The Ottawa Senators will be looking to make a playoff push next season. And if they want to achieve that target, they will have to make a trade for a center.
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports the Senators will look at trading Chris Tierney. Tierney, 26, finished the year with only six goals and 19 points while registering only 53 shots on net in 55 games. If the Sens cannot trade Tierney this off-season, the Senators will have him exposed in the Seattle Kraken expansion draft in the hopes he is picked up.
Garrioch feels the Sens could target Calgary Flames center Sean Monahan. The Flames are listening to offers for Monahan. He had only 10 goals and 28 points in 50 games this season and hasn’t lived up to expectations. He has two years left at $6.125 million in 2021-22 and $6 million in 2022-23 so he’s only a short-term commitment for a team that wants help. His deal has a standard 10-team no trade clause.
Monahan played for the Ottawa 67’s during his junior career and he is very familiar with the city.
NHL trade rumors also have the possibility of Nazem Kadri being available for trade. He would fit well in the Senators lineup. He has an affordable salary cap hit and will be sought after by multiple teams if he is available this summer.
Garrioch went on the say, Edmonton’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will be able to choose whatever destination he wants if the Oilers decide to walk away and not re-sign him. He would be a perfect #2 center for the Sens.
No the Senators won’t trade for Monahan. Garrioch thinks the Flames will give Monahan away for next to nothing just because he wishes they would. If wishes were horses…
Ottawa would have to start by offering Drake Batherson (or maybe Connor Brown) just to get Calgary talking. And add from there.
Brady surely won’t be on the table. If he was the Flames would happily trade Monahan and more to get the Tkachuk brothers together in Calgary. Highly unlikekt Norris would be either. Probably not Stutzle or Chabot either, but the Flames shouldn’t be interested in either of them anyhow. About the last thing Calgary needs is yet another offensive defenseman (especially not a left shooting LD) and the next last thing is yet another top 6 LW.
That leaves Batherson and possibly Brown as the only players Calgary would have enough interest in to think about trading Monahan.