The loss of Nick Jensen to knee surgery will all but officially close the book on the trade that brought the veteran defenceman to the Ottawa Senators in July 2024.
Looking for someone to stabilize the right side of the club’s second pairing with Thomas Chabot, Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, sent Jakob Chychrun to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Jensen, who will have surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
The 35-year-old Jensen will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and he won’t be back with the Senators next season.
The Senators have Washington’s third-round pick in this year’s National Hockey League draft, so we’ll have to wait a few years to see if this trade is as lopsided as it looks for the Caps, who signed Chychrun to an eight-year, $72 million U.S. deal after he was acquired.
Chychrun was a year away from unrestricted free agency when he was dealt, and Staios had no loyalty to the player because he was brought here by former GM Pierre Dorion. The Senators will tell you the deal worked out well for both sides because Jensen played a key role in getting this team to the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
Now, though, the Senators will have to search for another right-shot defenceman whether they make the playoffs or not this spring.
The options available
The Ottawa Citizen has reported that Staios expressed interest in virtually every right-shot defenceman that was on the market before the NHL’s trade deadline on March 6.
That list included Ottawa native MacKenzie Weegar, who went from the Calgary Flames to the Utah Mammoth in the days leading up to the deadline, but the search didn’t stop there.
The Senators also kicked the tires on Rasmus Ristolainen of the Philadelphia Flyers, Colton Parayko and Justin Faulk of the St. Louis Blues, along with the New Jersey Devils’ Simon Nemec and Dougie Hamilton.
Faulk was dealt to the Detroit Red Wings, which means he’s no longer an option. Parayko turned down a trade to the Buffalo Sabres, but maybe he has a change of heart in the off-season, with a full rebuild taking place in St. Louis, and greenlights a trade.
The asking price for Parayko, who has four years left at $6.5 million per season, has been set at a high-end prospect and a first-round pick. Buffalo was prepared to send top pick Radim Mrtka to the Blues.
The Senators would have to be willing to send either Carter Yakemchuk or Logan Hensler to the Blues in that case, plus a first-round pick in 2027, since they can’t trade the No. 32 selection in this year’s draft.
The free agent front
In speaking with the league executives, the pickings will be slim on July 1.
The name to watch is Darren Raddysh of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 30-year-old is making $975,000 and will be an unrestricted free agent. He’s having a career year with 17 goals, 41 assists and 58 points in 59 games with the Bolts.
He’s going to be paid, but he will be looking for a long-term deal.
The other names aren’t exciting or even a remote possibility.
Rasmus Andersson of the Vegas Golden Knights leads the list, but we’re led to believe he wouldn’t waive his no-move clause to come here from the Calgary Flames, so why would he sign here as a UFA?
Plus, the Knights are expected to keep him.
The other names are John Carlson, dealt to the Ducks by the Caps at the deadline, along with Brent Burns, Jacob Trouba, John Klingberg and Radko Gudas. Maybe Staios makes a call on Logan Stanley or Jamie Oleksiak. Both are left-shot defencemen who can play on the right side.
Darren Raddysh (43) of the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrates a goal in the second period during Game Three of the First Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Toronto Maple Leafs1 at Amalie Arena on April 22, 2023 in Tampa, Florida.
The answers could come from within
With Jake Sanderson out indefinitely with a shoulder injury, Chabot has moved into the top pairing with Artem Zub, while Tyler Kleven and Jordan Spence have formed the second unit.
The third pairing is Dennis Gilbert and Nikolas Matinpalo.
Spence and Kleven have embraced the opportunity to get more ice time with the blueline battered down the stretch. Spence was brought here to play in the top four, but had a difficult training camp and got pushed back to the third pairing when Jensen returned early from hip surgery.
Matinpalo should have played more before the injuries, but this is an area where the club has some depth, as witnessed by the job the Senators have been able to do without Sanderson.
Staios told TSN’s Claire Hanna on Saturday that Yakemchuk, the No. 7 overall selection in the 2024 NHL draft, will push for a spot next season. League executives have told the Citizen that they don’t believe Yakemchuk is ready to make the jump until he improves his skating.
The end of Jensen’s stay with the Senators will make for another busy off-season.
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