As confirmed by Elliotte Friedman in his 31 Thoughts article today, the Ottawa Senators’ search for more forward help is officially on. Ignoring the five-goal outburst tonight against the lowly Detroit Red Wings, this Senators group has struggled to look competitive in the offensive zone for most of the year. With injuries mounting and a desire to look at least semi-competitive present in management’s mind, it shouldn’t come as a shock if we see the Senators pull the trigger on another trade.

The merits of bringing in an additional external body versus promoting from within can be debated, but facts are facts. Both Darren Dreger and Elloitte Friedman have confirmed that Ottawa is scouring the trade market for a forward. Whether you like the idea or not, that’s the reality in which we live. So, the question becomes: Which team makes the most sense as a potential trading partner?

The Vancouver Canucks immediately spring to mind.

Perhaps the most favorable condition about Vancouver’s current state is that their front office is convinced that the team is better than it really is, leaving them with "surplus" forwards in a system that doesn't really have surplus forwards. Having taken advantage of an easy early schedule, the Canucks have had success with players like Tim Schaller and Jay Beagle in their NHL lineup while Nikolay Goldobin and Sven Baertschi toil away in the AHL. Those “AHL” players are ripe for cheap picking by a team like the Senators.

Since being demoted, both Baertschi and Goldobin have done nothing but produce at an unbelievably high level – 2.0+ points per game. While AHL success is not a guarantee of NHL success, the fact that they are producing like that right now and have had moderate NHL success in the past suggests that the gamble might be worth it. You can’t fault the players for poor roster decisions by Canucks management.

To put Goldobin and Baertschi's recent NHL performance in perspective, consider the following:

AHL production from those two has been phenomenal this year, and they've had moderate NHL success relative to current Senators as recent as last year: pic.twitter.com/mgQAZRugmZ

— Michael Stuart (@hockeybuzzstu) October 24, 2019

It’s not the sort of production that is going to turn this Senators group into a competitive team, but it is the sort of production that would give Pierre Dorion & Co. the NHL-caliber body for which they seem to be searching.

At the end of the day, whether or not the Senators go down this road remains to be seen – this is just one blogger’s speculation. However, the Canucks certainly appear to possess the kind of asset that might be attractive to a team that is looking to repeat the Vladislav Namestnikov deal.

As always, thanks for reading.

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