The Ottawa Senators are officially in the NHL’s “muddy middle,” and that makes them dangerous—either as a buyer or a seller. But according to a recent report from Bruce Garrioch, the rest of the league is trying to make that decision for them. Teams are calling about right-shot defenseman Artem Zub, and where there is smoke in Ottawa, there is often fire.
While the Senators sit seven points out of a playoff spot with a 24-21-7 record, the interest in Zub shouldn’t surprise anyone. He is the stabilizing force on the blue line, currently carrying a +10 rating and anchoring the top pair with Jake Sanderson. But with no trade protection and a reasonable $4.6 million cap hit through next season, Zub represents exactly what contenders crave: cost certainty and defensive reliability. The question isn’t whether teams want him; it’s whether Ottawa can afford to create a massive hole on their back end just to shake things up.
As an observer of this team, the chatter around Zub brings up a classic asset management debate. On one hand, you have a player who is 30 years old and playing nearly 20 minutes a night. He blocks shots (74 in 51 games), kills plays, and allows Jake Sanderson to be dynamic offensively. In a 7-1 drubbing of Vegas, we saw what this team looks like when the structure holds up—they look like a playoff team. Moving Zub essentially pulls a foundational brick out of that structure.
Why Teams Are Calling About Artem Zub
However, we have to look at this from the perspective of a General Manager. Zub’s value is likely at its peak. He isn’t a rental; the acquiring team gets him for two playoff runs. That drives the price up significantly. If the Senators decide that the gap to the Boston Bruins is too wide to bridge in the coming weeks, capitalizing on Zub’s value could bring back a haul that addresses long-term needs—specifically scoring depth or prospect capital.
My personal insight? Tread carefully. Good right-shot defensemen are the unicorns of the NHL. They are incredibly hard to draft and even harder to trade for without overpaying. Zub’s “down year” in ice time (lowest since his rookie season) is still top-four caliber on almost any other roster. If Ottawa moves him, they will spend the next two years looking for a player exactly like Artem Zub to replace him.
Unless the return is a controllable, top-six forward who fits the Tkachuk/Stützle timeline perfectly, moving Zub feels like robbing Peter to pay Paul. The Senators are finally getting steady goaltending and showing depth; blowing a hole in the top defensive pairing sends a confusing message to a locker room that is still fighting for a Wild Card spot.
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