Senators Interested in Trevor Daley

[ScottM]

 

There are reports circulating that the Ottawa Senators are interested in acquiring defenseman Trevor Daley from the Chicago Blackhawks. Reportedly, the Blackhawks want Shane Prince, Matt Puempel, or a second round draft pick in the deal.

 

The idea makes sense from the Senators perspective. There are no concerns about the offense, with the Senators currently sixth in the league in goals scored. Defense, however, is a big problem, as the back end has been a sieve. The Senators' shots for rating of 44.2% is the worst mark in the league. A look at the Corsi percentages will help tell that tale. There are only six Senators who are above 50% in that rating, and only one (Erik Karlsson) is a defenseman. Now, Chris Wideman (who thankfully has been playing regularly lately) is at 49.8%, so he's close, and Marc Methot and Patrick Wiercioch are at or above 47%, but when you get past those guys, there's a BIG drop. Cody Ceci, Jared Cowen, and Mark Borowiecki, each of whom have played in at least 15 of the Senators 15 games this season are all below 43%. That obviously leaves a lot to be desired. Depth at defense was a concern for the Senators, and that concern is looming large. I said in another thread on this board that we needed more games out of Phillips for depth's sake, and with the re-injury of his back, no Phillips.

 

Now, let's look at Daley. The Blackhawks are a very strong possession team, and Daley is still one of the guys with the best possession metric stats. He has a Corsi rating of 56.4% and a Fenwick rating of 54.5%. Last year with the Stars was a different story, but the year before that, he was among the best on the team. In Chicago, Daley is playing third pairing minutes, so a move to Ottawa would probably mean an increased role. Honestly, I couldn't see him not playing a top 3 role with the Sens. Another plus is that he has plenty of penalty kill experience, playing on the top unit in Dallas, which is another thing that would greatly benefit Ottawa.

 

As far as Daley's offense goes, right now, he has just three points in 19 games, but outside of Karlsson, no Senators blueliner has more than three points, and typically, Daley is much more of an offensive threat. averaging about 0.3 points per game, which is more than you'd expect out of any current Senators d-man not wearing the "C." So, while his offense isn't world class, he'd be a step up there as well.

 

So, what would I do? If I could get the deal finalized, I believe I'd go for it. I see much more to gain than to lose. If I have any of the above mentioned options available, I believe I'd deal Puempel. Quite frankly, I feel that Prince is developing better, and he's one of the guys on the plus side in the possession metrics. Puempel, on the other hand is at the bottom of the pile. Daley wouldn't be a fix all, but he'd be a help, I believe. I still believe that this is a team with a lot of upside, and we have the offense and goaltending. Now, we need to fix the blue line. Why not go for it?

[yave1964]

It would be a good move for the Sens, Daley had a career year with the Stars last year, but has struggled mightily with the Hawks, a smaller market might be just what the doctor ordered.

[jammer2]

It would be a good move for the Sens, Daley had a career year with the Stars last year, but has struggled mightily with the Hawks, a smaller market might be just what the doctor ordered.

 

 I had the same kinda feeling. Trevor needs a fresh start on a fresh team. Don't know what happened in Chicago, but he was never a good fit, as time went by, he became less and less effective in his role, which the Hawks envisioned to be a top 4 d-man.

 

 I could see the Sens being a nice fit....a few of the d-men, namely Weichlock (sp) and Cowan have been publically called out by GM Murray. Those two guys never took the offensive part of their games to the next level. Cowan is not really known to be a scorer per say, but I did think he had some sneaky hidden upside, I may have been wrong.

 

 Daley could team with Karlsson and make a very effective top pp unit. The talent is still there, but a change in scenery might be the only way to turn the tap back on.

[OccamsRazor]

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Trevor Daley to the Sens may or may not spark both he or the Ottawa team.

 

However, in looking at the style the Stars and Hawks play, Daley seems to 'fit in' better with a system that is more offense oriented.......which it seems, the Sens prefer as well.

 

Chicago, with it's layered and structured balance of offense and defense, seems a bit out of reach for Daley who seemed to do pretty well with the wide open style that the Dallas Stars prefer.

 

That all said, an interesting thing to note:

Even under the Dallas system that Daley was brought up his whole career with, and one where he did indeed have a career year before being shipped off to Chicago, his overall production numbers were really pedestrian at best....20 something points throughout most of his tenure with the Stars.

The only exception, of course, was that 16 G, 38 point "outburst", if you will, his last year with the Stars.

 

So which is the real Daley....the 20 something point guy he has been throughout his twenties into his thirties, or the almost 40 point guy he showed last season?

I am betting he is the former.....

 

So....if the Sens are hoping Daley can bolster the offense from the blueline and give Karlsson some help in that department, he may......or may not.

The Sens CERTAINLY won't be counting on Daley's actual DEFENSE...because that, it seems, at best, is "ok", at worst, he bleeds scoring opportunities for the opposing team.

 

I really don't know about the Sens prospects and/or young players the Hawks reportedly asked about (Prince, Puempel)...but if those players look like they may turn into something NHL worthy, I'd REALLY think a deal like this through if I were Ottawa...........really gauge what they expect (and what they may actually get) from a 32 yr old Trevor Daley, who, while not the worst option as a D-man, still certainly leaves a lot to be desired.

And at his age, he likely is all he is going to be moving forward.

 

Then again, next to some other D-men the Sens have, maybe Daley looks like a Raymond Bourque or an in-his-prime Dan Boyle........but is he worth giving up those young prospects or even a second rounder? THAT is the real question.