Clock ticking for Senators GM Steve Staios with deadline near

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The clock is ticking on Steve Staios with the NHL trade deadline only 10 days away.

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The Senators are sitting precariously in the final wild-card spot in the East with only 25 games left.

There are five teams within five points of each other as the Senators try to make the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, has to determine if he can find the right fit(s) to add to the roster before the deadline set for March 7 at 3 p.m. ET.

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The Senators will try to end a four-game losing skid when the Winnipeg Jets come to town on Wednesday night. The club should be bolstered by the return of centre Josh Norris from an undisclosed mid-body injury.

We’re told that Shane Pinto may also be ready to return.

The expectation is that captain Brady Tkachuk, who missed Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens with an injury he suffered at the 4 Nations Face-Off, will also play, but we’ll see.

Tkachuk wasn’t on skates at Sunday’s skills contests after slamming into the goal post in last Monday’s game with Team Sweden.

Forwards Zack Ostapchuk and Cole Reinhardt were sent to the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville on Sunday to clear space on the roster.

The injuries to Pinto and Norris, two of the club’s top centres, have exposed a lack of depth up front, an area of focus for the organization.

League executives told Postmedia on Monday that Staios has continued to scour the forward market.
But the Senators only have $1.6 million U.S. in cap space and likely shouldn’t trade their first-round pick because they have to surrender one in 2025 or 2026 as part of the NHL’s punishment for the botched Evgenii Dadonov deal with the Vegas Golden Knights.

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The answers may have to come from within if the Senators are going to make the playoffs. It’s difficult to add when you don’t have the assets to give up in return.

That will make this deadline tricky for Staios if he wants to add.

Late general manager Bryan Murray used to believe bringing in help would send a message to the dressing room that the organization believed the group could make the post-season.

The Senators have six of its seven draft picks this spring, in addition to three third-round selections in 2026. In the current marketplace, the third-round pick isn’t going to get them much in return.

League executives say the Senators have shown interest in Seattle Kraken winger Brandon Tanev and Chicago Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato. Both are unrestricted free agents and have garnered a lot of interest.

Donato is interesting because he has 19 goals and 19 assists for 38 points in 55 games this season. He is making $2 million and has been an impact player for the Hawks.

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.

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We’ve seen the name of Flyers forward Scott Laughton out there, but we’re not convinced Philadelphia would trade him. He’s a valuable player for that franchise and the Senators have always been rebuffed in the past.

Laughton has 11 goals and 27 points in 55 games this season, but we’re told the asking price would be high for the Flyers to consider this deal. He has one year left on his contract with a cap hit of $3 million.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Jets are reportedly both interested in Laughton, but the asking price starts with a first-round pick.

Staios had also been looking for depth for the defence, but the emergence of Nikolas Matinpalo, who suited up for Team Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off, has helped to lessen the urgency.

The Senators have seven healthy defencemen with veteran Travis Hamonic — and are about to have eight.

Blueliner Jacob Bernard-Docker, who has missed 20 games with a high-ankle sprain he suffered in January, was a full participant in the club’s skills contest and is closing in on a return.

Two league executives told Postmedia that the 24-year-old Bernard-Docker, a first-round pick in 2024, is available, and the Senators are looking for a prospect in exchange.

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There is some talk the Nashville Predators are interested.

He has a cap hit of $805,000 and may not clear waivers if the club wants to get his contract off the books. The Senators would like to get something in return instead of risking losing Bernard-Docker for nothing.

Bernard-Docker has suited up for 129 games in his career with five goals and 20 points, and does a solid job blocking shots. He is on long-term injury reserve and will cut into the club’s cap space when he’s activated.

“He might be able to help a team that’s retooling and looking for something a little different,” a league executive said.

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