Senators Acquire Namestnikov from Rangers, Recall Abramov
The Sens ship Nick Ebert, and a 2021 4th in return.
The Ottawa Senators have been busy today, after dropping the first two games of the season in less than stellar fashion.
The biggest news was broken by Bruce Garrioch. He announced that the team has acquired Vladislav Namestnikov from the New York Rangers, with $750K retained, in exchange for Nick Ebert, and a 2021 fourth round draft pick.
Expect the Ottaw Senators and New York Rangers to announce. Trade tonight. Namestnikov to the Senators for draft picks.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) October 7, 2019
#Sens traded a fourth in 2021, Nick Ebert to Rangers. New York retains 750,000
— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) October 7, 2019
Namestnikov was drafted 27th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2011, hitting a career-high 45 points in 2016. He tallied 31 points in 78 games with the Rangers last season.
On the surface, this is somewhat of a strange move for Ottawa, already with a logjam in the bottom six. Having also added $3M to the payroll, it seems apparent that there is another move coming down the pipe. For what it’s worth, Jean-Gabriel Pageau is an upcoming UFA, and teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins are in the market for a centre.
Namestnikov is in the final year of a $4M deal, and will also be a UFA at the end of the season.
The Senators also recalled Vitaly Abramov from the Belleville senators this morning, after returning Drake Batherson and Filip Chlapik to the Baby Sens over the weekend. Abramov had a strong camp, despite an injury, and coach DJ Smith praised his work ethic to the media this morning.
The Sens are back in action on Thursday, when they host the St. Louis Blues.