Codi Ceci has been informed by the Ottawa Senators that he’ll be protected in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. That means either Dion Phaneuf or Marc Methot are likely on their way out of the Senators organization. Dion Phaneuf resubmitted a trade list of 12 teams he’d be willing to accept a trade and it looks like something might happen here before 3pm Saturday.
Hearing that Los Angeles, Montreal, Edmonton among the 12 teams on Dion Phaneuf’s yes list…
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 16, 2017
Where Will Phaneuf Go?
The combination of TSN’s Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun are all over this story and between their two reports we know the following. Phaneuf has 12 teams listed. Among them are the Los Angeles Kings (his wife Elisha Cuthbert is an actress), Montreal Canadiens (keeps Phaneuf out east) and the Edmonton Oilers.
Only the Edmonton Oilers are not a team badly seeking a defenseman and not willing to spend a lot of money to acquire one. Any trade to obtain Phaneuf completely changes the Oilers strategy heading into the expansion draft. Still, would they possibly consider moving a bad contract, taking Phaneuf?
The Oilers will be without Andrej Sekera for the first few months of the season and the future of Kris Russell is uncertain. It still doesn’t make a lot of sense from an Oilers perspective unless they have a deal in place with Vegas to keep their assets prior to accepting a trade for Phaneuf.
How Would A Trade Work?
As Dreger adds to LeBrun’s notes. Any deal involving Phaneuf would have to happen prior to today’s trade freeze and would require that the Senators retain salary. Like the Oilers, a Phaneuf trade would also need to fit with the team who obtains him and their plans for the expansion draft.
There is trade interest in Phaneuf. Final 4 yrs at $7-$6.5-$6.5-$6.5-$6.5. Quality shutdown guy, but Sens likely to take contract/$ back.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 15, 2017
This could be the key to any deal involving the veteran blueliner. Should it not happen, expect the Sens to try and move Methot or work out a trade with Vegas to take a player they’d prefer to lose.
Can Sens Afford to Lose Marc Methot?
While the team has decided to go with Ceci, the belief is that trading Methot would not be ideal for the Senators. So too, a number of fans are not happy with the idea of that scenario. Methot has been Erik Karlsson’s on-ice partner in crime for the last while and if the choice is either Phaneuf or Methot, Phaneuf seems to be the preference by everyone. Methot is a leader on and off the ice.
The counter argument is that Methot is making some decent money playing alongside Karlsson and that he hasn’t produced in that situation. There is every chance should neither player get traded Methot will simply be left exposed.
The Odds
No matter what happens, the key for the Senators is to get this deal done today. The need to move Phaneuf stems from the fact that he’d require protection and while it stings a little, the most beneficial play is to trade him. There has been plenty of interest but the sticking point is his salary and how the dominos fall for any team willing to take him on.
