Ottawa Senators should be buyers and sellers at NHL trade deadline

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There’s never a dull moment if you’re an Ottawa Senators fan.

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One night you’re ready to throw the remote through the television, the next, you see what is possible from a team that remains an enigma, with pieces of a puzzle that don’t always fit together.

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Coming off a 5-1 loss to Anaheim and 3-2 setback to Chicago, the Senators walked into Tampa Bay on Monday and, with a 4-2 win, did enough to make you at least pause the thought that the team deserves its spot near the bottom of the NHL standings.

And, following a road game against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, the Senators’ decision-makers have to be confused.

Who are the real Ottawa Senators?

Is it time for a rebuild?

Is it time for a roster shuffling?

Is it time to deal future assets and see what happens over the final 29 regular-season games?

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With the March 8 NHL trade deadline a bit more than two weeks away, general manager Steve Staios and his hockey operations folks are going to have to make a big decision, one that could resonate well beyond this season.

Buy or sell?

Let’s look at the standings. Realistically, do the Senators have a chance of being in the playoffs? They’re 15th of 16 teams in the Eastern Conference (with 48 points going into Tuesday’s game). The most realistic (if you can suggest that there’s any chance) opportunity to be in the playoffs would be through a wild-card spot. The teams currently in those spots — Tampa with 65 points and Detroit with 64.

So let’s assume both those current wild-card teams hit rock bottom the rest of the way and fall out of the playoffs. Does that open a window of opportunity for the Senators? Yeah, sure. And I’ve got some swampland to sell.

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The Senators would have to climb past New Jersey, the New York Islanders, Washington, Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Montreal. That’s a lot of leapfrogging. And, it’s likely several of those teams will be loading up with assets and getting better before the trade deadline. Should the Senators do the same?

The Senators were playing well going into last week’s back-to-back embarrassments, so what if they get on a roll? What if they beat Dallas on Thursday and Las Vegas on Saturday, both at home? What if they beat Washington and Nashville next Monday and Tuesday, both on the road? What if they get past Arizona, Philadelphia, Anaheim and Los Angeles, all leading into the trade deadline?

Maybe that changes their perspective, right? Maybe.

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But based on what we’ve seen this season, the poorly constructed roster has too many holes, too many poor fits, all tied to too many bad decisions by previous management.

It’s not like the Senators have, in recent times, been particularly astute at the trade deadline. As a team that was unlikely to do damage even if they got to the playoffs, the Senators refused to wave the white flag last year. With a flicker of hope of playoff home games and extra revenue to go into the owner’s pocket, they surrendered assets.

That shouldn’t be/won’t be a motivating factor this time. In his first year of team ownership, Michael Andlauer will let his hockey ops folks decide the course.

So, what about selling … and buying? Try to fix the square pegs in round holes, with an eye toward next season.

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There will be interest in some of the Senators’ players, including a couple of potential unrestricted free agents.

Winger Vladimir Tarasenko, signed as a free agent by Ottawa last summer, was dealt to the New York Rangers by the St. Louis Blues a year ago. The cost? The Rangers gave the Blues a 2023 first-round draft pick, a 2024 third-round pick, defenceman Hunter Skinner and forward Sammy Blais.

If the Senators are looking to move Tarasenko (who has 15 goals and 22 assists this season), they may get a first-rounder and a high-energy guy they could plug into their lineup in the near future.

What could the Senators get for former 30-goal-scoring winger Dominik Kubalik (who has nine goals, three assists this season). A middle-round draft pick?

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Would the Senators think about trading defenceman Jakob Chychrun, who they acquired from Arizona last March in exchange for a 2023 first-round pick, a conditional second-rounder this year and a second-rounder in 2026? The Senators have Chychrun under contract for another season, but you can bet they are at least looking to see what he would fetch, with an eye on changing the dynamics of their back end.

And would the Senators entertain the idea of dealing Drake Batherson, Josh Norris or Thomas Chabot?

But let’s look at the other end: If the Senators are moving bodies out, are they also using some of the assets they’re acquiring to become a buyer?

Or do they wait to make a decision on who their head coach will be next season, find guys that best suit the system and style of play expected?

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So many decisions in such a short time.

There need to be changes. Over their first 53 games, through more downs than ups, the Senators have shown us they’re not good enough to be status-quo into next season.

A team that hit the jackpot with all three of its 2020 first-round selections — Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson and Ridly Greig — needs to find a way to get better.

It won’t be a teardown, but if the Senators are ever going to go on that run of “unparalleled success” promised five years ago by former owner Eugene Melnyk, it’s time to right the wrongs.

Finally.

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