Can The Ottawa Senators Find A Trade Partner In The Anaheim Ducks?

The Ottawa Senators were dealt a blow with the news forward Josh Norris’s shoulder injury could potentially be season-ending. At best, the injury is “long-term”.

Head coach D.J. Smith put the rest of the center group on notice, specifically Shane Pinto, on having to step up in Norris’s absence. Right now the Ottawa center group includes Tim Stutzle, Derrick Brassard, Shane Pinto, and Mark Kastelic.

With Stutzle and Pinto as in-house replacement options, filling Norris’s spot in the lineup isn’t too much of a concern. Norris spent three of the four games he’s played this season on the top line, alternating between center and left wing.

What is really going to take a hit is Ottawa’s center depth. While they’ll most likely look at internal options first, an interesting trade option might be Derek Grant from the Anaheim Ducks.

Perhaps the Senators could take a look at one of the Ducks’ centers.

Grant started his career with the Ottawa Senators when they drafted him back in 2008. Since then the 32-year-old has become a sort of fourth-line journeyman who is currently on his third stint with the Ducks.

Last season saw him score 15 goals in 71 games. The Ottawa Senators may not seem like they need help scoring goals; after all, they currently sit near the top of the NHL for total goals with 25 and average goals for per game with 4.17.

As the season goes on, they are going to have to find a way to replace Norris’s 35 goals of production. Grant’s 15 goals should at least be a good start.

If Ottawa isn’t interested, he’ll still be a great piece of trade bait considering that he is in the final year of a contract with a $1.5 million average annual value.

This would purely be a depth move as Grant has spent all but one game on the Ducks’ fourth line. He recently earned a promotion to be the second-line center for the Ducks’ loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

On his short audition for second-line duty, Grant finished with two shots, no points, and 17:01 of ice time.

Grant doesn’t see any time on Anaheim’s power play but does play on their top power play unit. Maybe that increases his trade value. Then again, the Ducks sit near the bottom in the NHL for the penalty kill, below even the Ottawa Senators.

Norris did spend a little bit of time on the penalty kill, with 11:30 of ice time shorthanded in his five games played this season. That’s another aspect of Norris’s game that Grant can help replace.

Grant might not be on Ottawa’s radar now as they continue to look at their in-house options. The Senators have only played two games since Norris left with an injury, and one was a convincing win over the Dallas Stars.

Third-line left wing Tyler Motte can always slide over to center to provide some extra depth. Dylan Gambrell played in 63 games for Ottawa last season but has not played in an NHL game yet this season.

For the rebuilding Ducks, Grant is expendable. He won’t replace Norris, but he can definitely help fill the hole. The Senators and their fan base are desperate for this team to take the next step forward. Norris’s injury could make or break that, and Grant could be a very attractive plan B.