With the Tyler Motte deal only a few days old, the Senators will have to contemplate some expiring UFAs before the trade deadline. The team has 5 more games before March 3rd, and are going to have to make decisions as to whether they’ll trade or keep these pieces.
Austin Watson
While Watson hasn’t been his best this year, there could be a market for him. The most you’ll likely fetch for his services is a 6th or 7th round pick. His offensive game has certainly dried up this year, so the team acquiring him wouldn’t be looking for an everyday player. If you want some physicality and a good locker room guy, Watson could be a player teams kick the tires on. However with a $1.5 million price tag, I would expect him to finish the season with the Senators.
Keep: You could argue that players like Sokolov should be called up from the AHL, but Watson is still a big part of this team’s identity off the ice. As long as he’s an extra forward, I see no harm in him staying in limited opportunities.
Derick Brassard
It would certainly be something if Brassard got traded to his 12th career team at the deadline. However, I don’t envision it happening. Remember, he was on a PTO up until October 10th when he signed with the Sens. He only makes 750k on a cheap contract and he’s been a decent player this year, but hasn’t warranted a spike in trade value.
Keep: With Norris out, Brassard will be counted on to contribute in the top 9. He’s one of the few players in the bottom six putting up offense, limited though it may be.
Travis Hamonic
Hamonic started off well with the Senators going back to last year’s trade deadline, especially on the defensive side of things. Sometimes good play can be inspired from a change of scenery, but eventually the player settles back into old habits.
I believe that is what’s happened with Hamonic, who at this stage of his career is no longer a top four defenseman. In his first 26 games, he had a +12 rating. In his next 43 games, he recorded a -17 rating. There should be a decent market for Hamonic, who happens to be a 6 ‘2” right handed blueliner. Do I see it happening though? Not likely, because Hamonic was brought in to be Jake Sanderson’s partner for his rookie season.
Trade: Although I believe he SHOULD be traded, he’s likely to stay. Pierre Dorion made it clear that Hamonic wouldn’t be dealt. With Sanderson smoothly transitioning to the NHL game, I don’t see Hamonic needed any longer as his partner. I believe Hamonic would fetch a decent return, considering his size and the fact that he’s a RHD.
Nick Holden
For an organization that has a bad track record finding good veteran defenseman, Holden remains an exception. With Sandersons’ arrival, Holden has taken a backseat on the Sens blueline handling most of the defensive minutes. Holden has been a key part of one of the top penalty kill units in the league.
Keep: While Holden is 35 years of age, he’s still a solid player and is slotted perfectly. He can also play both sides on defense, which makes him a coach’s dream. I’d even be content with keeping him as a placeholder before Tyler Kleven becomes a full time NHL player.
Cam Talbot
Talbot has had a short, somewhat chaotic season for the Senators. He’s only played in 25 games, with a .905 save percentage. Ideally, you’d want that save percentage to go up a little, but the Senators defense has had some shaky moments.
He’s currently injured and should return within the next couple of weeks, and there definitely will be a market for the veteran goaltender. While Talbot may be a popular commodity considering the importance of the goaltending position, I don’t think Pierre Dorion can afford to sell off Talbot given Anton Forsbergs’ injury.
Keep: Talbot continues to prepare to return while Mads Sogaard and Kevin Mandolese hold down the fort, but you almost have to keep the veteran netminder around at this point. Forsberg won’t be returning this season, so it could certainly be Sogaard and Mandolese battling it out for his spot until the end of the year. While it’s been fun so far, they’re not ready to simultaneously both be everyday NHLers.
With the likelihood of most pending UFA’s staying exactly where they are, Dorion & Co. will either have a fairly quiet trade deadline, or will need to make some tough decisions regarding prospects currently in the system.
With names like Zack Ostapchuk, Carson Latimer, Jacob Bernard-Docker, and Lassi Thomson currently making the rounds in the NHL rumour mill, the Sens front office may need to look outside their NHL roster to complete any deals between now and the 3rd of March.
-Damian Smith
Twitter: @Damian__Smith
Photo: Ottawa Senators