NHL Rumors: 2 Ottawa Senators Trade Candidates

The Ottawa Senators made some drastic changes this summer as management has started to put the rebuild in the rear view mirror. The team is on the road to becoming a contender in the eastern conference and have added some serious talent to their group. While it's been mostly additions for the Senators, there's a few players who they'd likely love to move on from. Let's examine three Senators trade candidates:

Nikita Zaitsev

Overpaid and underperforming, never a good mix for any athlete, Senators Nikita Zaitsev hasn't quite met expectations in Ottawa. Last season the 30-year-old right-handed blueliner recorded 11 points in 62 games. He sits with two seasons left on his contract, paying him $4.5 million season.

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The kicker here is he actually holds no-trade protection as he submits a list of 10 teams he would prefer to avoid. Look for the Senators to monitor his production closely this season and potentially move on at some point.

Erik Brannstrom

A one-time can't miss prospect, it's been a grind early on in Erik Brannstrom's career. He appeared in 53 games with the big club last season, recording 14 assists. At 5-foot-10 Brannstrom is slightly undersized and has to be productive offensively if he's going to have any chance to be a top-four defenseman long term.

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With Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot ahead of him on the depth chart, there's certainly potential the team looks to move the 22-year-old for some more help up front.