The Senators’ search for offense is already getting complicated.
Ottawa sits 21st in goals per game through the early part of the season, and the obvious fix - getting help from within - doesn’t look like a real option right now. William Eklund was supposed to be a major offensive addition this summer, but he suffered a torn tendon in his ankle in the fourth game of the season. He’s out until at least January, leaving the club without much internal scoring support for the foreseeable future.
That has GM Steve Staios working the phones. According to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, Ottawa has started checking around the league to see what might be available to bolster its forward group.
It’s not the first time the Senators have explored in-season help, but their past moves have generally been modest. That’s probably the reality here too.
At this stage of the calendar, teams are still figuring themselves out, which makes major trades a tough sell.
One name Garrioch floated is Chicago’s Teuvo Teravainen. He’s on an expiring $5.4MM contract, and his ice time has already dipped early this year.
With the Blackhawks again looking like a team headed for a missed postseason, he’s the kind of player who could reasonably surface in trade chatter. But there’s a catch for Ottawa: the Senators already swung and missed on a veteran from Chicago in Andre Burakovsky, and that move has not paid off.
Burakovsky has yet to record a point and has already been a healthy scratch multiple times. Teravainen is the stronger player at this stage, but the cost would still be steep.
Cap space is another hurdle. Ottawa enters today with about $2.6MM in full-season cap room, per PuckPedia.
Cameron Crotty will come off the books tomorrow once his waiver period expires, but the Senators also figure to need a forward recall after Warren Foegele’s apparent knee injury on Tuesday. And because Crotty carries the lowest cap hit in the organization, those roster moves are likely to chip away at the available space rather than open it up.
That leaves the Senators in a familiar spot: interested, but constrained. Unless a low-cost forward can step in quickly and fit in the top nine, the smarter play may be to wait, bank what cap room they can, and keep flexibility for a larger swing later on. The more meaningful options, after all, are more likely to show up as the trade deadline gets closer.
In Other News...
Senators Suddenly Face A Roster Decision They Didn't Want
Ottawas depth chart took an unwelcome hit Tuesday night in Vegas, where Warren Foegele exited after a knee injury on a board-side collision with Jeremy Lauzon. There was no immediate official word on the severity, which leaves the Senators waiting for a clearer picture while also trying to manage the rest of the lineup without one of their forwards.
For now, the most immediate option appears to be reaching into Belleville for help if the roster needs a boost. Longer term, the injury could force Ottawa to at least consider outside help, with the trade market looming as a possible source of a top-nine scorer if the situation becomes more pressing. [Read more 🡒]
Senators' Injury Crunch Is Putting Andre Burakovsky On The Spot
Ottawas strong start has given the Senators a little breathing room, but the injury pileup around the lineup is starting to demand more from the players still available. Andre Burakovsky is right in the middle of that squeeze, with the veteran forward still searching for his first point and trying to re-establish himself in a role that has not been steady enough for him to settle in.
The bigger concern is what comes next if the offense does not follow. Ottawa is going to need useful minutes from every available body, and Burakovsky is the kind of player whose spot can become vulnerable when production lags behind the teams needs. If the Senators keep looking for ways to open room for others, the pressure on his place in the lineup is only going to grow. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Roster Shift Just Got More Complicated At The Worst Time
The Senators are trying to stabilize their blue line at a time when the margins are getting thinner elsewhere. Thomas Chabot is set to return against the Los Angeles Kings, which should give Ottawa a more complete defensive look, and that comes after a roster move that already trimmed some of the depth in the system.
Cameron Crotty, who had been available on waivers, is no longer an option for Ottawa after another team stepped in. At the same time, the Senators are bracing for a longer absence up front after a knee-on-knee injury against Vegas, a setback that adds even more strain to a roster already dealing with shifting availability. [Read more 🡒]