Last offseason Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorian proclaimed that the rebuild was over. His club then finished the season with 73 points, which was good enough for 26th in the league. He got a little ahead of himself, but it happens.

Now, the Senators find themselves in a weird spot. Off the ice, they find the organization with some uncertainty due to the sudden and unfortunate passing of owner Eugene Melynk. On the ice, the club has a lot of question marks and a general manager leading the way that hasn’t shown he’s up to the task.

They have some young potential in the organization, but there isn’t a lot of depth throughout the lineup. This will be a big year for Dorian and head coach D.J. Smith. Seeing how aggressive they want to be this summer will be something to watch as a division rival.

Senators Offseason Outlook

2022-23 Projected Cap Space (via Cap Friendly): $23.37 million

Key Restricted Free Agents: Erik Brannstrom, Victor Mete (arbitration-eligible), Josh Norris, Alex Formenton, and Mathieu Joseph (arbitration-eligible)

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: Chris Tierney and Tyler Ennis

1. Erik Brannstrom | LHD | Age 22 | RFA

The Senators don’t offer a lot that would interest the Sabres with their skaters. The only player I could find that may make some interest is defenseman Erik Brannstrom. The 22-year-old is a left handed defender, but he has played both sides throughout his pro career.

Brannstrom was once a highly thought of prospect. He was the key prospect in the Mark Stone trade to the Vegas Golden Knights. The Swede has had trouble finding his way in North America.

You can see above in Micah McCurdy’s isolated impact chart that he’s below average at both ends of the ice for his career. Acquiring him would strictly be a move to a swing at potential. His cost shouldn’t be anything extraordinary with what the Senators having coming in their pipeline on the blue. There really isn’t room for Brannstrom with how things have gone thus far.

Having said that, the Sens don’t have a reason not give him another shot to find his potential. This really is on that could go either way.

From a Sabres perspective, I’m entirely sure acquiring him makes a ton of sense. The only reason I could see for it is his ability to play both sides and inject a new body into the blue line. They do already have a similar type of player in Jacob Bryson

2. Matt Murray | G | Age 27 | Two years, $6.25 million

If the Sabres do business with the Senators, it would most likely be for goaltender Matt Murray. The Sabres will be in the goaltending market and Murray could be a target.

The 27-year-old had a wild 2021-22 campaign. It started off with him being put through waivers and assigned to the AHL. It ended with him performing as one of the best goaltenders in the league since January 1st. He finished the season ranked 25th in goals saved above expected in Evolving Hockey’s model.

The question with Murray, and almost any goalie they acquire, is was this past a season a mirage or reality? Buffalo has plenty of cap space, but trading for a goaltender that carries a $6.25 million cap hit is a large investment. Even if it is for only two years.

The acquisition cost should not be high. The goalie market is flooded and the Senators would likely enjoy getting his contract off the books. They paid Anton Forsberg last season and have two young goaltenders coming through their pipeline. My expectation would be that it would cost a mid-round pick (3rd or 4th).

One interesting dynamic to this is Mike Bales past relationship with Murray from their days with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Sabres goaltender coach should know a lot about Murray and if he makes sense for the organization.

Data via: Cap Friendly, Evolving Hockey, and Hockeyviz.com

Photo Credit: Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images