While the Ottawa Senators have 62 points in the Eastern Conference ahead of tonight's showdown against the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7 p.m. ET, the team is in need of depth up front as the trade deadline is one month away.
Although some players have under performed offensively, the Senators have dealt with injuries up front offensively. To add depth, trading for forwards might be a way to go at the trade deadline.
The Senators are too deep into this season with where they're at to not make a trade. According to Bruce Garrioch and a recent article from Athlon Sports, there are two forwards the Senators are rumored to be interested in as the trade deadline is one month away.
Senators rumored to be interested in Seattle's Brandon Tanev and Chicago's Ryan Donato.
Yesterday, Athlon Sports' Antonio Losada wrote an article titled "Senators Linked to 2 Pending Free Agents in Deadline Trade: Report." In his article, Losada quoted Garrioch from reporting he did from this past Saturday that the Senators are interested in Brandon Tanev of the Seattle Kraken and Ryan Donato of the Chicago Blackhawks.
"The belief in league circles is that the Senators have some level of interest in the likes of Chicago Blackhawks winger Ryan Donato and Seattle Kraken winger Brandon Tanev," Garrioch said.
Both Tanev and Donato are unrestricted free agents after this season. At 33 years old, Tanev has a $3.5 million cap hit. At 28 years old, Donato has a $2 million cap hit. Both the Kraken and Blackhawks are out of playoff contention in the Western Conference, so both teams could be eager to be sellers at the trade deadline. Both Tanev and Donato are capable of adding depth at the forwards.
In 53 games this season, Tanev has 17 points. However, Tanev is more known for his physicality and defense. Tanev could be a solid addition to the lineup to bring physicality and play on the shorthanded unit and clear pucks out and block shots. In eight of his 10 seasons, Tanev has recorded at least 100 hits. In two of those seasons, Tanev reached over 200 hits. The Senators can use a player to lay big hits to add a spark with Nick Cousins out for a while. Tanev can be a player to do that.
While Donato would be a better offensive fit than Tanev, but Donato is still a worthy player to trade for. Donato's 32 points this season is the third most on the Blackhawks. Donato's 16 goals is the second most on the Blackhawks. Donato would be a better offensive player on the Senators than some bottom-nine forwards like Cole Reinhardt, Zack Ostapchuk, Noah Gregor and even Matthew Highmore.
"Donato is the kind of player the Senators would be interested in," a league executive said to Garrioch. "He could help them."
If the Senators were to trade for Tanev and Donato, there is something big that can help both of them. Tanev and Donato were teammates for two seasons on the Kraken. Both players were on the first ever Kraken playoff roster in 2023, so both of them also have playoff experience together. They know each other well and can have chemistry already if both are acquired. Both players also have playoff experience outside of their playing time in Seattle.
While other teams in the NHL have already made bold trades, the Senators have not made one. The standings are getting tighter in the Eastern Conference with every game played, and the Senators can't wait for other teams in the East to get better as they've not made a trade yet.