Rumours are rampant in Bytown that the Ottawa Senators could be making some big trades leading up to the March 8 NHL trade deadline. The team’s president of hockey operations and general manager (GM), Steve Staios promised as much early in the new year. Speaking to The Jason Gregor Show (Staios interview starts at 1:07:50) on Edmonton’s Sports 1440 on Jan. 5, Staios said he’d “like to add a veteran player if he could” before the trade deadline.
Related: Ottawa Senators’ 2024 Trade Deadline Targets
Adding to speculation that a trade could be in the works was fourth-line centreman Rourke Chartier being placed on waivers on Jan. 30. Several days before, Senators prospect Oskar Pettersson booked a plane ticket from Sweden where he was playing in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) to head back to the Senators’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate in Belleville. The two moves left many fans asking whether Staios was maneuvering to give himself the flexibility to wheel and deal leading up to the trade deadline.
After all, Chartier has been a solid performer on the fourth line and no roster log jam would force a move involving him now. As for Pettersson, he’s just 19 years old and nothing about his performance in the SHL this season suggests he’s ready for a jump to the AHL.
Let’s take a look at who could be on the trading block with the trade deadline less than five weeks away.
Josh Norris
Josh Norris isn’t worth what he earns and if the Senators get a chance to move him they should. In 40 games, he has registered just 12 goals putting him on track for 20 goals on the season. His contract features an average annual value (AAV) of $7.95 million and that’s far too much to pay for a 20-goal scorer.
To put what he’s paid compared to what he produces into perspective, Los Angeles Kings’ centreman Phillip Danault’s contract features an AAV of $5.5 million. Yet he has produced 30 points in 48 games generating .625 points per game. Norris scores at a similar rate of .6 points per game but earns $2.45 million more each year than Danault.
What makes the salary difference even more galling is that Danault is much stronger defensively than Norris. To this point in the season, Danault has registered a plus/minus of plus-3. By contrast, Norris has registered a dismal minus-5.
Norris would certainly generate interest as a potential acquisition around the league, but you have to wonder whether the Senators would have to eat some of his salary to move him. After all, what NHL GM in this right mind would shell out almost $8 million per year for a player who has lit up the goal light just five times in his last 20 games? The last goal he scored was 14 games ago on Dec. 23 in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Vladimir Tarasenko
As a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) this summer, the Senators have to move the Russian right winger at the trade deadline. That’s unless he is willing to extend his contract. If he isn’t, he’s gone. Staios won’t let him walk out the door for nothing.
It would hurt to lose Tarasenko. He has done everything expected of him this season racking up 33 points in the 45 games he has played in a Senators’ sweater. He is among the team’s top five in total points.
He would be a very tempting playoff rental for any team that thinks they have a shot at a playoff run. A trade piece like Tarasenko could fetch Staios the veteran he hopes to add to his roster.
Jakob Chychrun
Jakob Chychrun has been the subject of trade rumours going back to January. As Post Media’s Bruce Garrioch put it, “At some point soon, Staios will likely meet with Chychrun’s Ottawa-based agent, Andy Scott of Octagon Hockey, to determine what their parameters might be on a contract extension. If the numbers don’t add up, then it could get serious with the teams that have been kicking tires” (from, Bruce Garrioch, ‘Garrioch: Keep an eye on Jakob Chychrun as Senators GM Steve Staios studies trade options’, Ottawa Sun, 1/17/24).
To a potential buyer, Chychrun brings a contract with term until the end of the 2024-25 season at a reasonable AAV of $4.6 million. With 28 points so far in this year’s campaign, he’s considered an offensively oriented blueliner. However, that’s offset by a horrible plus/minus of minus-11 – the second worst on the team.
Even so, parting with him would be difficult. Staios said he’s a fan of the defenceman and that he’s disappointed that Chychrun’s name is out there. “He’s a great player for us and loves Ottawa.”
Chychrun understands that he could be moved, but rumours that he isn’t happy in the nation’s capital don’t sit well with him. As he explained to The Athletic’s Ian Mendes, “I feel at home here. I bought a house and it’s five minutes from my sister and 10 minutes from my grandpa. It’s been a cool opportunity. It’s special coming home and this is a second home to me. I’ve just been cherishing my time here because not everybody gets that opportunity to play in front of family and loved ones” (from, Ian Mendes, “Senators’ Jakob Chychrun opens up about trade rumours: ‘I think it’s ridiculous’”, The Athletic, 1/23/24).
Thomas Chabot
Everyone knows that the Senators have a surplus of left-shot defencemen. If Tyler Kleven makes the team next season, then at least one of Chychrun, Chabot or Erik Brannstrom needs to go.
Related: Senators Will Have to Choose Between Chabot and Chychrun
Many aspiring GMs in Ottawa would try to move Chabot. They argue that not only would he command a hefty price on the trade market, but he just isn’t worth his contract’s $8 million AAV. Not only that, but in July, Chabot has the right to submit a 10-team, no-trade-list and that could make him that much harder to move. If Staios decides to extend Chychrun’s contract, now is the time to move Chabot.
Even so, his average time on the ice per game this season is 23:58 – more than any other defender on the team. That speaks volumes about the trust Jacques Martin and his coaching staff have in the soft-spoken alternate captain.
Erik Brannstrom
Brannstrom is the team’s fourth left-hand shot behind Jake Sanderson, Chabot and Chychrun. Any doubt that he’s surplus to the Senators’ needs was dispelled when he recently skated at left wing.
The 24-year-old Swede is offensively oriented. Not only that, but at just 5-foot-10 and 181 pounds he’s small and gets thrown around easily by opponents. As such he’s just not a fit in Ottawa for the long term. To become a Stanley Cup contender the Senators need a back end with size and grit.
Even so, his stats are reasonable and his contract’s $2 million AAV could make him part of a trade package that may bring some much-needed veteran talent to Ottawa.
Dominik Kubalik
Kubalik becomes a UFA this summer. Given the 28-year-old Czech’s disappointing performance this season it’s hard to imagine that the Senators would want to re-sign him. He has to be moved at the deadline or Staios loses him for nothing.
It’s doubtful that Kubalik could be sold for much that the Senators would find interesting. He is on track for just 22 points this season – less than half of what he notched last season in a Detroit Red Wings sweater.
It’s likely he’s moved out of Ottawa at the deadline as a sweetener in a larger trade package.
Senators Face Interesting Lead Up to 2024 Trade Deadline
What to do with Kubalik and Tarasenko at the deadline are two decisions that Staios must make. All the others are just possible moves on a chessboard that any NHL GM faces.
If Staios is feeling any pressure to make big moves at the trade deadline, he isn’t showing it. As he explained at a recent press conference, “There may be an opportunity here at the deadline. And if not, we’ll continue to work on it. Am I open for business? I think I’ve had some good discussions with lots of teams. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I wasn’t looking for all opportunities to make this team successful.”
In other words, pay close attention in February – there are lots of possible roster moves on the table leading up to the deadline.