The Ottawa Senators' interest in landing another goaltender this offseason is no secret. The organization has been pretty open about the need to address its backup goalie spot.
But with few options available in NHL free agency, and the trade market not necessarily the most abundant, an interesting option could have emerged. The Sens should give their division rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs, a call about recently acquired goaltender Samuel Ersson.
Ersson was a bit of a throw-in as part of Tuesday’s trade with the Philadelphia Flyers. Ersson, who’s an RFA this summer, will be looking for a fresh start. Interestingly, the Leafs have a bit of a crowded crease.
That’s why the Leafs might not be too set on keeping Ersson. It’s more than likely the Leafs would be willing to move him for the right price. The best part is that the price tag for Ersson wouldn’t be that high.
If this were a deal focused solely on Ersson, a mid to late-round pick could move the needle. Perhaps there might be a bigger deal in the works. The Sens have been talking about moving Jordan Spence in exchange for some more blueline bulk. The Leafs might have someone that could pique Steve Staios’ interest.
Who knows? But the key here is that the Sens would do well to at least kick the tires on Ersson to see what the price tag could be.
Ersson would be solid backup option for Senators
On the whole, Ersson would be a solid backup option. Since the Senators are counting on Linus Ullmark to take the lion’s share of the starts, Ersson would not be asked to start 40 games next season.
All Ersson would have to do is give the Senators a chance to win in the game that he does start. That’s pretty much it. There’s no need for Ersson to step in and steal games for Ottawa.
If he can do that, the Sens will have a decent goalie tandem moving forward.
It’s also worth pointing out that Ersson is an RFA. He’s got a $1.6 million qualifying offer. If the Sens pick that up, they could sign him to a one-year show-me deal and hope for the best. If things don’t work out, they don’t lose much.
Sure, it’s a bit of a risky proposition. But it’s about as safe as it gets without actually investing a significant amount of trade capital into a single piece.
The Senators lose nothing by giving the Maple Leafs a call. In the best of cases, Ottawa could end up landing a reliable backup goalie at an affordable price point.
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