Trade Deadline Primer: Ottawa Senators
With the Olympic break upon us, the trade deadline is under a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? After looking at teams at the ends of the standings, we shift our focus to teams fighting for a playoff spot. Next up are the Senators.
The Senators are in a very tough spot as we approach the trade deadline. The team was built to compete this season, but it has failed to build on last season’s playoff appearance and risks regressing. Ottawa has a small competitive window left to win something of substance and isn’t likely to punt on this season, especially given that they don’t currently have a first-round pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch has hinted that Ottawa would rather add than subtract from its roster, which makes sense given that Ottawa was heating up in the weeks leading up to the Olympics. If the Senators can get some goaltending down the stretch, they will be in the hunt for a wild-card spot. That being said, should they add to their lineup, stand pat, or sell off their pending UFAs?
Record
28-22-7, 6th in the Atlantic (42.2% playoff probability)
Deadline Status
Conservative Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$13.95MM on deadline day, 1/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2026: BUF 2nd, OTT 3rd, FLA 3rd, WSH 3rd, OTT 5th, OTT 6th,
2027: OTT 1st, OTT 2nd, OTT 3rd, OTT 4th, OTT 5th, OTT 6th,
Trade Chips
If the Senators opted to sell off this season, they would have no shortage of pieces to move, including forwards David Perron, Lars Eller, Nick Cousins, and Claude Giroux, as well as defenseman Nick Jensen. PHR covered that angle a month ago, when it looked as though the Senators were headed for a sell-off, but now they may have positioned themselves to be buyers if they can keep rolling. But do they have any assets that could be moved to acquire talent that can help this season?
Ottawa doesn’t have much, but they have a few pieces that could be moved to acquire more talent. The first name that comes to mind for anyone familiar with Ottawa’s prospect system is Carter Yakemchuk. The 20-year-old defenseman is the Senators’ top prospect and currently plays for their AHL affiliate in Belleville, where he is having a solid first professional season. To put it bluntly, Ottawa isn’t moving Yakemchuk for any short-term gains and may not be inclined to move him at all. If they had a move available to address both their short- and long-term futures, they might be open to it, but for now, he is likely staying put.
Outside of Yakemchuk, the Senators have a few other prospects they might be more willing to move, including another defenseman, Logan Hensler. The Senators’ 2025 first-round pick (23rd overall) is currently in his second season in the NCAA with the University of Wisconsin. He has already matched his point total from all of last season (12) in just 23 games. Hensler’s game is quite different from that of Yakemchuk in that he plays a safe, steady game focused on gap control, an active stick, and using his explosiveness to make defensive recoveries. Hensler is well-suited to play alongside a defenseman like Yakemchuk, who is more offensively minded and gifted. Should Ottawa make Hensler available in a trade, he is the kind of player who could be the big piece in a package that includes draft picks and other players.
In the crease, the Senators have run the course with goaltender Mads Sogaard, and it certainly feels like his time with Ottawa needs to end soon. The former second-round pick has not shown much in his last two professional seasons, after a stellar start to his AHL career from 2020 to 2023. Sogaard is now 25, and although the Senators don’t exactly have a deep prospect pool in the crease, it seems likely they will non-tender him this summer. Given that trajectory, it makes sense for Ottawa to move him before the deadline (hopefully) for a late-round pick or let him walk in the summer for nothing. Sogaard isn’t going to fetch much of a return, but Ottawa could pair the pick with other assets to facilitate a bigger move elsewhere.
Shifting up front to the forwards, Stephen Halliday has been a nice story this season for the Senators. The 2022 fourth-round pick (104th overall) was an overage draft pick when Ottawa selected him, and he has had a terrific start to his professional career. The Senators have rewarded his progression by giving him 25 NHL games this year, and Halliday, in turn, has rewarded the Senators’ trust in him by tallying four goals and seven assists while averaging just over eight minutes per game. Halliday’s skating isn’t great, but his size and offensive skill set would be desirable to a team looking to add good young talent to its prospect pool.
