There are plenty of trade rumors involving the Ottawa Senators right now, including a potential deal for Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark and a trade brewing with the Philadelphia Flyers. Senators general manager Steve Staios is undoubtedly one of the busiest in the league right now, but one other trade he should consider making is with the Winnipeg Jets by acquiring forwards Nikolaj Ehlers and Rutger McGroarty.
McGroarty & Ehlers Likely Traded
Elliotte Friedman’s recent report, which was further supported by plenty of other reporters, including Murat Ates of The Athletic, suggests that Jets star prospect Rutger McGroarty is likely to be traded in the near future.
In the case of McGroarty, Ates mentions that the player wanted to sign with the Jets at the end of his NCAA season, but the NHL club was dialed in on the playoffs and didn’t see him as part of that run. This obviously frustrated McGroarty, and now he is expected to be traded and won’t sign his entry-level contract. (from The Athletic, What I’m hearing about why Winnipeg Jets top prospect Rutger McGroarty is in trade talks, June 22, 2024)
As for Ehlers, he is heading into the final year of his contract, has been underutilized by the Jets, and isn’t eager to re-sign right now. The Jets will likely be looking to move the speedy, skilled winger, and Ottawa has an open spot for him. As for acquiring McGroarty, the Senators desperately need young players close to making an impact. Their top prospects are Tyler Kleven and Zack Ostapchuk. That isn’t good enough for a team fighting the salary cap. They need young, skilled players on entry-level deals.
What Ottawa Has to Offer
This is where it gets tricky. What does Ottawa have to offer to land these two impactful players? Well, you have to look at the two aforementioned rumored trades first.
Related: Senators News & Rumors: Ullmark, Chychrun, 7th Overall & Flyers
The Senators and Bruins are rumored to be very close to a Ullmark trade, and a handshake agreement for a contract extension could be in the works. The rumored asking price from PostMedia’s Bruce Garrioch is Jakob Chychrun, the 25th overall pick and a prospect. It is unlikely that Staios will give up that much, and the asking price is always higher than reality. For the sake of looking at what is available, Chychrun and the 25th pick are off the table for this trade with the Jets. (from Ottawa Sun, With Jacob Markstrom dealt to Devils, Senators step up efforts to land Boston’s Linus Ullmark, June 19, 2024)
As for the Flyers trade, there isn’t much information to build on. It would make sense for the Flyers to want to move up in the draft to seventh overall, sending back the 12th pick to Ottawa. Whatever else is included in that trade as a sweetener to move up, whether it is Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, the Florida Panthers’ first-round pick, or a combination of second-round picks and prospects. This trade isn’t something Ottawa needs to do, at least to the same capacity as the Ullmark trade.
So if both deals happen, what does that leave the Senators with that they would be willing to move to Winnipeg?
Whatever the Senators get from the Flyers, likely 12th overall, and other assets could all be used. The Senators have a second-round draft pick, Mathieu Joseph is on the table, Erik Brannstrom could be dealt, and some lower-end prospects.
What makes this trade difficult after the other two is that Winnipeg isn’t looking for future assets like picks and prospects, and that is likely all Ottawa will have to offer. If Staios can somehow convince Cheveldayoff that he has the assets to pull off a trade like this, acquiring Ehlers and McGroarty would be a fantastic addition to the Senators.
