The Ottawa Senators could be gearing up to become major players in the trade market this offseason. The Sens could be looking to cash in on sellers more than buyers.
But judging from owner Michael Andlauer’s comments, the Senators could be more sellers than buyers.
In a recent piece in the Ottawa Citizen, Andlaeur sort of let the cat out of the bag by stating that there will be teams willing to overpay because of the weak free agent market.
“It doesn’t look like it’s a really big free-agent market this year,” he said. “So maybe people will overpay, but I think there’s going to be a lot of things going on because there are not enough free agents. I think people are going to want to do trades and all, and the fact that the cap is going up, I think there’s going to be people going to look at that as an opportunity.”
Reading between the lines, it doesn’t seem like the Senators will be buying. It sounds a lot like Ottawa could be getting ready to trade someone. The most noticeable name is Brady Tkachuk. With some high-profile trade requests, could Tkachuk finally come around and ask to leave?
It’s a possibility.
It’s also possible that the Senators will be looking to move other players to fill needs. One name that’s popped up in chatter is Fabian Zetterlund. The 26-year-old scored 17 goals and 33 points in 82 games this season. His $4.275 million cap hit might be too much for the Sens.
But to another team looking for scoring, the Sens could cash in. It’s tough to gauge what Zetterlund could fetch in return, but it might be substantial enough to warrant a trade.
Another name floating around the rumor mill is Jordan Spence. There has been plenty of talk about the Senators looking to upgrade the right side of their defense, with the 25-year-old RFA becoming a prime candidate.
Teams looking for relatively affordable right-shot defenders with some upside might be enticed to kick the tires on Spence.
Of course, the big enchilada will be Tkachuk. If GM Steve Staois can find a team willing to pay up multiple top-tier assets for Tkachuk, the organization could turn around and use those pieces to bring in another high-impact player.
At worst, the Senators can stock up on trade capital and weaponize that at next season’s NHL trade deadline. Ottawa is just a touch under $17 million in cap space this summer. Assuming they round out the roster, while clearing Tkachuk’s $8.2 million cap hit, the Sens could have a ridiculous amount of cap space to go shopping next trade deadline.
The only challenge will be to get someone back to pick up the slack for Tkachuk’s scoring. But, again, as Andlauer stated, someone could be willing to overpay. And if Ottawa can cash in, the organization could make out like bandits without damaging the team’s playoff chances next year.
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