Big week ahead for Senators with trade deadline Friday

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It will be a busy week on the ice for the Ottawa Senators.

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We’ll have to wait and see if that will be the case off the ice.

Ottawa ended a five-game losing skid with its first victory since Feb. 3 on Saturday — a 5-3 decision over the visiting San Jose Sharks — but now faces a significantly more difficult task against the Washington Capitals on Monday night on the road.

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The Senators will then face the Blackhawks in Chicago on Wednesday night to close out a two-game road trip.
All of this is happening with the backdrop of the NHL trade deadline, which is set for Friday at 3 p.m. EST.

Steve Staios, the club’s general manager, has been huddled with his closest advisers, working the phones to see what might make sense to give the Senators one final push down the stretch.

The Senators had some level of interest in Nashville Predators forward Gustav Nyqvist before he was dealt to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday for a second-round pick.

The Predators retained 50 percent of his $3.185-million salary because the Wild didn’t have a lot of cap space.

That’s the same situation the Senators are facing because with defenceman Jacob Bernard-Docker activated Saturday, they have only $850,000 in cap space, according to PuckPedia.

Postmedia has reported that the Senators have shown interest in Seattle Kraken winger Brandon Tanev and Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato.

Donato would look good in Ottawa’s top six because he has 21 goals and 22 assists for 43 points in 58 games this season. He is making $2 million and has been an impact player for the Hawks.

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Meanwhile, Tanev is making $3.5 million on an expiring contract. The Senators tried to acquire him last summer believing the 33-year-old would bring a strong veteran presence to the room.

Both are unrestricted free agents and have been getting a lot of interest, especially from contenders who want to bulk up for a long playoff run.

Sens captain Brady Tkachuk is confident this group can get the job done and he had a message for Ottawa fans.

“It’s going to be a fun ride, so buckle up and enjoy it,” Tkachuk said..

The Senators’ road to making the National Hockey League playoffs for the first time in eight years has included a few bumps, but as coach Travis Green says, you can’t do anything about the past, so focus on the task at hand.

With Saturday’s win, the Senators moved to within two points of the Detroit Red Wings for the final wild-card spot in the East. With 23 games left, the Senators need at least 14 victories, which is why the game against the Sharks was a must-win in several ways.

The return of Tkachuk from a lower-body injury he suffered at the 4 Nations Face-Off, along with forwards Shane Pinto and Josh Norris, helped bring some balance to the roster.

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The Senators are good enough to make the playoffs, but they went a long stretch without that trio and getting them back should help return some consistency to this group.

“We want to keep this momentum going,” Tim Stutzle said.

Your best players have to be your best players and that was the case for the Senators.

Stutzle extended his point-scoring streak to 11 straight games with a goal and an assist. He has four goals and 16 points in that stretch plus he has tied a franchise record with a helper in 10 straight games.

Goaltender Linus Ullmark, who hadn’t won a game since returning from a back injury, made 34 stops for his first win since Dec. 19.

The Senators have had to deal with their share of adversity throughout this season and we’ll have to see whether defenceman Jake Sanderson is ready to face the Capitals. He was the victim of an ugly cross-check to the back of the neck by San Jose winger Tyler Toffoli late in the game.

There was no call and no indication from the NHL’s department of player safety on Sunday that Toffoli would receive any further discipline.

“I don’t know how that’s not a penalty,” said Green. “Cross-checked right in the back of the net and forced down to the ice. It was tough to watch.”

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What is more concerning is that nobody on the ice dealt with Toffoli, but that’s a story for another day.

If Sanderson can’t suit up, the Sens do have Bernard-Docker back from his high-ankle sprain, a necessary move because veteran Nick Jensen left Friday’s practice early on the limp and he has been dealing with an issue for a while. The club is also without defenceman Tyler Kleven.

Meanwhile, Postmedia has reported there is some level of interest in Bernard-Docker on the trade market.

Stay tuned, folks, the next stretch will be interesting.

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