The Ottawa Senators made some key off-season additions by acquiring forwards Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux and goaltender Cam Talbot. As this season begins, however, it’s believed they’re still searching for blueline depth.
During Monday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast, Elliotte Friedman said he felt the Senators are going to add a defenseman. “I believe they’ve talked internally about it and my expectation is they’re still going to do it,” he said but offered no speculation as to which blueliner they might target.
The Senators have been rumored for weeks to have an interest in Jakob Chychrun of the Arizona Coyotes but reportedly weren’t keen on the high asking price. The 24-year-old defenseman also remains sidelined by a wrist injury. In Tuesday’s “32 Thoughts” column, Friedman felt teams could be reluctant to pursue a deal for Chychrun until he’s fully healthy and back in action.
If not Chychrun, then who else could be on the Senators’ radar?
With the Pittsburgh Penguins carrying nine defensemen with one-way NHL contracts, Marcus Pettersson was occasionally mentioned as a cost-cutting trade candidate. However, the Penguins addressed that issue by sending Ty Smith and Mark Friedman to the minors.
The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Gustav Elvin observed Flyers defensemen Ivan Provorov and Travis Sanheim have surfaced in the rumor mill. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, meanwhile, believes the Los Angeles Kings could shop one of their five right-handed defensemen.
Both columnists suggest those moves could come later in the season. That won’t provide an immediate remedy to Ottawa’s current blueline situation. If it becomes a waiting game that goes on too long, it could prove costly to the Senators’ playoff aspirations.
