2 Trade Targets For the Ottawa Senators

The rebuild, no matter what GM Pierre Dorion said, is not done in Ottawa. The Senators have a ton of exciting young prospects, arguably one of the best crops in the league, but that has yet to translate into on-ice success in the NHL regular season. At 39 games into the 2021-2022 campaign, the Sens have just 1 more regulation win in their 14-21-4 record than they did at this point last season. While last year that record was good for last place in the North Division, the plummeting Montreal Canadiens have pushed the Senators into second-last place in the Atlantic as of this writing. Needless to say, the Senators will be sellers at the deadline again this year. Thankfully, they have a couple handfuls of cheap veterans that are pending UFAs; players that plenty of other teams around the league will have interest in. Ottawa can expect to get a bunch of draft picks in exchange, but would probably prefer some NHL-caliber players who are ready to play right now. Here are two such players who the Senators can target at the trade deadline this March.

Kevin Fiala

Whether or not this player is available still remains a mystery, but all indications are that the Wild intend to make a run this year, which means rental players can be expected to join the roster at some point. Ottawa's Chris Tierney and Nick Paul would both be of interest to Minnesota, as would defenceman Nick Holden. Meanwhile, with 12 goals and 32 points in 40 games, Fiala is playing up to his current $5.1 million contract but will be looking for a raise after his current deal expires this summer. Given that he's a pending RFA, that will likely be with whichever team picks him up at the deadline. As a top 6 option, Fiala at 25-years old would still be older than the majority of Ottawa's top forwards next season. He's proven he can produce steadily at the NHL level, and the Sens could easily slot him into their core of players and their plans for the future. The Senators could potentially even get a deal done here without giving up a draft pick, given their stable of quality prospects.

Danton Heinen

Given the impending departure of both Chris Tierney and Nick Paul, the Sens are about to be decimated at the centre position. Yes, they have a few prospects that show promise toward playing that role in the future, but heading into the offseason with the 2C and 3C spots being unclaimed would be a massive undertaking for the Sens to try and solve on the open market. Here's where Danton Heinen comes in. The 27-year old pending RFA has 9 goals and 18 points in 40 games this season and yet is still struggling to fit into the Penguins' stacked lineup. He looks primed to hit the open market if he stays in Pittsburgh, but a more long-term roster position in Ottawa could be just what this player is looking for. He won't cost the Sens anything beyond a player swap given his current status as a healthy scratch, and he would immediately resolve some concerns about the Senators' depth down the middle in the coming 2022-2023 season.

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