January is now over for the Ottawa Senators after their 5-4 overtime win against the Washington Capitals. The Senators begin February tomorrow night with a huge showdown against the Minnesota Wild tonight at 7 p.m. ET.
Even with holding a 27-20-4 record, something is still missing for the Senators to make the team stronger. As the trade deadline is drawing closer, teams will make trades to make their team stronger.
Something the Senators need is depth at goal scoring and help on the powerplay. According to one hockey writer, there is one player that the Senators must acquire before the trade deadline.
Senators "must acquire" Kyle Palmieri from Islanders
This past Wednesday, Tristin McKinstry of ClutchPoints wrote an article titled "1 player Senators must acquire before 2025 NHL trade deadline." That one player McKinstry named was Kyle Palmieri from the New York Islanders.
Palmieri will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. Even with being a free agent after this season, Palmieri will still be able to draw interest from teams at the trade deadline.
Palmieri will turn 34 years old tomorrow. As of right now, Palmieri is third on the Islanders with 33 points and is also tied for the fourth most goals on the team with 13 this season. In his career, Palmieri has been a consistent player who can score goals for a top-nine forward.
Out of his 512 points in his career, 259 of them are goals. Palmieri has recorded two 30-goal seasons and has scored at least 24 goals in six of the last nine seasons. Palmieri is also a boost to have on the powerplay. Of his 259 goals, 78 of them have been scored on the powerplay.
If the Senators were to add Palmieri, he could be a solid top-nine forward who can score goals. The Senators powerplay has been cold lately. Although Palmieri has scored two powerplay goals this season, the Islanders powerplay is below 12 percent in the NHL. Palmieri hasn't been able to showcase his powerplay talent with the bad powerplay the Islanders have this season.
Palmieri also has playoff experience as a member of the Islanders, New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks. Palmieri has played in 68 playoff games and has recorded 32 points. When the Islanders reached the 2021 Semi-Finals, Palmieri was tied for the most goals on the team with seven.
An issue the Senators could have if they want to trade for Palmieri now is that the Islanders are now hot. After falling to 17-20-7, the Islanders have now won their past six games. So, the Islanders at the moment could have a higher value on Palmieri if they continue to get hot into the trade deadline in March.
While the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes have made bold trades to try and help improve their team, the Senators haven't made a trade yet. If the Senators want to make a move to help the roster, not waiting anymore might need to happen.
"Palmieri brings experience, leadership, and scoring ability to a team needing it," McKinstry said. "Ottawa has a chance to bring itself back into postseason play, and they owe it to themselves to pursue a playoff spot with full force. Palmieri could be a crucial piece to a playoff run for the Senators in 2025."