Ottawa Senators Smart to Avoid Roster Change at Trade Deadline

Ottawa Senators management was at a crossroads. Sitting on the outside of the NHL’s playoff picture, some fans suggested that the Senators should be heading into full rebuild mode and blow up the roster at the deadline.

However, after a road trip that pushed the Senators back into the playoff conversation from a season-low 28th place in the NHL, the conversation switched.

Coming into the March 2 deadline, the Sens had won five straight games, defeating teams like the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks in the process.

As a result, the Senators' brass switched motives, taking and disconnecting the phone line on Monday.

A few years ago, general manager Bryan Murray and owner Eugene Melnyk announced a rebuilding plan for the Sens. While it appeared to be fast-tracked under the collected leadership of then-head coach Paul MacLean, a burst of reality sent Ottawa into a nosedive toward lottery territory.

Isn’t this where we all thought the team would be?

It wasn’t long ago when The Hockey Writers' Esten McLaren discussed the Senators’ need for Connor McDavid. Many also thought that Murray’s squad had a decent chance at the Erie Otters phenom just a short time ago.

Ottawa media frequently brings McDavid up in conversations, even with Senators players. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch chatted with rookie Curtis Lazar about the top prospect. It’s obvious that lots of hype surrounds McDavid.

In addition, CBC.ca polled its viewers looking to know if the Sens needed McDavid more than other stuggling Canadian teams, grouping Ottawa with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers.

All this tells you is that Sens fans like to jump the gun on spurts of good or bad play—just like the fans of any other team in the NHL. The slow start for the Senators is reflective of fans hitting the panic button too early.

It just so happens that this winning streak comes at a time that is a crucial decision-making moment for the upper brass of the Senators.

Recent success on a Western Conference road trip has propelled the Senators within four points of the playoffs, shifting the mindset of the club.

Murray received calls inquiring about Senators players as the clock ticked toward 3 p.m. on March 2. However, the eighth-year Senators GM decided to stay the course, electing not to make any moves.

“I talked about it (Sunday) with our professional scouts. I told them to get ready to do your lists, your ratings of players, because we’re probably not going to do much, if anything, and that’s sort of the way it worked out,” Murray told reporters.

However, Murray wasn’t always singing this tune. The Senators were considering a seller’s mindset at the deadline before their recent surge, according to the Ottawa Sun’s Don Brennan:

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GM Bryan Murray suggested he would deal Condra at the deadline back when the Senators were well back of the playoff race. But now he needs to keep the veteran winger, even if he has to let him walk come summer time. If nothing else, Condra could be the Senators rental.

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Additionally, ESPN (h/t Hockey Tracker) reported on twitter that Ottawa may have been willing to part ways with some assets:

It’s essential to note that the Senators only began a rebuild four years ago and the length of rebuilds varies. While two playoff appearances under a Jack Adams Award-winning coach in MacLean did give fans hope that the rebuild had fast-tracked, it’s naive to avoid the facts.

Ottawa is still the fifth-youngest team in the NHL, according to NHL Numbers.

There are still some questionable playing habits in the game of some Senators players, but their level of experience is often forgotten.

For example, local defenseman Cody Ceci is just 21 years old. At this young age, he is already logging nearly 20 minutes of time on ice per game. This amount of ice time is abnormal for a young player and has led to some breakdowns.

That doesn’t mean that Ceci won’t be an effective player and a potential No. 2 defenseman for the Senators in his prime.

If history has shown us anything, it’s that a streak doesn’t spell anything about the end result for a team. The Senators are a young group which has had playoff success in the past. It’s important not to forget about the players' age.

Stocking up with assets might come at a cost—the Senators can’t afford to lose draft picks when their rebuild hasn’t been completed.

Not only that, but young pieces who haven’t fully developed may be undervalued in deals.

While he may have shown other ideas earlier in the season, Murray and the Senators' brass elected to keep the group together in the end. This is the best decision for the group going forward, and it’s imperative that the hockey operations department shows patience in the future.