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WARREN: As Senators housekeeping begins, the need for another top defenceman beckons

WARREN: As Senators housekeeping begins, the need for another top defenceman beckons

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“It says here that adding on the blue line, to secure a solid top four on defence, is the biggest priority.”

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For all the fun and flash of scoring goals, the secret to consistent NHL success is all about dealing with the mess in front of your own net.

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Now that the Ottawa Senators have started their housekeeping for next season by sweeping Colin White out the door, there’s naturally a buzz about the incoming names that could be arriving via trade or free agency.

Bring it on. It’s the season for dreaming of the moon.

It says here that adding on the blue line, to secure a solid top four on defence, is the biggest priority. The grand dream in that regard is Jakob Chychrun, the 24-year-old with Ottawa roots who has run out of patience in Arizona.

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If that happens, forget about adding another marquee forward.

Sure, if the daughters Melnyk and the brain trust currently running the franchise are willing and able to fork out more big dollars for a forward, Claude Giroux, Clayton Keller or Alex DeBrincat could find a home beside Tim Stuetzle.

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It’s just not realistic to expect both a front-line forward and a top defenceman to be added under the current environment.

White’s contract will soon be off the books — the club will be on the hook for $875,000 in five of the next six seasons as part of the buyout — but the next wave of kid forwards have big raises coming.

Josh Norris is in line for a Brady Tkachuk-like extension, Mathieu Joseph has salary arbitration rights and Alex Formenton also needs to re-signed this summer. If Stuetzle continues to roll the way he finished last season, he, too, will enter Tkachuk and Norris contract territory next summer.

The existing group, including Drake Batherson, carries the promise of continuing to get better as the players approach their peak years.

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Accordingly, the more immediate upgrade is on defence.

With the notable exception of the Edmonton Oilers, that’s generally what gets teams over the hump from mediocrity into contender status.

Look no further than the Senators’ own history over the past decade.

During the extended rebuild that began in 2017-18, the goals-against department has been a far more glaring issue than the goals scored numbers as the Senators have watched the playoffs from the sidelines over and over again.

During the past five seasons, the Senators have finished 30th, 31st, 30th, 28th and, thanks largely to the inspired play of goaltender Anton Forsberg last season, 22nd in the NHL in goals allowed.

The Senators also missed the playoffs in 2015-16, when they ranked 26th in goals against, and in 2013-14, when they again ended up in the 27th spot.

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Compare that to the three occasions when the Senators did qualify for the post-season in the past decade. All of them with different coaches.

Under Guy Boucher, they went all the way to double overtime of the seventh game of the Eastern Conference final following a regular season in which they finished 10th in goals against. Interestingly in that campaign, Ottawa ranked only 22nd in goals scored.

After the Hamburglar regular season run that led the Senators to the playoffs with Dave Cameron behind the bench in 2015, the Senators ranked 13th in goals allowed.

During the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, with Paul MacLean in charge, it was all about tightening up on defence as the Senators skated through an assortment of injuries. When that 48-game regular season ended, the Senators were second in goals allowed, while ranking a distant 27th in goals scored.

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Even if Forsberg can maintain his steady play — the status of Matt Murray is a column for another day — he can’t bail out the team every night.

At this point, the Senators have a number of holes at the top end of the defence depth chart. Thomas Chabot and Artem Zub are locks as part of the top four, but after that?

Incoming rookie Jake Sanderson carries great promise, but without having played a single NHL game — and coming off a pair of wrist surgeries — it’s too much to expect him to immediately step into a top-four role. Maybe Travis Hamonic and perhaps Erik Brannstrom can push for bigger minutes, while Lassi Thomson will make his case to be a full-time player on the bottom end, potentially alongside Nick Holden.

All the while, the Senators will do what they can to try to unload Nikita Zaitsev. After receiving his signing bonus on July 1, Zaitsev has two years and $7 million remaining on his contract.

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There’s an opening in all of the above for a standout like Chychrun. He has three years remaining on his current deal, with a reasonable $4.6 million salary cap hit.

That possibility gives more life to the potential for the Senators to trade away their seventh overall selection at Thursday’s entry draft.

At the same time, though, the Coyotes are already overloaded with draft picks, including three in the first round (third, 27th and 32nd) and four in the second round (34th, 36th, 43rd and 45th).

Beyond another top 10 draft pick, it would take a special package for Arizona to make the move.

No doubt, Arizona would also likely want a young defenceman in return (Brannstrom, Thomson?) and yet another player to make it all work. If the Senators are interested, they’ll have to work against some other serious bids.

Chychrun led the Coyotes in ice time last season and has 337 NHL games to his credit. It’s remarkably rare for those players to become available.

When they do, the price tag is high. At this point, though, it’s the type of the player who could fill the biggest void for the Senators.

[email protected]

Twitter.com/Citizenkwarren

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