For the first time in a long time, the Ottawa Senators are in a position to buy at the deadline. While it is no secret that they are after some forward depth, they haven’t alluded to who they might be looking at.
Ottawa has also made it clear that they think, when healthy, this team is good enough to make a run.
However, what if they can’t stay healthy? With two of their top forwards (Shane Pinto and Josh Norris) out right now, they might not have time to wait until they are healthy again.
The wild card race in the East isn’t getting any less close.
Here are three forwards who could be the missing piece to this Senators team and how Ottawa could make it work.
1) Trent Frederic
Trent Frederic is in the last year of a two-year, 4.6 million dollar contract and, with the way the Bruins’ season is going, could be on the trade block in the coming week.
Boston has gone from a repeated contender in the past years, to a middle-of-the-pack, should-probably-sell team this year (despite being in the same position as the Sens, these teams are giving two completely different vibes right now).
Which may be a reason Frederic would fit in in Ottawa.
He’s used to fighting for that Wild Card spot, and while Boston is on the way down, Ottawa is having one of its best seasons in a while.
Another reason Frederic may fit in well with this Ottawa team is his grit on the ice.
Since their first game of the season, this new-look Ottawa team has been aggressive, looking to play a full 60 minutes at full tilt.
Frederic brings a very similar edge that Brady Tkachuk does, and while the captain has solidified himself as the one unmovable guy next to Tim Stützle on the top line, that grit could be welcome on the third line.
He could slot in as a center for now while the Senators recover from their injury-riddled past month. But when Pinto and Norris return, he could be slotted on the LW.
As we’ve seen, Travis Greene and the Senators aren’t scared of moving the lineup around.
I would love to see a Trent Frederic-Ridly Greig duo any day of the week. Come playoffs (if they can get there), the Senators need to become a team that no one wants to play against, and adding the experience and aggression of Frederic would be perfect.
So, what would it take to add a guy like Trent Frederic at the deadline?
The Senators are lacking cap space, so Frederic’s expiring contract wouldn’t hurt too bad.
One of the Sens’s major assets that could be moved at this deadline is David Perron and his $4 million AAV contract. With Frederic coming in, Perron could be moved out, and getting a veteran presence wouldn’t be a bad idea for a Boston team that will likely become a lot younger in the years to come.
2) Jared McCann
Sportsnet’s Jacob Stoller teased the idea of Seattle Kraken LW Jared McCann being on the trading block.
If this is true, his goal-scoring and speed are something the Senators could definitely use. As you can tell by the names suggested, Ottawa doesn’t really need to make a blockbuster trade at the deadline.
It’s true; when healthy, the Ottawa Senators are a solid team. What they need is depth up front and Jared McCann gives them just that.
Over the past three years, McCann has had a 27, 40, and 29-goal season. He has also already recorded 15 goals this season, which would already put him as the sixth most productive guy on the Senators.
It’s clear the Senators don’t have one guy who is going to score all their goals, although lately, Stützle has been leading the charge. If it is going to be a continuous team effort, adding a consistent guy like McCann is a great idea.
He could also be the missing piece on the top line alongside Tkachuk and Stützle. The Sens have been trying new guys there all season, with no real success. Even if McCann isn’t the answer there, he would slot in well alongside Pinto or Norris on the second line.
McCann signed a five-year, $25 million contract back in 2022 that is set to expire after the 2026-2027 season. This trade wouldn’t only work well for the rest of this year but would be worth the assets to build for the future.
Another idea that has been floated around Ottawa Trade talks, as Alex Adams for Sportsnet highlights, is trading Anton Forsberg’s $2.75 million expiring contract. However, the best option after Forsberg was Leevi Meralienin, who was hurt in Belleville on Monday.
If this injury is long-term, moving Forsberg is off the table. However, if Meralienin makes a quick return, I think the team and Sens fans alike would be happy to have him back with the team.
The young goalie was a major part of the Senators’ playoff pushback in January, filling in while starter Linus Ullmark recovered from an injury and boasting an 8-3 record with a .925 save percentage and 1.99 goals-against average.
So, it is still up in the air how the Senators could make this McCann trade work. However, if there is any possibility that they can, they should go for it.
3) Ryan Donato
Another option at center is Ryan Donato. He’s having a career year on a bad Chicago Blackhawks team and could definitely be a piece they are looking to move at this deadline.
While the Senators don’t have the picks to trade that the Blackhawks would likely be looking for, they may settle for another veteran like Perron to help out their very young core.
Donato is another fill-in at the center position while Pinto and Norris are out, and a potential fourth-line center when they return. He could, like Frederic, even be slotted at the wing if need be.
Donato could likely be an affordable option for the Senators that, again, wouldn’t change their whole roster but still help bolster the offensive core and add some depth scoring.
While there are a few directions the Senators could go to this deadline, there is a mutual agreement that they need to do something.
This is the closest the Senators have been to a playoff birth in almost ten years, and with the way things are going, they may need a little extra push to get there.
ITR 27: Trade Season Begins – Inside The Rink
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