NHL Mailbag: Will the Senators look to move a center?
The continued dog days of summer mean another mailbag here on Daily Faceoff. As usual, it may be heavily Philadelphia Flyers-centric.
Let’s jump right into it.
Ideally, I’m sure Flyers GM Danny Briere would be all over Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn if GM Jason Botterill were to make him available. Unfortunately for the Flyers, the Kraken are trying to compete.
We know that Botterill has been actively shopping center Shane Wright – the Kraken lobbied his services to the Flyers earlier in the summer – but have yet to find the right deal. Beyond that, it doesn’t seem like the Kraken are trying to sell off pieces; by all accounts, they are looking to exit mediocrity in the post-Ron Francis era.
Dunn and 2021 second overall pick Matty Beniers would surely be on the Flyers’ radar if Botterill were open to trading either of them, but that doesn’t appear to be in the cards right now. With just one post-season appearance since their inception in 2021, the Kraken need to worry about adding rather than subtracting.
For the time being at least, it doesn’t seem like the Ottawa Senators have any appetite in moving off of any of their centers. In a league desperate for pivots, the Senators’ biggest strength is down the middle, and it doesn’t sound like GM Steve Staios is prepared to give any of them up.
Theoretically, Staios could address two of his biggest needs (a scoring-line winger and a top-four, right-shot defenseman) if he were to make Ridly Greig, Dylan Cozens or Shane Pinto available. For argument’s sake, would the Flyers and Senators not make perfect trade partners? The Flyers like all of those centers to varying degrees and the Senators have kept tabs on defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen for quite some time; Philadelphia is loaded on the wing, as well, which could make for a bigger package.
But for the time being, the discussion is a moot point. Sources have repeatedly told DFO that Staios refuses to entertain trade discussions for any of his centermen. For the time being, it sounds like they would rather deploy Greig on the wing rather than make a hockey deal.
Highly doubtful that a big trade happens at this stage of the offseason as most GMs are in cottage season. We saw a whirlwind of trade activity leading up to the NHL Draft in a mini-Trade Deadline; with the cap skyrocketing and teams retaining their own players more than ever before, we will probably see more of that in the coming years in late June.
As the regular season gets going, eyes will be closely on the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs. Why? The future of their respective captains: Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews. Both superstars have committed to their respective clubs for now, but it will be interesting to see what the narrative becomes if one (or both) of the teams go belly-up this season.
We may not see major moves by the end of the summer, but there could be some bombshells between September and the trade deadline late next winter.
For cap purposes alone, the Anaheim Ducks have to make some subtractions off of their roster before training camp. After the Leo Carlsson mega-deal with an $18 million AAV and RFA Cutter Gauthier also looking to cash in, the Ducks will need to liberate more cap space to make all of the pieces fit; they currently have a little more than $9 million to play with.
Forwards Chris Kreider ($6.5 million AAV), Alex Killorn ($6.25 million AAV) and Frank Vatrano ($4.57 million AAV) are the most popular candidates to make the money work. They all have some form of trade protection, while Kreider and Killorn are on expiring contracts. The Ducks could use their three second-round picks in next year’s draft as sweeteners to execute cap-dump trades.
Beyond that, Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin is still on the market, though the regime change with Steve Yzerman set to step down as GM could delay that process.
It may be unpopular, but the Flyers are likely done for the summer. They took their big swing when they offer-sheeted Carlsson in an attempt to land a top-line center; there is nothing else that makes much sense right now
They aren’t offer-sheeting Columbus Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli; their goaltending is set with Dan Vladar and Joseph Woll; Columbus and Zach Werenski released duel, public statements that the player was staying put; there isn’t a rebuild in Detroit, so defenseman Simon Edvinsson isn’t going anywhere.
The Flyers are likely going to sit on their cap space and hope that a big piece hits the trade market at some point over the season. Beyond that, they likely don’t have many irons in the fire.
CHECK OUT OFF THE ROSTER – NEW EPISODES EVERY WEEKDAY
Off The Roster is Toronto sports. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, this is the go-to morning conversation for everything happening in the 6ix – Hockey, Baseball, Basketball and everything in between. From breakout performances and questionable trades to throwback jerseys, viral moments, and the stories fans are actually talking about – it’s smart, sharp, and never scripted. Live weekday mornings on the Nation Network YouTube channel and available wherever you stream podcasts, the show delivers real opinions, real chemistry, and real Toronto energy. Missed an episode? Catch up anytime. Off The Roster—The new sound of the 6ix.