All eyes are on Calgary Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov after he requested a trade midway through a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov 11. Immediately, the Maple Leafs emerged as the frontrunner, but there isn’t a team in the NHL that wouldn’t like to add a 6-foot-6, physical and defensive-minded defenceman like him. That includes the Ottawa Senators, who have found themselves in a bit of a bind after Thomas Chabot went down with a broken hand at the end of October, and Artem Zub has struggled to stay healthy.
However, the Senators can’t afford Zadorov. The team bet the farm on Jakub Chychrun and Alex DeBrincat last season and recouped far fewer assets after the latter didn’t work out. Not to mention, the bidding war that is likely happening for Zadorov will quickly price Ottawa out. But that doesn’t mean the Senators shouldn’t look at the trade market to address the gap on their blue line. Here are three defencemen that the Sens should consider acquiring.
Chris Tanev
Although Zadorov may be too expensive, the Flames are on the precipice of a rebuild, and the Senators could target another of their defenders if Calgary decides to sell. Chris Tanev has been a rock on the defensive end for most of his career but blossomed when he arrived in Calgary in 2020-21. He posted career-high assists and points in 2021-22 and led the team’s defence with a plus-35. Despite taking a step back this season, the 33-year-old is still playing nearly 20 minutes a night and has a 3.3 on-ice goals-against per 60 minutes (GA/60), which is lower than both Chabot and Jake Sanderson.
But at $4.5 million, even for just one season, Tanev carries an intimidating price tag for the cash-strapped Senators. A trade would require Ottawa to move at least two players and possibly more, depending on who they feel they can move. That latter point is likely the kicker because, at this time, Tanev doesn’t have much better stats than Travis Hamonic, who sits at 3.8 on-ice goals-for per 60 minutes (GF/60), dwarfing Tanev’s 2.6. Finally, there is his age to consider; since 2021-22, he’s regressed each season, and it’s unlikely he will pull a Claude Giroux and rediscover his game in his mid-30s.
Ilya Lyubushkin
The Anaheim Ducks have put together a surprising 9-7-0 record to start the season, including two wins in their last three games. But that’s unlikely to last, and as the season progresses, the Ducks are likely to start selling some of their more expendable assets. That includes Ilya Lyubushkin, who signed a one-year, $2.75 million deal during the offseason. He has a similar GA/60 and GF/60 as Tanev but has done so while averaging just over 14 minutes a game and acting as one of the team’s biggest penalty-killers.
Related: Senators Should Trade Mathieu Joseph While His Value is High
The Senators will still likely have to move two players to add Lyubushkin, but he’s much more affordable and provides a similar on-ice product to other big names available. As a reliable depth defender, he also fits more what the Senators are looking for right now. The only issue is that the 29-year-old Russian has yet to play a full NHL season. Since he broke into the league in 2018-19, he’s only played more than 70 games once. For a team that continues to struggle with injuries, Lyubishkin may not be the consistent replacement they need.
Pierre-Oliver Joseph
Whereas the Flames and Ducks will almost certainly be sellers at the deadline, the Pittsburgh Penguins are in a trickier situation. Currently, the team sits fifth in the Metropolitan Division and three points outside of a playoff spot, which is two points better than the Senators, but still not great. However, having Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and now Erik Karlsson means that the team has a legitimate chance to turn things around. It also means that some of their younger depth players might be available for experienced veterans, and if that’s the case, the Senators should try to target Pierre-Oliver Joseph, the younger brother of Ottawa’s Mathieu Joseph.
A former first-round pick, the younger Joseph broke out last season, putting up 21 points in 75 games while averaging 15 minutes of ice time. This season, however, he’s been a regular healthy scratch and has only appeared in five games, most recently on Nov 4 against the San Jose Sharks. That also happened to be his best game of the season; in 18:00 minutes of ice time, he registered an assist and a hit. But the arrival of Karlsson has pushed him out of the lineup, making him expendable. Joseph would be far cheaper than any other big name, and at 24 years old, he still has plenty of upside.
Senators Must Make a Change
Losing Chabot was a big blow to the Senators, and while he won’t be out forever, it still revealed that the team’s defensive corps needs an upgrade. Erik Brannstrom just hasn’t found his game on the bottom pairing, and at $2 million, he is becoming an anchor on the cap, but none of Ottawa’s potential replacements offer much more upside right now. Jacob Bernard-Docker, Lassi Thomson, Maxence Guenette, and Tyler Kleven have the potential to become top-four defenders, but they aren’t there yet. A replacement needs to be found sooner rather than later, and for all the talk there has been of trying to make a trade, one needs to happen now if the team wants to make a serious playoff push.
