The Ottawa Senators need a solution in the net, and that is one of the worst-kept secrets in the NHL. After signing Joonas Korpisalo in an attempt to find their starting goalie, it didn’t pan out nearly as well as hoped through his first season with the club. The Senators are now linked to Jacob Markstrom, Linus Ullmark, and Juuse Saros.
Of course, there are plenty of teams interested in a goalie of the stature of those three, so hearing a team chatting with other general managers about them could just be doing their due diligence. Still, in the case of Steve Staios and the Senators, these talks are likely more intense than other teams may be having.
Potential Bidding War for Markstrom
The New Jersey Devils are believed to be the current front-runners for the Calgary Flames’ star goalie, and after a reported trade being close at the 2024 Trade Deadline, that makes a lot of sense. With the Devils having the tenth-overall pick in this draft to potentially deal, the Flames may prefer them as a trade partner.
The Senators have a more valuable pick at seventh overall, but that one has to be off the table with their diminished prospect pool. They also have the 25th overall pick, which could certainly be in play, though. An interesting idea could be the Senators and Flames swapping picks as the Flames have the ninth pick. It would take a lot more, potentially even the 25th pick on top of the swap, and a prospect if the Senators want to land Markstrom.
Related: Senators Have Been a Goaltending Carousel Since Anderson
Markstrom does have trade protection included in his deal, which has two years remaining with a $6 million cap hit, so if a trade were to develop between the two Canadian clubs, Markstrom would need to agree to it.
Revisiting a Linus Ullmark Trade
The Senators were asking about Ullmark at the deadline, and while it doesn’t seem there was a close deal, multiple NHL insiders have suggested the Senators aren’t done with that conversation, including Elliotte Friedman and Bruce Garrioch (from ‘The Ottawa Senators have studied Jacob Markstrom as an option for troubled goaltending,’ Ottawa Sun, June 9, 2024).
There has been plenty of speculation on whether or not there is a deal to present that makes sense for both clubs, and one name that keeps popping up is Jakob Chychrun. The Senators could use him as the majority of the trade value to facilitate a deal. Ullmark is heading into the final year of his contract and carries a $5 million cap hit. Without an extension, this could be a very risky deal for the Senators, but the conversations being had are very promising.
Like Markstrom, Ullmark has trade protection. With him, it is not a full no-move clause like Markstrom, but a 15-team no-trade list, and if history has taught us anything, the Senators are likely on that list and Ullmark would need to give permission for a deal to be done.
Juuse Saros, The Holy Grail
If the Senators were to swing big and land a superstar goalie like Saros, fans would be out of their seat and thrilled – as long as he came with an extension. Saros, unlike the other two, doesn’t have any trade protection, but with him also entering the final year of his contract, if he is unwilling to extend, it could, and should, deter the Senators from making a deal.
Fingers are pointing toward an extension being done this offseason between Saros and the Nashville Predators, but until the pen hits the paper, anything is possible. Saros is the best goalie among these three. Not only has he been the most consistent, but he is also the youngest. At 29 years old, a long-term extension makes perfect sense.
Senators Trading Chips
As mentioned, the Senators can’t trade the seventh-overall pick unless it is in a pick swap for another high pick. The later first-rounder could be in play, and all three of the teams with a goalie available here could be interested in a late first-round pick, but it doesn’t have the value on its own to land any of these goalies.
Chychrun and his uncertain future with the Senators could lead to a trade, and he is a very valuable asset. The need for an offensive left-handed defenceman isn’t something every team has, but for the right fit, Chychrun could be a centerpiece with at least two of these teams.
As for prospects, the Senators don’t have much to offer. Tyler Boucher’s value is nowhere near enough to consider him a big part of a trade, and beyond him, the Senators haven’t made a first-round pick in the last three years. Their later-round picks have missed a lot, and if the Senators were to trade any prospects with value, it would have to be Zack Ostapchuk or Tyler Kleven. There isn’t a whole bunch more to offer than that.
Whatever happens, it sounds like Staios knows it would be a failure of an offseason to go into next season with the same goalie tandem, and something is going to change.