NHL Rumors: Senators Determined Not To Make A Bad Trade

Elliotte Friedman said on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast that the Ottawa Senators are going to be very careful making trades because they are determined not to make a bad trade.

The worry by the Senators has to be due to the possibility that one bad trade could set the team back more time before they return to the playoffs. They have been brought up in possible destinations for Jakob Chychrun, but that is the exact type of trade that could turn out bad for them. The Senators' defensive group is one of the weakest in the league and is really in need of an upgrade.

I can confidently say that the Senators have not made a bad trade in over three years. The last bad trade they made was dealing Mark Stone to the Vegas Golden Knights for Erik Brannstrom, Oskar Lindberg, and a second round pick. Brannstrom has not yet turned into the defenceman the Senators had hoped he would be and the former first round pick is playing on the third pairing in his fourth season in the NHL.

The Senators have made many more good trades than they have bad in recent years considering the trade that got them Alex DeBrincat was considered a steal. Despite a negative record, the trade to acquire Cam Talbot has been a successful one as well. He has a .918 SV% so far this season.

The Senators are on the cusp of turning their franchise around if they can get some luck health-wise. Maybe next season will be the year everything finally falls into place, but they need to start the season better and take another leap in acquiring a defenceman who can help change things.