Banged-up Ottawa Senators adding, subtracting near NHL trade deadline

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With a lineup that seems to be minus more injured players by the day, the Ottawa Senators are likely looking at a couple of subtractions and additions in the next few days.

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With three games — against Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose — in this western road trip ahead, the Senators are also expected to be active in advance of Friday’s NHL trade deadline.

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The Senators didn’t practise Sunday and there was no further word on Brady Tkachuk, who did not play in the team’s 4-2 loss in Philadelphia on Saturday after leaving a home game against Arizona (a 5-3 loss on Friday) late in the third period.

The captain told the team he was ready to go after the morning skate, but didn’t feel well enough to go late in the afternoon. The missed game interrupted his consecutive-games-played streak at 219, eighth-most in franchise history. 

The trade deadline? One of the players who could be on the move is Vladimir Tarasenko, who signed a one-year, $5-million contract to join the Senators ahead of this season. An unrestricted free agent this summer and with the Senators not going to make the playoffs, the 32-year-old winger will be available. Assuming he’ll waive his no-trade clause, he’s likely got a new home this week.

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For his part, Tarasenko, who has played very well in Ottawa and has 17 goals and 24 assists, says he likes Ottawa and would like to stay. But it seems likely the Senators can get a steep price for the former 40-goal scorer, who was dealt by St. Louis to the New York Rangers ahead of last year’s trade deadline. The price then: A 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 fourth, forward Sammy Blais, and prospect Hunter Skinner.

Ottawa doesn’t have another home game in advance of the deadline, so Tarasenko may well have played his last home game as a Senator.

“We’ll see what happens,” Tarasenko said following Ottawa’s loss to Arizona. “I’m just preparing for each game. I like the group of guys, I like hanging around with them. Tomorrow’s a new day; we’ll see what happens.”

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Another potential free agent and trade candidate is winger Dominik Kubalik, who only has nine goals this season, but is a former 30-goal scorer (2019-20 with Chicago).

There’s also the chance the Senators dig into their core group and begin to reshape the team well in advance of next season. That seems unlikely, but with the roller-coaster ride of a season the Senators are having, you can bet general manager Steve Staios is open to just about anything.

Back to what’s happening on the ice.

Winger Zack MacEwen (lower body) was injured in the first period Saturday and didn’t return. He returned to Ottawa to be evaluated.

The Senators were also without both of their regular goalies — Joonas Korpisalo (illness) and Anton Forsberg (injured, lower body) — on Saturday.

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Where do they go from here? What has to happen during the western swing?

It will be back to the ice for practice Monday.

“We have a lot of bumps and bruises,” defenceman Thomas Chabot told TSN 1200’s Gord Wilson following Saturday’s game. “We’re going to take advantage of the rest and fine tune some of the details to have a good rest of the road trip.”

“It’s probably a good time to recover,” interim head coach Jacques Martin said. “Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, then we have back-to-back (games). It’s a welcome break and we’ll have some practice time to focus on a couple of areas.”

ICE CHIPS

Asked about his team’s power play that was 0-for-5 Saturday, Martin said: “We had really good puck control, but I’m not sure we shoot enough. We’re looking for the perfect play too much. A lot of times goals are just tip-ins, pucks (shot) at the net and rebounds.” … Senators goalie prospect Vladimir Nikitin, who plays for the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs, scored a rare goalie goal Saturday. Better yet, it was a short-handed goal. 

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