The Ottawa Senators may find themselves moving on from an RFA forward this offseason.
On Monday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, insider Elliotte Friedman stated that RFA forward Arthur Kaliyev will be looking to leave Ottawa.
While Friedman didn’t elaborate on the precise reasons, it isn’t hard to see why. After moving Brady Tkachuk, the Senators brought in William Eklund and Andre Burakovsky. That situation means that playing time for the 25-year-old won’t be easy to come by.
As such, Kaliyev will be looking to parlay his 40-goal season in the AHL to a decent NHL contract. That situation may be easier said than done, as the Senators hold his rights. So, in order for Kaliyev to walk away, Ottawa would need to trade his rights.
That deal may be happening in the coming days as the July 1 window looms. Of course, that’s not precisely a hard deadline. But you would have to think that the Sens would want to move on from Kaliyev as soon as possible.
Teams should be interested in signing the former second-round pick from the 2019 NHL Draft. Kaliyev has managed to put his checkered history behind him. So, it remains to be seen which teams would be willing to give him another shot at the NHL.
Could Kaliyev be vulnerable to offer sheet?
There might be a possibility that a team out there takes a shot on Kaliyev via an offer sheet. It wouldn’t be a wild idea, but one that clubs may have to consider carefully.
Such a situation would depend on what Kaliyev expects to get. Potentially, Kaliyev wants a multi-year deal. While he’s an unproven commodity at the NHL level, it wouldn’t be out of the question for a team to take a flyer on him somewhere in the $4 million to $5 million range. If that’s the case, the Senators could be looking at a first and third-round pick as compensation.
That compensation would apply if the offer was above $4.77 million. It seems unlikely teams out there would take a chance. But who knows? A team looking for scoring could make such a move.
It’s also worth noting that anything below that threshold would net the Sens a second-round pick. Is Kaliyev worth a second-rounder? Perhaps not, that is, if the Senators can find someone willing to pay more.
Perhaps Ottawa should just take the compensation and call it a day. Whatever the case, what remains clear is that the Senators will be looking to move on from a once-promising prospect.
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