The Ottawa Senators clearly relish what they have, and outside of a pair of middling moves, the club exits this year’s NHL trade deadline on a hush.
Friday’s hype machine – featured for seemingly hours and hours (and hours) on competing networks TSN and Sportsnet – was relatively quiet as well, up until a sparkler of a finish.
Ottawa made two trades. One was an exit, the other was an entry.
Leaving is veteran forward David Perron, who was sent to Detroit. Incoming is veteran forward Warren Foegele, courtesy of the Los Angeles Kings.
Over to you, Stevie Silent.
“We looked at everything, we really did. It isn’t like we approached this deadline with caution. We were aggressively looking at areas where we could improve our team. At the end of the day, whether the players weren’t available to us or what it might have been, we felt comfortable with our group,” offered up General Manager Steve Staios minutes after the final whistle blew at 3 pm ET.
“Some of the players we looked at certainly were not an upgrade to what we (already) had here,” said Staios.
So then, what are you getting in a Warren Foegele, Ottawa Fan? While there’s not much of a ‘wow’ factor with the 29-year-old left winger, he does bring certain necessary qualities. He can kill penalties – a huge component if you do make the playoffs – and he’s a hard skater.
“He’s a big body who can skate. He had back-to-back 20-goal seasons. We like that make up of player,” said Staios. “I think if he was on a 20-goal pace this year, he wouldn’t have been available. So sometimes you have to look at what the make up of the player is . . . it’s a good opportunity for him to get back to his game and for us to get a very good player.”
Foegele’s offensive game was unremarkable this season in LA; he sat at seven goals and two assists through 47 games.
He’s also captured his fair share of real estate in his time in the league. Ottawa becomes Foegele’s fourth team, with previous stops with the Kings, Carolina and Edmonton.
Meantime, the second-round pick Ottawa surrenders in the deal is tough to swallow. The Senators had already lost their first-rounder in that botched Evgenii Dadonov deal from a couple of years back. So then, no picks in late June until the third round for the local team. And that’s in a stacked draft.
On the other side of the spectrum, veteran David Perron (currently injured) heads back to Detroit and presents a familiar face for Steve Yzerman’s club. The 37-year-old forward lands Ottawa a conditional fourth-round pick this summer. The Senators signed Perron as a free agent – away from the Wings – in 2024.
“David was a good player for us. He brought us what we needed at the time with his experience and competitiveness at a time where this group was continuing to grow,” Staios added.
The rest of the league’s clubs remained unusually reserved . . . until the final seconds ticked toward, then past 3 pm.
Most have the Colorado Avalanche pegged as Stanley Cup favourites and the western team did nothing to dissuade the believers, trading for former teammate and Cup champ Nazem Kadri from Calgary late in the day. Kadri joins former Maple Leaf Nic Roy and sturdy blueliner Brett Kulak as additions to an already deep and talented lineup.
As for those Leafs?
No surprise here as the exit sign was in full bloom, although the organization waited until the final moments before divesting itself of unrestricted free agents Scott Laughton (to LA) and Bobby McMann (to Seattle). Roy was shipped to the Avalanche a day earlier. Toronto recoups some much-needed draft capital in its dealings and clearly sits in rebuild mode.
And also not surprising was the actions (or inactions) of Eastern Canada’s other favourite squad – the Montreal Canadiens.
The Habs sat silent all day, and why wouldn’t they? Montreal’s future is exceedingly bright given the calibre and depth of its young stock. No need to tinker for a team distinctly on the rise.
thegrossgame@yahoo.com
Photo: Courtesy Sportsnet
