GARRIOCH: It’s time for the Ottawa Senators to get down to brass tacks

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The clock is now ticking on Steve Staios and the Ottawa Senators.

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With the National Hockey League trade deadline set for March 8 at 3 p.m. EST, the Senators president of hockey operations and general manager has spent a lot of time working the phones, trying to make changes to this roster — but push is about to come to shove.

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There only are 14 shopping days left before the contenders can make the necessary moves to separate themselves from the pretenders and we’ll see if Staios can turn all the talking he has been doing into action before the clock strikes zero on the wheeling and dealing for another year.

Sitting 15 points out of the final wild-card spot heading into the visit by the Dallas Stars to the Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday night, the Senators will be sellers in the next two weeks. But, in an ideal world, Staios would like to add to this roster and not just subtract.

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That isn’t easy to do at this time of year because teams in a playoff position want to keep those players and unrestricted free agents want to go to a contender, but if the opportunity presents itself to bring in some veteran leadership, then Staios is determined to make that move.

Ottawa remains interested in Calgary defenceman Chris Tanev, but league executives say the Flames need to trade Noah Hanifin before they deal with the 34-year-old veteran. It feels like if Tanev was going to come to the Senators, it would have happened already, but never say never.

If nothing else and he’s dealt to a playoff team before the deadline, Tanev knows when he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, he likely can circle back to the Senators.

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The Senators have pieces they can move between now and the deadline, including winger Vladimir Tarasenko. He went into the visit by the Stars with 15 goals and 37 points in 51 games with the club and can aid a playoff team looking for help at left wing.

With a full no-trade clause (NTC), Tarasenko can pick and choose if his next destination. The belief in league circles is the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers would be among the group of teams that would be interested in acquiring the 32-year-old Tarasenko.

Both teams would like a top-nine winger and Tarasenko won a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. There is some talk Tarasenko may opt to finish the year with Ottawa, but if he wants a better payday this summer ,then his best bet is to get in some post-season games.

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Making $5 million, the Senators will be able to get a better return if they are willing to eat some cash. That will also bring more teams into the mix because several playoff teams aren’t flush with cap space to be able to fit another salary in before the end of the season.

Beyond Tarasenko, it’s difficult to predict how busy the Senators will be.

We’ve heard that teams have kicked tires on winger Dominik Kubalik, but he has been out there for two months and the club likely will be forced to retain some of his $2.5-million salary if anybody opts to go there.

Give Staois credit because he’s been trying. We’ve been told by several league executives that “he’s open for business” and beyond some of the core pieces — including Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson — the club is willing to at least listen on everybody.

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That doesn’t mean the Senators have put up a ‘For Sale’ sign with their roster, but if teams want to ask, they’d be willing to do something that’s going to make sense and help the organization make the next step.

Defenceman Jakob Chychrun’s name has surfaced on the market this spring because teams headed for the post-season that want him for two playoff runs have called to express interest. We’re told the asking price is high, but if someone is willing to pay, the club will consider it.

Many wonder if it’s time for Staios to strike at the core of this team.

Centre Josh Norris, who had a season-low 13 minutes and five seconds in the club’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, is under the microscope because he’s making $7.95 million this season and went into the game against the Stars with only one goal in past 20 games.

Moving Norris would be tough to do at this deadline, but his play down the stretch will be pivotal in determining where his future lies going into next season.

Coach Jacques Martin has shuffled the lines and Norris has moved to third unit with Ridly Greig and Drake Batherson.

Right now, there are a lot of moving parts and more questions than answers where this roster is concerned. Let’s see where the dust settles at 3:01 p.m. in two weeks from now.

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

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