Senators' Joseph Linked to Western Contender

The Ottawa Senators sit six games under .500 and are last in the Eastern Conference in points. This is not the start they wanted or how they expected the season to go after some solid upgrades. This is a team that looks destined to sell at the deadline again, and they have some good pieces to do so effectively.

While everyone's attention may be on the pending UFAs, the Senators may look to move on from Mathieu Joseph, per The Athletic, but for a different reason than before the season. He had a tough go last season, which dropped his trade value. He was seen as overpaid for the production he had, but this season has completely changed that. He looks like the middle-six winger that came over and played great right after the trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Joseph only makes $2.95 million AAV through 2026 and has recorded eight goals and 23 points in 36 games. He is currently lining up on the second line, and although it wouldn't hurt the Senators to keep him past this season, his value likely won't get much higher. He is a good age at 26 years old and has proven to be inconsistent in the past. While he is playing consistently well this season and the team has other young players coming through the ranks, they could look to pivot on him and get what they can.

As for the team that could look at adding Joseph if the price is right and the Senators do take offers, the Winnipeg Jets are in the market for this type of player. The Jets play more of a system, so Joseph could become more consistent on a team like this, and they would have him past this season. As Winnipeg is a contender and looks to be moving forward, adding players with multiple years for relatively cheap is a good idea. This is what the Lightning have done and it has worked out. There aren't many holes up front in the Jets' lineup, but he is an upgrade over multiple forwards regardless and would give the team a better chance to win.