Ottawa Senators: Top 5 players they must move at the trade deadline
1. Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Years Left: 1 (UFA)
Cap hit: $3.1 million
If the Senators can’t work something out with Jean-Gabriel Pageau, they need to trade him. He’d be one of the best, if not the best, centers available at the 2020 NHL trade deadline. Pageau is having a career year with 16 goals and seven assists for 23 points through 31 games.
It might be best for the Senators to sell quickly on Pageau. His current shooting percentage is 21.9%, which is well above his career average of 10.6%. Furthermore, the Senators have a 10.31% on-ice shooting percentage with Pageau on the ice. That ranks 54th among forwards, minimum 200 minutes.
Pageau can play during all situations and would be a good second-line center on just about any contender. And since he’s the best center available, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Senators get a 2020 first-round pick for him.
His cap hit is perfectly reasonable for someone of his caliber. However, as I said earlier, a lot of contenders don’t have much cap space. That’s fine because the Senators could easily help make the finances work.
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Potential suitors: I could see the Vegas Golden Knights being interested if Cody Glass doesn’t get back soon. However, they’d have to get a bit creative, thanks to their dire salary cap situation. Pageau would make a lot of sense for the New York Islanders, as they could use an upgrade down the middle.