Trade brewing in Ottawa despite busy offseason!

The Ottawa Senators had a busy offseason when GM Pierre Dorion managed to bring on board forwards Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux and goaltender Cam Talbot. But, it’s a move on the back end that needs to take place.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Senators are on the hunt for a boost on the blue line. “I believe they’ve talked internally about it and my expectation is they’re still going to do it,” Friedman explained on the 32 Thoughts podcast, but didn’t hint at which blue liner Ottawa might target.

In the past, the Senators have been linked to Arizona Coyotes’ Jakob Chychrun, but are reportedly not willing to pay the steep price GM Bill Armstrong is seeking, which is believed to be at least one first-round pick plus a top prospect or a good young NHL player. Friedman reiterated that Ottawa is reluctant to pursue a deal for Chychrun until he’s fully healthy and could target another defenseman to bring in Ottawa.

Some reporters, like Lyle Richardson of the Hockey News, point to Pittsburgh Penguins’ Marcus Pettersson, whose name has been mentioned a few times in the rumour mill. However, the Penguins recently addressed that issue by sending Ty Smith and Mark Friedman to the Baby Penguins.

There are also options in Philadelphia as The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Gustav Elvin hinted at Flyers defensemen Ivan Provorov and Travis Sanheim. Insider Pierre LeBrun believes the Los Angeles Kings could eventually shop one of their five right-handed defensemen and the Senators could find a fit there.

A lot of options for Dorion, who is ready to make another move. It remains to be seen if a beneficial move can occur in time for Ottawa’s renewed playoff aspirations.