Garage Sale in Ottawa

The Ottawa Senators are continuing their sell off of players, as Alexei Kovalev was sent to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a conditional 7th round pick in the 2011 draft.  Before getting into what it means for both teams, it should be noted that Mike Fisher, Chris Kelly, Brian Elliot, and Jarko Ruutu were also traded in the past weeks.  Who could be next?  Chris Phillips or Nick Foligno are decent options, and if the Jason Spezza troubles flare up again, he could be on the block.  That last one, obviously, is dependent on what management says, as opposed to Spezza, since the last time it happened, management shot down Spezza's trade request in the offseason.

Now, about the Kovalev trade, it is another salary dump for Ottawa that they would gladly take, since Kovalev has produced very little for them.  Like Dany Heatley and Spezza before him, Kovalev has also had issues with coach Cory Clouston, and Clouston's situation bears watching at the end of the season.  For Pittsburgh, a 7th round pick was all they gave up to get Kovalev, which means Pittsburgh isn't likely to lose much if he doesn't pan out for the playoff run.  The gamble here is that Kovalev replicates his first run in Pittsburgh, albeit in a rental role, as opposed to a full season.  Ottawa is clearly in a rebuilding mode now, and it's likely going to take a long time, especially since they have no dependable stay at home defenseman since Anton Volchenkov left for New Jersey and their goaltending is a perpetual mess.  Oh, and captain Daniel Alfredsson can't carry the team forever, as he is nearing 40.