Team Needs
A Top Six Center: Ottawa had hoped that last year’s trade-deadline acquisition, Fabian Zetterlund, could slide into a role in the Senators’ top six. However, that hasn’t been the case, as Zetterlund has struggled this season and has been relegated to fourth-line duties alongside Eller. The 26-year-old isn’t much of a play driver, but he has fared better in this department this season despite his demotion. Zetterlund can skate well and could likely play in Ottawa’s top six if needed, but at the moment, he’s been a disappointment this year. With his play moving him down the lineup, it’s become clear that Ottawa could use a top-six forward to bump some of their other players back to a more suitable role. Some fans might point to a veteran like Perron as a potential candidate for the top two lines, but given his age and recent injury history, that is not a safe bet. Ottawa doesn’t need to sell the farm to make an addition, and it probably wouldn’t be in on any of the trio of St. Louis Blues who are available (Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, or Brayden Schenn). However, Ottawa could afford to target a player like Michael Bunting of the Nashville Predators or Andrew Mangiapane of the Edmonton Oilers. Both of those players are having down years, but perhaps an opportunity in Ottawa’s top six might reignite their play this year.
A 1B Goaltender: Linus Ullmark is a terrific NHL goaltender who has had a great career. He’s dealt with a lot this season, and unfortunately, it has affected his play on the ice. Had Ottawa received league-average goaltending this season, it would be comfortably in a playoff position at the moment, instead of sixth in its division. The Senators don’t have the assets to acquire another starting goaltender. Still, they could find a more consistent backup, or ideally, a 1B goaltender who can take more starts and allow Ullmark to work through his game without the pressure of shouldering the bulk of the goaltending load. The name Jesper Wallstedt of the Minnesota Wild has been thrown around quite often in online forums. Still, the Senators probably don’t have the trade capital to make that move, particularly given that the Wild are looking for center help and Ottawa likely doesn’t want to part with any of their young, cost-controlled centers (nor should they).
Photo by Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Bruins Willing To Listen On Andrew Peeke
The Bruins won’t embark on the near full-scale teardown they did at last year’s deadline when they shipped out Brandon Carlo and Brad Marchand for futures. They’re in the thick of the playoff race this time around and come out of the break with a 61% chance of clinching a berth, per MoneyPuck.
That won’t completely preclude the B’s from listening to offers on roster players if it helps them replenish their long-uninspiring prospect pool, though. They’re willing to part ways with pending unrestricted free agent Andrew Peeke to help them add to their prospect and pick arsenal, Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic wrote this week.
The other notable pending UFA in Boston’s ranks is winger Viktor Arvidsson. He’s played a key role on their second line this season, though, and his 14 goals and 28 points in 45 games are valuable for a team light on scoring depth. They “would not be as quick to break up their second line if the return is for a mid- to late-round selection,” Shinzawa writes on Arvidsson.
Boston gave up a third-round pick, plus depth piece Jakub Zboril, to acquire Peeke from the Blue Jackets at the 2023 deadline. He wasn’t a rental at the time, having inked a three-year, $8.25MM extension with Columbus in the prior training camp. Since he doesn’t have any term left, Boston likely won’t be able to recoup as much value as they paid for him unless the trade market takes a big swing toward sellers.
That said, Peeke is having his best season as a Bruin. After slotting as their third-pairing right D behind Charlie McAvoy and Carlo last year, he’s assumed second-pairing shutdown duties with Hampus Lindholm with Carlo out of the picture. That pairing has been woeful offensively but has done its job in preventing chances against, allowing only 2.43 expected goals against per 60 minutes. That’s fourth out of Boston’s 13 pairings with at least 60 minutes of ice time together.
The bump in role has led to increased ice time, with Peeke averaging over 19 minutes per game for the first time since the 2022-23 season. He’s recorded a 4-8–12 scoring line in 56 games with a -7 rating. Peeke, who turns 28 next month, also leads the Bruins with 101 blocks and ranks seventh with 67 hits.
Capitals To Activate Connor McMichael From Injured Reserve
Capitals forward Connor McMichael told reporters today, including Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network, that he’ll come off injured reserve and return to Washington’s lineup when their schedule resumes next Wednesday against the Flyers. The Caps still have nearly a week to make the formal roster move, which will require a corresponding transaction.
McMichael has been out of commission since sustaining an undisclosed injury against the Red Wings three weeks ago. Thanks to the timing of the injury, he only missed the final four games before the Olympic break.
