New Ottawa Senators Trade Candidate Emerging

The Ottawa Senators are in the market for a forward and a defenseman, though not on the 'home run' scale of deals. They won't be dealing any elite prospects, but a new, more mid-tier player has now emerged as a trade candidate off the Senators roster.

According to Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast, recently-recalled center Stephen Halliday has piqued some teams' interest.

The 23-year-old was a fourth-round selection of Ottawa in the 2022 NHL Draft, and has shown strong playmaking skills and a good hockey IQ, while using his 6-foot-4 frame to help fend off defenders. He had 18 assists and 19 points in 17 games with Belleville of the AHL before getting the recall from Ottawa in late November.

I had a couple of people tell me that this is a player that a couple of teams are trying to see what's his ceiling and what would his role be like in the NHL... He's a big guy... good hands... I've just heard that this is a guy who will play more consistently in the NHL, and I think people are trying to watch him and figure out just how high can he play?
You look at Ottawa, they are pretty set down the middle for a long time. They've got guys signed who can play center for quite a bit (into the future).

So far, there hasn't been much for scouts, or the Sens themselves, to hang their hat on, as Halliday has only received an average of 6:28 of ice time in his first five appearances. He has one assist, which came on the power play.

As GM Steve Staios continues to test the market to see what's out there for the Senators, Halliday's name, as a center, could be cropping up in trade discussions.