12 points are tied for the third most on the roster. It's the goal scoring that has been unbelievable from Kaliyev.
Kaliyev's eight goals lead Belleville's roster, but he's on an unbelievable tear as of late. Kaliyev has scored a goal in each of the past five games for a total of six goals. In one of the games, Kaliyev recorded a two-goal game, which happened this past Wednesday against the Rochester Americans. Because of Kaliyev's recent five-game stretch, he's played a huge part in Belleville having won four of the five games.
Kaliyev started his season strong in Belleville by recording an assist in each of his first three games. Along with leading the team in goals, Kaliyev's five powerplay goals are also the most on Belleville.
With the little offense Ottawa has gotten from its bottom of the lineup, Kaliyev would be a solid fit in the lineup. Kaliyev recorded an assist in the second NHL game he played in this season on Oct. 18, but he hasn't played in Ottawa since.
The Senators will need to get better goal scoring from their depth. With how he's played in Belleville, it's hard not to think about giving Kaliyev another chance to play more in the NHL. Kaliyev's one NHL point this season was a powerplay assist, so he can fit on the team's powerplay.