Ottawa Senators Acquire Fabian Zetterlund From San Jose Sharks

With the slight cap savings created by Steve Staios' big splash in swapping Josh Norris for Dylan Cozens, there was speculation that another move was on the way for the Ottawa Senators. And just before the clock struck 3pm, a deal was reached with the San Jose Sharks to bolster the club's forward depth heading into a frantic playoff race:

Fabian Zetterlund, 25, has 17 goals and 36 points in 64 games with the Sharks this season, playing on the left wing. This would make him Ottawa's fourth-most productive winger behind Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, and Claude Giroux. The numbers don't jump off the page, but a move to a better team could see his pace improve – either way, Ottawa's forward corps is certainly improved with his acquisition. Zetterlund, crucially, is an RFA at the end of the season, and a $1.50M qualifying offer should make negotiations on a contract extension fairly straightforward. The problem on the left wing has been solved, both for this season and the next.

Ottawa's giving up quite a bit of value in exchange, however – this year's 2nd round pick and a solid center prospect in Zack Ostapchuk. Despite not being an NHL player just yet, with 4 points in 50 NHL games, the 2021 2nd-rounder has been a productive AHL player with 11 points in 15 games, while also building a reputation as a versatile role player in the WHL and at with Team Canada at the World Juniors. He seems like a shoo-in to be a valuable bottom-six player with an outside chance at a higher ceiling.

There's a lot of perceived value with Ostapchuk, and I definitely think he's going to be a stud within the next few years, but I can also acknowledge that Staios is selling high, while also dealing from a position of strength to address a weakness in his roster. Before this trade, Ottawa was strong at center and weak on the wings. Now, they've bolstered their winger depth, while maintaining a trio of Tim Stutzle, Dylan Cozens, and Shane Pinto down the middle, with Ridly Greig and Adam Gaudette as depth options, and Stephen Halliday, another center, waiting in the wings down in Belleville.

To round up the rest of the details of the trade:

• Tristen Robins, 23, was the 56th pick of the 2020 NHL Draft, but hasn't panned out since leaving the WHL. The right-shot center has 18 points in 41 games with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL, and is being acquired as a Jamieson Rees-esque reclamation project who at the very least, will hopefully help Belleville return to the playoffs.
• Noah Gregor is also part of the deal, returning to the Sharks after a 2-year tour of duty in Ontario. In spite of impressing with his speed, he was constantly on the wrong side of the 5-on-5 puck battles, and 6 points in 40 games is a level of production that's more than replaceable by the likes of Matthew Highmore.
• Lastly, Ottawa gets a 4th-round pick from the Sharks, which let's be honest, they're going to use on a better player than the one they would've taken with the 2nd.

Overall, this is Steve Staios buying at the deadline, giving up value from one of the organization's strongest positions in order to round out his team. Solid work from the Sens' GM, it's now up to the coaching staff and players to make it worthwhile in the end.