Senators eyeing 2 forwards on trade market amid surge

The Ottawa Senators have been one of the National Hockey League’s best teams over the last month, currently riding a five-game heater that’s seen the club return to a top-three spot in the Atlantic Division.

And the front office is reportedly looking to make the roster even better ahead of the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline, according to The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch.

“Steve Staios, the Senators’ president of hockey operations and general manager, has scoured the league for another forward and depth on defence, but hasn’t been able to find the right fit or isn’t willing to pay that price,” the hockey insider reported earlier this week.

“The market has heated up in the last week with the league poised to shut down on Sunday for nearly two weeks because of the 4 Nations Face-off tournament in Boston and Montreal.”

Specifically, the Senators are looking at two veterans who could improve the forward core ahead of the 2024-25 stretch run: the Seattle Kraken’s Brandon Tanev and the Chicago Blackhawks’ Ryan Donato.

“The belief in league circles is that the Senators have some level of interest in the likes of Chicago Blackhawks winger Ryan Donato and Seattle Kraken winger Brandon Tanev, who are both listed on TSN’s Trade Bait board,” confirmed Garrioch.

“Donato is interesting because he has [15 goals and 15 assists for 30 points in 50 games] this season. Tanev would be more about bringing in some depth. The Senators looked at him last summer.”

The 28-year-old Donato has had a strong offensive season, and is just a goal and a point away from beating his career-bests. He’s averaging just under 15 minutes of ice time per game, and has earned a look on Chicago’s top line at times this season.

While Tanev isn’t as productive offensively — he has just 16 points in 52 games — he would be a nice rental for the Senators to add some depth in the bottom-six. He would also be a perfect fourth line player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs; he’s now up to 109 hits on the campaign.

Regardless of the moves the organization makes between now and March 7, there is renewed hope in Canada’s capital that the Sens can retain a playoff spot come mid-April.

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