Ottawa Senators forward Tyler Motte will miss Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Blues for “trade-related reasons,” according to a report by the Ottawa Sun‘s Bruce Garrioch.
Motte, 27, has three goals and nine points in 38 games with the Senators this season. The 5’10”, 192-pound left wing is a pending unrestricted free agent with a $1.35 million NHL cap hit.
Earlier on Sunday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that “conversations have intensified” around Motte on the trade market. Motte fetched a 2023 fourth-round pick from the New York Rangers when the Vancouver Canucks traded him at the 2022 trade deadline.
The Chicago Blackhawks originally selected Motte in the fourth round (No. 121) of the 2013 NHL Draft. The St. Clair, MI product made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks in 2016–17 before being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in June 2017 as part of the blockbuster Artemi Panarin/Brandon Saad deal.
After spending half a season in Columbus, Motte found himself on the move again at the 2018 trade deadline. This time, the Canucks acquired him alongside Juusi Jokinen in exchange for pending UFA winger Thomas Vanek.
Motte proceeded to play parts of five seasons as a Canuck, establishing himself as a regular NHLer and a valuable commodity leading up to the 2022 deadline. After joining the Rangers, he appeared in 15 playoff games in their run to the 2022 Eastern Conference Final.
Through 307 career NHL games over parts of seven regular seasons with the Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, Canucks, Rangers, and Senators, Motte has collected 38 goals and 71 points. He’s added six goals and seven points in 32 playoff contests.
Motte is the third player to be held out of the lineup by his team for “trade-related reasons” ahead of this year’s trade deadline, joining Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun and Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov.
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