The 25-year-old has bounced around Washington’s top nine quite a bit this season, and he’ll face some increased competition for ice time coming out of the break after Pierre-Luc Dubois returned from abdominal surgery in the Caps’ last appearance. McMichael spent most of last season on the left wing on a line with Dubois and Tom Wilson. Aliaksei Protas has been in that slot when Dubois has been healthy this year, so it stands to reason McMichael could re-enter the picture on the right side of Washington’s top line with Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome. Those two have seen a rotating cast of wingers, including Anthony Beauvillier and Ethen Frank, while Dubois was out.
While McMichael’s ice time has increased to a career-high 17:03 per game this season, his production has cooled off after a breakout 2024-25 campaign. A lot of that has to do with his shooting percentage nearly halving, dropping from 14.7% last year to 7.6%. He’s only lit the lamp eight times through 55 games as a result, but has added 23 assists for 31 points, ranking seventh on the team in scoring.
After a wild 111-point regular season, the Capitals have received inverse puck luck in 2025-26. They’re shooting just around league average and, despite having above-average offense and defense with a +12 goal differential, entered the break with the 12th-best record in the Eastern Conference based on points percentage. They have a four-point gap to make up with negative games in hand to get back into the playoff picture, something MoneyPuck only gives them a 34.6% chance of being able to pull off.
Ducks’ Petr Mrazek Out For Season After Hip Surgery
The Anaheim Ducks announced today that netminder Petr Mrazek will miss the rest of the 2025-26 season after undergoing hip surgery yesterday. Mrazek has not played since Jan. 5 and has been on injured reserve since Jan. 7.
This news is an undoubtedly unfortunate development for Mrazek, who is set to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer. The 34-year-old veteran has a $4.25MM AAV contract that is set to expire. Today’s news means that Mrazek won’t be able to put any additional games on his résumé before he hits the open market. Acquired by the Ducks in June as part of the Detroit Red Wings’ acquisition of John Gibson, Mrazek played in just 10 games this season. He went 3-5-0 with a grisly .858 save percentage and 4.07 goals-against-average.
Those numbers won’t help Mrazek’s case in free agency, but looking past just his brief Ducks tenure, Mrazek’s platform as a free agent looks improved. He was the No. 1 goalie playing behind a weak rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks team in 2023-24 and posted a strong .908 save percentage across 56 games played. Throughout his NHL career, Mrazek has been a talented, if inconsistent goaltender.
While he was likely viewed as a more straightforward option for clubs interested in a veteran backup goaltender in this summer’s open market, today’s development will likely inject some uncertainty into his free agency.
Kings Recall Pheonix Copley, Place Kevin Fiala On IR
Earlier today, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they’ve recalled netminder Pheonix Copley from the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Additionally, the Kings have placed forward Kevin Fiala on the injured reserve, as expected.
Copley has likely been brought on as a practice player before Los Angeles returns to action next week. Darcy Kuemper, the Kings’ typical starter, is rostered on Team Canada for the Olympics, and they’ve already clinched a spot in the Bronze Medal game at the very least.
Despite a brief stint with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Copley has been with Los Angeles for the past four years. Still, he’s spent much of the past two years with AHL Ontario. In 24 games for the Reign this season, Copley has managed a 13-11-0 record with a .890 SV% and 2.95 GAA.
Meanwhile, Fiala’s placement on the injured reserve was a formality. Playing on Team Switzerland in the Olympics, Fiala infamously suffered multiple leg fractures in a game against Canada.
The fractures required nearly immediate surgery, which has prematurely ended Fiala’s 2025-26 campaign. Los Angeles could have placed Fiala on long-term injured reserve, but their sufficient cap space made that unnecessary.
Fiala’s absence from the Kings’ lineup the rest of the way should undoubtedly alter Los Angeles’ approach leading up to the trade deadline. Yes, the team already acquired high-scoring winger Artemi Panarin before the Olympics, though that was with Fiala healthy. Given the drastic need for goal-scoring help in Los Angeles, it’s likely they’ll seek to acquire some additional reinforcements.
Flames Recall Matvei Gridin
The Flames announced they’ve recalled winger Matvei Gridin from AHL Calgary. With only 11 forwards on their active roster, including the injured Jonathan Huberdeau, it stands to reason he’ll be sticking with the team out of the break, not just for practice purposes this week.
Gridin, still just 19, was the Flames’ second first-round choice in 2024, going 28th overall after they selected defenseman Zayne Parekh ninth overall. Prospect evaluators were split on the pick. He entered the season as Calgary’s No. 10 prospect according to Corey Pronman of The Athletic, but was ranked as high as No. 4 – the second-best forward prospect in the system behind last year’s first-rounder Cole Reschny – by NHL.com.
