Senators’ loss to Hawks further proof Steve Staios has work to do

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The losses are piling up for the Ottawa Senators, and the manner in which they’re happening must be giving Steve Staios cause for concern and, at the same time, pause for thought.

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With only 18 days until the National Hockey League trade deadline, set for March 8 at 3 p.m. EST, the clock is ticking on the Senators’ president of hockey operations and general manager to determine what changes he can make before then.

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This was supposed to be the year the Senators pushed for a playoff spot, but that hope is long gone. The club woke up 18 points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the final wild-card spot in the East on Sunday after a 3-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday at the United Center.

The Senators will close out this three-game road trip with a back-to-back series that starts Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning and wraps up Tuesday versus Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers before the club hosts the Dallas Stars Thursday at home.

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The Senators are 7-14-0 on the road this season and the 14 points the club has collected is the second-lowest in the league.

Losses like the one to the Hawks make you realize just how far this team has to go to contend. The goaltending hasn’t been good enough at any point this year and Saturday the Senators couldn’t even beat the worst team in the league.

“I thought we worked, but at times we’ve got to be better without the puck,” interim coach Jacques Martin told TSN 1200’s Gord Wilson on Saturday. “I thought, overall, we had a pretty good effort and some people have still got to give us some more, but I think overall we were pretty good.”

Coupled with the fact the Senators were beaten 5-1 by the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, these losses just aren’t acceptable. It’s easy to point the finger at goaltender Joonas Korpisalo because he wasn’t any good in either loss, but he’s hardly alone on that front.

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“It was a much better effort than our last game, so we’ve just got to build on that,” Martin said.

Martin was brought in to help set the foundation for this team to play at both ends, and the club has shown signs his message is getting through.

Preparing to miss the playoffs for the seventh straight year, Staios is now ramping up his preparations for the deadline. Associate general manager Ryan Bowness told Belleville broadcaster David Foote on Wednesday night he’ll be doing a lot of scouting here in the next couple of weeks.

The Senators have assets and decisions to make.

TSN’s trade bait list has four Ottawa players on it. Winger Vladimir Tarasenko is at No. 9, Jakob Chychrun is listed at No. 12, Dominik Kubalik is No. 38 and Erik Brannstrom is at No. 49. Of that group, only Tarasenko and Kubalik are set to become unrestricted free agents.

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Tarasenko has a full no-trade clause (NTC) and is in control of his own destiny at this deadline. The belief is the Senators plan to at least discuss what the parameters are for an extension before making a determination on whether they’ll ask him to waive his NTC.

Teams have called on Tarasenko, who has 14 goals and 35 points in 47 games this season, and it’s believed he hired new representation to help facilitate a contract extension if he does get moved. If the Senators are willing to eat some his $5 million salary, they’ll get more in return.

There’s been significant interest in Chychrun and the talk surrounding his future here is real because he’ll be a UFA on July 1, 2025 and teams looking at him as an option are doing so because they want him for two playoff runs.

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If the Senators are going to make that move, they need to get players that can help in return. We’ve been led to believe that the Senators have a set an asking price and that it’s high. If they get it, they’ll go ahead with a deal for Chychrun, but if not, they’ll make a decision in the summer.

As for Brannstrom and Kubalik, we’re not sure there will be any takers, but their names are out there along with centre Mark Kastelic. They’d be nothing more than draft pick deals if they are moved.

Staios has made no secret of the fact he wants to make changes. He’d like to add veteran leadership to help the young players, but he also needs to make decisions with senior VP Dave Poulin and Bowness on whether it’s time to strike at the core of this team.

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The Senators are built around Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Josh Norris, Drake Batherson, Shane Pinto, Ridly Greig, Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson. Some of these players are untouchable, but there’s likely a couple the organization is willing to listen on.

Norris’ play has to be one of the biggest causes for concern because he’s looked nothing like the player who scored 35 goals in 2021-22.

You can’t win if your best players aren’t at their best, and though this core may still be young this will be another season in which they don’t make the next step to help this club get to the playoffs.

BGarrioch@postmedia.com

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