After days and weeks of speculation, the day has finally arrived.
Today at 5:00 PM, the Ottawa Senators must submit their list of protected players for the purposes of expansion.
And while the names on that list have been determined internally, Pierre Dorion and his staff could have a couple last minute changes to make depending on the outcome of the ongoing trade talks involving three of the team’s top four defenceman.
Dion Phaneuf, Cody Ceci and Marc Methot have all been mentioned in trade talks over the last few days and you can expected that to continue right up until the 3:00 PM deadline.
Of that group, Phaneuf appears like the one they are most actively trying to move but that contract will be next to impossible to move pre-expansion. At one point yesterday it seemed like the Senators were in conversation with the Oilers (who are on the list of 12 teams Phaneuf would consider) but it’s not clear how serious those talks were.
Ottawa would certainly have to eat salary in any deal involving Phaneuf.
The Senators have received calls on Methot and Ceci too but given the situation, the scenarios being discussed obviously aren’t blowing Dorion away. A so-called ‘hockey trade’ involving Ceci for a young forward might make some sense but could create a new dilemma in terms of who to protect up front.
The Senators have to be cautious today.
The few teams that do have the potential to protect another defenceman know that Ottawa is in a tricky spot and predictability feel like this is a good opportunity to take one of Ottawa’s top four at a discount price.
Will be interesting to see if those discussions progress throughout the day.
One thing is clear- the Senators can’t afford to make a panic deal just for the sake of solving the expansion issue. They have to get close to market value out of any deal otherwise they risk pretty much losing two quality defenceman instead of one.
Going to be interesting to see how the Senators play this one through the day.
Like always, updates will appear at the top of the post and if any rumours come up during the course of which should be a frantic day around the league, I’ll be sure to share them in the comment section below.
Happy Expansion Draft Protected List Day Everyone!
