couldnt afford 2nd t
Joined: Sep. 2021
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It doesn't do anything for Ottawa to trade Connor Brown for Trenin. They don't really play the same role, and Trenin is a lot more limited where he can play in the lineup. He is going to get a nice raise because he has established himself as a strong physical 3rd liner who can score goals, and he is eligible for arbitration. Nashville is usually good at getting guys like that below market value because of their tax situation and team culture, but if he comes to Ottawa he is probably a 2.5+ million dollar player on a 2 year extension, maybe 3.0+. Dorion rarely buys up UFA years for those kind of luxury 3rd line type players, probably because when he has in the past, it hasn't worked out (Smith, Burrows, etc).
So it won't save the Senators much money vs paying Brown 4 million (in salary) this season. It gets them an extra year of cost control, but with an inferior player.
I suspect they might deal Connor Brown this off season in a package deal for a first line forward like Kevin Fiala. This is because they will need to dump salary to maintain their budget, give the other team value, and the Senators won't re-sign Brown at the end of his contract so it makes sense to cut bait 1 year early instead of moving out a piece that will be cost controlled for longer. I think the Senators will package Brown, the 7th overall pick, and possibly a small plus for a young established first line forward.
William Nylander is the only player who meets that criteria on either Nashville or Toronto who if made available would go for what the Senators would offer. Although, the problem with Nylander is that he has 2 years of term left. Which is an awkward point where he cannot sign an extension, but it isn't enough term to comfortably give up major assets for when there will be better options. 7th+Brown as the basis for Nylander would be more than fair if the Leafs want to trade him. They aren't likely to be offered a better package deal considering the difficulties around Nylander's term, and the fact that players with limited term when traded rarely get full value. I don't expect the Leafs to trade Nylander though, and I would expect the Senators to go after Fiala as their first choice since it has been so heavily rumored. Now that the lottery has passed, it wouldn't surprise me if all sides involved (OTT/MIN/Fiala) already know the basis of a possible deal and extension and are just waiting to see if anything better materializes for either side closer to the draft. (Since there is no point in rushing a trade until then)