The difference in projection lies in Gridin’s all-around game. The 6’1″, 190-lb winger’s skill is undeniable, but there were concerns that his offensive game relies too much on perimeter play and he lacks the physicality necessary to create quality scoring chances for himself at the NHL level. After playing in the USHL during his pre-draft season, he moved to a slightly more competitive junior league, the QMJHL, for his post-draft season. Gridin scored 36 goals and 79 points in 56 games for the Shawinigan Cataractes, ranking fifth in the league in points per game (1.41) while being named the league’s rookie of the year.
The Flames saw a more NHL-ready talent in Gridin than some scouts did. He turned a strong training camp into a spot on Calgary’s opening night roster, scoring in the season opener but otherwise going pointless with a -3 rating in four games before the Flames assigned him to the AHL. He was recalled again in mid-January, appearing in nine consecutive games before the break, before Calgary sent him back down to continue playing during the Olympics.
All told, it’s been a smooth transition to pro hockey for the Russian. He was productive on his second call-up and now has three goals and six points through his first 13 NHL appearances. Averaging 14:05 per game, his 0.46 points per game are already good for eighth place on an offensively woeful Flames team. With Huberdeau done for the year thanks to hip surgery, there will be even more opportunity for Gridin to tamp down a top-nine role heading into next season.
Things went similarly well for Gridin in the AHL. He’s scored 10 goals and 29 points in 36 games, including a +1 rating on an offensively dynamic but defensively porous Wranglers squad.
Blackhawks Recall Kevin Korchinski, Sam Rinzel
The Blackhawks announced Wednesday that they’ve recalled defense prospects Kevin Korchinski and Sam Rinzel from AHL Rockford. Defenseman Wyatt Kaiser was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Feb. 4 in the corresponding move.
Chicago doesn’t have any defensemen in Italy suiting up at the Olympics, so it’s likely these recalls will result in actual playing time for the two youngsters. Korchinski, the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft, especially stands to benefit as a lefty, more directly replacing Kaiser’s slot on the depth chart. Since recording 15 points in 76 games for the Hawks as a rookie in 2023-24, Chicago has been much more restrictive with his development, leaving him mostly in the AHL to work on developing his all-around game.
His minor-league stats indicate the Hawks are still working to undo any damage they may have done by rushing him into the NHL lineup as a 19-year-old two years ago. He’s posted a respectable 5-45–50 scoring line in 101 games for Rockford over the last two years but that’s come with a -39 rating, including a team-worst -22 mark this year. He nonetheless leads Rockford in scoring from the blue line with 23 points in 45 games. For a Chicago blue line that’s struggled to get offense from anyone not named Artyom Levshunov this year, he could be of benefit to their 26th-ranked offense until Kaiser is ready to get back into the fold.
Rinzel, taken several spots after Korchinski in the first round in 2022, broke camp with the Hawks after a strong finish last season that saw him record five assists in his first nine NHL games after wrapping up his sophomore year at the University of Minnesota. Ice time was harder to latch onto as a full-timer, though, averaging 17:09 per game through the first two months of this year after getting top-pairing deployment down the stretch in 2024-25.
After Rinzel had an even rating and nine points in 31 games, Chicago opted to send Rinzel to Rockford in early December for additional development. The well-rounded righty has looked solid there, rattling off 14 points in 23 games with a -8 rating on a team with an ugly -30 goal differential.
He’s now one of four righties on the Hawks’ active roster, so the path to playing time is murkier than what Korchinski has at the moment. Head coach Jeff Blashill has opted to dress seven defensemen frequently this season, though, so he should have a decent shot at getting in the lineup, even if his ice time isn’t extensive.
Kaiser sustained a lower-body injury in Chicago’s final game before the Olympic break. Head coach Jeff Blashill said yesterday that he’ll miss a couple of games on the other side but will be back at some point down the stretch.
Lightning’s Maxwell Crozier Out For Regular Season
Lightning defenseman Maxwell Crozier underwent surgery to repair a core muscle injury during the Olympic break, the team announced Wednesday. He’ll be out for approximately 10 weeks, putting his projected return date in late April – after the end of the regular season. He hasn’t yet been placed on injured reserve or long-term injured reserve, but will presumably land there closer to when the Bolts get back into game action on Feb. 25.
