Hockey

“Anything Is in Play”: Ottawa Senators Eye Shake-Up Trade Amid Struggles

Published: Nov 25, 2024, 2:16 PM
4 min read
Updated: Jul 8, 2025, 7:13 AM
Fact checked by:
Sergey Demidov
Brady Tkachuk #7 of the Ottawa Senators

Brady Tkachuk #7 of the Ottawa Senators (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

This was supposed to be the season the Ottawa Senators finally took that leap, but more has stayed the same as the once-upstart Senators continue to meddle in mediocrity. According to a well-placed NHL source, a frustrated Senators hockey operations department is contemplating a big change.

“Something big could go down there soon, and I’m talking a shake-up trade,” the source told RG on Sunday after the Senators lost their fifth straight game with a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.

At this point the Senators are running out of options to change without making a franchise-altering trade. The issue was previously thought to be their goaltending, which Ottawa believed they rectified with their summer acquisition of Linus Ullmark.

But it seems the problem may be deeper.

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

Former Senators defenseman and now podcast host Marc Methot, who is a trusted source for Senators news, hinted at this last week.

That came last Tuesday after the Senators lost 5-2 to an Edmonton Oilers team that came in on the tail end of a back-to-back, having lost 3-0 to the Montreal Canadiens the night before.

“Methot was bang on,” the aforementioned source said. “They’re listening to anything and everything right now. There’s a real concern that this current Sens core doesn’t have it right now.”

There are rumors that Brady Tkachuk could be a trade candidate, but this source stressed that he hadn’t heard specific names, just that ‘anything is in play.’

The source specified that the Senators would love to acquire a top-four right-shot defenseman in any trade right now. The Ottawa Senators currently line up with Artem Zub, Nick Jensen, and Travis Hamonic on the right side, and according to this source, they’ve let it be known that they would like an upgrade there.

According to Puckpedia, as of Sunday, the Ottawa Senators only had $509,576 in salary cap space. If they were to acquire a top-four, right-shot defenseman, then yes, a notable roster player would have to go back the other way to make the cap space work.

Who that player would be is up in the air right now. But, if the Senators are going to be able to take the next step and at least challenge for a playoff spot, an impact trade seems to be on the horizon.

NHL Reporter
James Murphy is a veteran sports journalist with 25 years of experience covering the NHL, NCAA and CHL, including two decades on the Boston Bruins beat. His work has appeared on NHL.com, NESN, ESPN Boston and more, and he’s made regular TV and radio appearances on NESN, ESPN, TSN and SiriusXM. A familiar face in the hockey world, Murphy has covered multiple Stanley Cup Finals, NHL drafts and playoffs, and now co-hosts The Eye Test podcast with Pierre McGuire, interviewing top NHL executives, coaches and players. He joined RG in 2024 after stints with Boston Hockey Now and LiveBarn.
Interests:
NHL

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Daria Tuboltseva
Daria Tuboltseva
Hockey Reporter

Daria Tuboltseva has worked as a sports journalist since 2014 and has specialized in hockey coverage since 2016. She’s reported from some of the world’s biggest sporting events, including the Olympic Games (Beijing 2022), the FIFA World Cup (2018), the IIHF World Championships (2016–2019, 2021), the IIHF World Junior Championship (2019), and every Gagarin Cup Final since 2017.

Her work has appeared in leading Russian sports outlets like Championat.com and Sport24, as well as on the official websites of the KHL and the Women’s Hockey League (WHL). Daria has conducted exclusive interviews with some of the sport’s most recognized names, including Alex Ovechkin, Jaromir Jagr, Kirill Kaprizov, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Igor Shesterkin.

Beyond her writing, Daria brings extensive on-camera experience. She hosted NHL Today on Yandex.Efir and has produced powerful long-form projects such as the documentary Lokomotiv Crash and the series Hockey Country, featuring stars like Ovechkin, Malkin, Bobrovsky, Vasilevskiy, and Panarin. Her work has taken her to NHL games across North America and international events like the NHL Global Series in Europe.

In addition to her media career, Daria is a certified integrative nutritionist with a focus on sports nutrition. She works one-on-one with KHL players, helping them optimize performance and recovery through tailored nutrition plans. Her ability to blend media expertise with athlete support gives her a unique presence in the professional hockey world.

Daria publishes in both English and Russian and is the creator of the Telegram channel Coolest Game on Earth, where she shares insights, interviews, and behind-the-scenes stories from the hockey world.

Based in: Saint Petersburg, Russia

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