Sens Buzz

I am looking to provide analysis on potential Sens trade-bait that doesn't contain Dany Heatley throughout the week; such as Chris Kelly, Alex Picard, Jason Smith, Christoph Shubert and Cody Bass. First on the list is Chris Kelly.

Chris Kelly
Why he's on the market? It was funny because during the NHL draft he was part of a panel at the Local Hero's and I kept thinkin' to myself there's a good chance he could be dealt. The Senators need to move salary in order to get under the cap and Kelly's salary is probably the most efficent to move. The Sens have several prospects with similar skill sets that can take his place.
Salary Cap Number: Kelly has a cap hit of 2.125 for the next 3 seasons. I think this is about market value for a quality third line player who can contribute on the PK unit.
Potential Options:
1. Dallas Stars (Makes the most sense the Stars have 8 Million in cap space, were 24th in PK last year and have a need for 3rd & 4th line players)
2. New York Islanders (They are 20 Million under the cap, the team is filled with prospects and needs some good serviceable defensive minded forwards.)
3. Red Wings (Not sure if they have the cap space. But the PK was bad last year. The Sens would need to take on a salary to get this deal done.)
Or Packaged as part of a Heatley deal.
Market Value: Probably a 3rd round pick or a second level prospect.
Why should they keep him? He contributes well in the defensive side of the game is a strong PK'er. Best suited as a 3rd liner but can fill in on the top 6 when needed, he just can't score.
Who would replace him? The Senators have four prospects that could take advantage if Kelly left the organization; Peter Regin (looks like a 2nd or 3rd line defensively responsible center), Cody Bass (3rd or 4th line energy player that may be able to contriute as a PK), Ilya Zubov (Probably best suited as a top 6 winger) and Zach Smith (Might be one year away but he's another player cut from the same mold as Kelly).