One Quick Trick

Team: 2022-23 Ottawa Senators

Initial Creation Date: Jul. 12, 2022

Published: Jul. 12, 2022

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

I think the Senators gotta push hard this summer to get ready to make the leap - I think 2022-23 is the year that you have to focus on getting everyone straight and 23-24 is when you go big for the playoffs.

TRADES
-I've seen a lot of ACGMs targeting Mackenzie Weegar but I think he's not the guy you want - you need a little more help on the left side, so shoot for Gustav Forsling and his 2x$2.667M contract. And if you want him for cheap, all you have to do is eat Patric Hornqvist's expiring $5.3M! Send then Erik Brannstrom so they have a cheap body to plug in at LD2/3, and if you're feeling generous you can throw in a B/C-tier prospect and give them a pick swap. Forsling was a little less productive than Weegar, but still ranked as a *strong* top 4 guy, and when you add on that he's 3 years younger and has an extra year on his deal, I think he fits what I'd want to do as Sens GM better. Hornqvist gets 10-12 minutes a night and brings his rings to the locker room occasionally to get the kids excited about What Could Be.

SIGNINGS
-Big one here is signing Josh Norris 8x$7.5M. It's a big bet on a guy but I think it's worth it based on a: 35 goals and b: showing that you're ready to contend. Contenders lock in their core when they can, and if you can get a 1C locked in at an affordable rate for the rest of the decade, you go for it.

-Sens fans, correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure Gustavsson is still waivers-exempt this year. If he is, I think you take the swing on Ilya Samsonov - a guy who's shown flashes but hasn't put it all together. Put him in a less "win now!!" situation than the Caps and let him develop - it's a 2 year deal so if he's truly just a .905 kinda guy, you're not locked in forever and you just ride Forsberg a little harder.

-Henrik Borgrsom is still young enough that I think he might have something - he's cheap enough that you can bury him if he's trash. Just an interesting player out there to take a swing at as your 13th forward, though.

As far as the upcoming contracts you need to sign: next summer, this team will have $30.5M available in cap space. I think you bridge Stutzle & Pinto (we can be super generous and say that'll cost $6M) and you can throw 8x$9M at Cat and I think he bites. If you want to keep Zub, I think you go 5x$5M and now you've still got $10M in cap space to replace Connor Brown and shore up your 4th line and 3rd pair guys.