Market heating up for a defenseman in Ottawa

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Felip Gosselin
January 1, 2023 (3:05 PM)

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The Senators are another team that hasn't been playing up to expectations since the season's begun. With their most recent signings and blockbuster moves (Claude Giroux, Alex DeBrincat), although they've been a little better than last year, they've failed to take the next step as a franchise.

They've reportedly been on the market for an upgrade on the right side of their defensive core and they currently hold a little over $2.4M in cap space. Nikita Zaitsev who spent most of his time in the AHL since the beginning of the season takes $4.5M of that space for the next two seasons and moving him would ultimately give them the room they need to make a major improvement.

There were rumors that Zaitsev had been traded for Tyler Myers, but that the deal was canceled because of the No-Movement clause on one of their contracts. Trade chatter will definitely heat up once more since Kevin Weekes revealed really interesting information on the subject :

"I'm told @Senators are actively seeking a trade of D Zaitsev. They've granted permission to his representatives to speak with clubs. My understanding is Sens willing to move a high draft pick or a prospect to accommodate the trade."

His representatives have been allowed to speak to other teams' management parties to seek a match and not only do they want him out of Ottawa, but they're even willing to pay a high draft pick or a prospect to move him. A team in the middle of a rebuilding phase or a team that wants to move a bad contract could definitely be intrigued.

Zaitsev's deal contains an M-NTC, in which he has to give the team (Ottawa) a list of 10 cities he doesn't want to be dealt to. Leaving 22 on the table. Zaitsev's contract carries on until the end of 2024, who'll be taking a guess on the defenseman?