Free-falling Senators should look to trade for former Hart Trophy winner | Sporting News

On December 21st, the Ottawa Senators were in control of the second Eastern Conference wildcard spot .

The next night, they lost star goaltender Linus Ullmark to a back injury .

Since then, they have lost six of their last seven games, while being outscored 23-10.

Now, theyre three points out of a playoff spot .

The Senators dont need to trade for a goaltender.

As soon as Ullmark returns from injury, hes their guy.

He won the Vezina Trophy in 2023, and currently has a .915 SV% and a 2.38 GAA through 23 games played with the Senators.

What Ottawa needs to do is address their scoring issues.

In their last seven games, theyve scored just ten goals, and have been shutout twice.

The Senators are tied for 23rd in the league in goals scored with 114 , and their 2.85 average goals per game is tied for 22nd in the league .

One player who could solve some of Ottawas offensive problems is Taylor Hall of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Hall is on an expiring contract, and the Blackhawks will certainly be sellers at the trade deadline.

Why it would work Taylor Hall can score.

In 2017-18, he won the Hart Trophy after dragging the New Jersey Devils to the playoffs.

Hall had 39 goals and 93 points in 76 games 41 more points than New Jerseys next leading scorer.

In 872 career NHL games, Hall has 274 goals and 718 points.

The Senators currently have a top-ten powerplay in the league with a 23.9% success rate , but adding Hall would only improve on that.

Why it wouldnt work I cant think of a reason why Taylor Hall wouldnt fit on this Ottawa Senators team.

Hes 33 now, and not the player he was when he won the Hart Trophy back in 2018, but he can still produce.

Ottawa needs scoring, and he can help with that.

What it would cost Hall wouldnt cost as much as youd think.

Its been reported that Chicago wants a third-rounder for him, and would be open to retaining part of his $6 million cap hit in exchange for a second-rounder .

If thats truly the case, and if Ottawa is serious about making a playoff push, this is a no-brainer..

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