Are The Ottawa Senators Interested In Joe Corvo?

Over the few weeks, we have seen three teams post incredible winning streaks.

Unfortunately, for the Ottawa Senators, their 11-game surge came to an end last night with a crushing 5-0 defeat at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Everything that could have went wrong for the Senators as they spotted a three-goal lead after one period of play. They were also short-handed four times during the first period as well.

Is Brian Elliott feeling the effects of playing in 10 straight games? Is their powerplay killing their momentum? Are they just burnt out?

No. After all, you can't win them all.

On the other hand, these three factors appeared to play a big role in the beating they took last night. Elliott, who has played spectacular during his last nine starts, let in a couple questionable goals. The Sens had no pressure with the man advantage and appeared to have a hard time keeping up with the foot speed of a young Leafs team.

Sens fans, need no panic; the sky isn't falling by any means.

Team GM Bryan Murray has indicated that he will be a buyer by this year's trade deadline. Even though the Senators have been showing off their chemistry of late, there's no denying that they could be in for some minor tweaking.

The most rumored name on the market would be Ray Whitney of the Carolina Hurricanes. The second round pick of the San Jose Sharks in 1991 is in his 17th NHL season and already owns a Stanley Cup ring from 2006.

The reality of this deal revolves around two factors: a) there are many teams in the running for Whitney for his ability and experience; and b) Whitney currently holds a no-trade clause, meaning he has the power to veto any deal to a team he doesn't want to play for.

It's hard to see Whitney not waiving the clause, but from what many reports are indicating, the Los Angeles Kings are the front-runner for the veteran winger. Nick Kypreos from Rogers Sportsnet stated that the deal is "virtually done" and would not be surprised to see it announced before the Olympic roster freeze begins next Monday.

On the other hand, there is another player from the Hurricanes that the Senators should be looking at.

Former Senator Joe Corvo is a player who could add offense to Ottawa's blueline. Though he had a tendency of turning the puck over more often that a coach would like, he posted 64 points in 127 regular season games in Canada's capital.

If there is any part of the Senators game that needs to be improved, a consensus vote would prove that it would be their performance on the powerplay. They are currently ranked last in the league in that department with a 14.8% success rating.

Acquiring Corvo wouldn't be hard since he is an impending UFA in the final year of three seasons at $2.625 million. The issue would be determining who he would replace in the Senators top-six rotation.

While Corvo's all-around play won't be an upgrade from any of Ottawa's current defensemen, his one-timer may be what the Senators need to capitalize on their powerplay chances. As it stands, Clouston has been using Alfredsson, Kuba, Karlsson and Campoli at the point.

With all due respect, these players are smooth with the puck but lack the booming shot that Corvo can bring to the table. Of the 66 goals Corvo has scored during his NHL career, 30 have come with the powerplay.

The trade value for a blueliner of Corvo's calibre wouldn't necessarily be hard to match. Carolina is headed towards a top three pick in this year's draft and there is no guarantee that GM Jim Rutherford would want to keep Corvo if he is signaling a culture change for his team.

From the look of it, there are a couple of possibilities that may interest Carolina management. One would be to send Corvo back to Ottawa for Alexandre Picard, who is a young player with offensive upside that has work to do on his defensive game. There could also be some interest in prospect Joshua Hennessy, a 24-year-old forward with the Binghamton Senators of the AHL who is on pace for his fifth-straight 20-plus goal season.

Depending on what the Sens are willing to give up, Corvo's second tenure in Ottawa may be only for the rest of this season. Spokane defenseman Jared Cower inked a three-year entry-level contract earlier last week while Patrick Wiercioch is enjoying a strong sophomore season at the University of Denver.

If Rutherford and coach Paul Maurice see no use for Corvo in their future, they will have no problem moving him for younger players or draft picks. The Hurricanes have Jamie McBain, Bryan Rodney and Jay Harrison, who could potentially crack their lineup next fall.

Don't expect the Senators to trade their future for a guy like Corvo, but the fit is apparent. Corvo has the abilities to fill the gap the Sens have on the powerplay, which is something that needs to be addressed if they want to go on a lengthy playoff run this season.