The 25-year-old Crozier has been out for a multi-game stretch several times this season. The 2019 fourth-round pick has worked his way into a full-time role with all the injuries on Tampa’s blue line this season, but he’s also lost 19 games to undisclosed injuries and illness. Whether or not his core muscle is what’s been plaguing him since first exiting the lineup in mid-October remains to be seen, but in any event, he won’t be an option for the Bolts again until late in a potential first-round playoff matchup.
Crozier has emerged as a valuable bottom-pairing piece, especially with how much the Bolts have had to rely on their defensive depth. In a career-high 34 appearances, he’s logged a goal and nine assists for 10 points with strong possession control numbers at even strength, including a 53.7 CF% and a 53.4 xGF%. It’s his third straight year seeing NHL ice, logging 13 appearances in 2023-24 and another five last year. The righty has good size at 6’3″ and 204 lbs and has averaged 16 minutes per night.
With the Bolts’ hot streak leading into the deadline giving them a 92% chance of taking home the Atlantic Division crown (per MoneyPuck), Crozier’s absence isn’t an insurmountable obstacle by any stretch. Still, with Charle-Edouard D’Astous and Emil Martinsen Lilleberg both questionable to be ready coming out of the break, they’ll be down another depth option if injury-prone veterans Victor Hedman or Ryan McDonagh end up needing another IR stint.
It’s worth noting the Bolts do have the fourth-most difficult remaining schedule, according to Tankathon. Missing Crozier for the stretch run could up the urgency for general manager Julien BriseBois to pursue a depth addition at the deadline to help fill Crozier’s role as a No. 6/7 option.
Paul Coffey Rejoining Oilers Coaching Staff
After transitioning from a bench role to an advisory position last summer, Paul Coffey is returning to his job as an assistant coach under Kris Knoblauch for the remainder of the season, the Oilers announced Wednesday.
Coffey hasn’t been particularly active in off-ice roles since ending his playing career in 2001, but he has been recently. He first rejoined the franchise where he won three Stanley Cups as a skills coach in January 2018. He remained in that post for just a season and a half before eventually becoming a senior advisor ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. When the Oilers replaced Woodcroft with Knoblauch as head coach early in the 2023-24 campaign, Coffey was added to the bench as an assistant overseeing Edmonton’s defense as part of the reconstruction.
The Hall-of-Famer ended up being a key part of revitalizing the effectiveness of the Oilers’ depth defense en route to back-to-back Cup Final appearances. Without him on the bench this season, their team structure has collapsed. Last season, the Oilers were ninth in the league in xGA/60 at 5-on-5 at 2.29, per MoneyPuck. This year, that number has jumped to 2.54 – all the way down to 24th.
As the Oilers look to hang on to a divisional berth in the Pacific down the stretch, they’re hoping to get a defensive boost from Coffey in the process. They never replaced his spot on the staff after he transitioned out, so they’ve only been operating with two assistants this year.
Maple Leafs Recall William Villeneuve
The Maple Leafs announced they’ve recalled defenseman William Villeneuve from AHL Toronto. He’ll give the Leafs an extra defenseman at practices for the time being while they await Oliver Ekman-Larsson‘s return from representing Sweden at the Olympics.
Villeneuve hasn’t gotten a recall yet this season. Some have questioned that decision given the lack of puck-moving ability on Toronto’s blue line outside of Ekman-Larsson and Morgan Rielly. The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick in 2020 and is now in his fourth pro season.
Last year marked a breakout for the 6’2″ righty. After a pair of decent showings lower in the Marlies’ lineup, he had his minutes elevated and exploded for 36 assists and 40 points in 55 games, leading the team’s defense in scoring along with a team-high +17 rating. His stock has tanked in 2025-26, though. With 18 points in 40 games, he’s on pace for the worst offensive performance of his professional career and has flipped to a team-worst -8 rating. His drop-off is part of a larger decline from the Marlies’ roster, though – he still leads their blue line in scoring.
His NHL-ready size and longer body of two-way success in the AHL still has him ranked as Toronto’s No. 5 prospect and No. 2-ranked defenseman, Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun opined earlier this month. A pending restricted free agent, he’s a clear bet to receive a qualifying offer for the second year in a row and could be in line for his NHL debut down the stretch if Toronto sells off a defender or two ahead of the trade deadline.