Senators Eye 'Shake-Up Trade' Amid Bad Start to Season: Report

The Senators hoped their summer acquisition of goaltender Linus Ullmark in a trade with the Boston Bruins would shore up their issues between the pipes, but it appears the problem extends beyond goaltending.

“They’ve changed the management team; they changed the coach; they made lineup changes, and the culture isn’t changing,” the source said. “That roster has a sense of entitlement, and they know it may be time to shake things up.”

While specific names remain under wraps, the source indicated that “anything is in play.”

According to the same source, Ottawa is particularly eager to acquire a "top-four, right-shot defenseman" in any trade "right now.

The Senators, however, have just over $500,000 in cap space, which means any trade for an impactful player would mean sending another high-salary player the other way.

The team’s right-side defensive options currently include Artem Zub, Nick Jensen, Jacob Bernard-Docker, and Travis Hamonic. 

Whether trading for a player to bolster that unit will make a huge impact or not is an entirely different story. That said, the Senators seem to be trying to move closer to the postseason places rather than entering another rebuild.

“There’s a real concern that this current Sens core doesn’t have it right now,” the source said. “There’s a real concern that this current Sens core doesn’t have it right now.”