Anthony Scultore
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Over the last week or so, the Ottawa Senators have been in the market for a forward. Preferably a center to help with the void left by Colin White’s injury.
On Sunday, they acquired Dylan Gambrell from the San Jose Sharks for Ottawa’s 7th round pick in the 2022 (originally SJ’s).
Gambrell, 25, was selected by the Sharks in the 2nd round (60th overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft. For his career, the center has accumulated 23 points in 110 games. Gambrell has one year remaining on a deal that pays $1.1M. He’ll be an RFA in the summer.
“Dylan’s a player whose progress we’ve monitored since his collegiate career at the University of Denver,” general manager Pierre Dorion said in a statement. “He’s a good-skating centre, a strong checker and a responsible penalty killer. We have a void at centre on account of some recent injuries and Dylan will help us with that need.”
The Senators were rumored to be in the market for a top 9 forward. Although this move will help in the interim, you can expect them to still be in the hunt for someone who fits the bill. Chicago’s Dylan Strome is a logical target.
Tarasenko, 29, is one of the game’s better offensive players when healthy. He scored a career high 40 goals back in 2015-16 and has 446 points in 535 career contests. Coming off the heels of a trade demand in the summer, Vladimir showed up to camp a true professional. This season, he has notched 4 points (1 G – 3A) in 4 games. He has one year remaining on his $7.5 million AAV deal and a 10 team no trade clause.
Kessel, 34, can still produce and would give any team looking for scoring a boost. Last season, he scored 20 goals and 43 points in 56 games for the Yotes. On an even more abysmal Arizona ensemble, he has three assists in 5 games. For his career he has 907 points in 1127 contests. Kessel will be a UFA this summer and has a cap hit of $6.8M.
So which of these two players are likely to be moved first? My money is on Kessel.
According to Craig S. Morgan details that the Yotes are working hard to get a deal done.
It is no secret that Kessel wants to be traded. It has been a storyline since the summer, and the Coyotes are working feverishly to grant his wish. As long as Kessel brings effort on a nightly basis, it’s hard to envision Tourigny, a first-year NHL coach, making the decision to pull him from the lineup.
PHNX
I believe that Tarasenko is whom most teams would prefer to land, but with the Blues off to a hot start they’ll likely hold onto him for awhile. Plus, Kessel is cheaper on the cap and will cost much less to acquire.
