Senators aggressive on trade as they pursue top-six forward
GM Steve Staios is shopping the No. 9 and No. 25 draft picks acquired in the Brady Tkachuk deal to acquire scoring help.
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The Ottawa Senators are actively pursuing a top-six forward using the draft capital they gained from trading captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers on Sunday.
General manager Steve Staios confirmed Monday that the No. 9 and No. 25 overall picks are available as trade chips. His phone has been ringing constantly since the deal went down — both picks are being dangled to teams with proven scorers available.
Mason McTavish of the Anaheim Ducks tops the Senators' list, sources told the Citizen. McTavish, who has 77 goals and 181 assists in 304 career games, makes his offseason home in Ottawa and grew up here. His father, Dale, works in the Senators' pro scouting department.
The Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers are also in the mix for McTavish. The Ducks are willing to move him — he doesn't fit coach Joel Quenneville's vision — and the Senators have the first-round asset Anaheim wants in return.
The Senators also have their eye on New York Rangers winger Alexis Lafrenière, taken No. 1 overall in 2020 the same year Ottawa selected Tim Stutzle at No. 3. Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, Dylan Cozens, Thomas Chabot, Shane Pinto, Ridly Greig and Drake Batherson form the core Staios believes can compete now.