David Booth

– I liked Booth when he was in Florida…though so did everyone, which is why Mike Gillis traded for him and why he’s now stuck with an injury prone scoring forward who hasn’t been that effective. Booth has two years left on his contract, and if he’s healthy he’d make a good complementary winger for Spezza. He’s also a left winger, which is a spot where Ottawa can be weak.

Ryan Malone

– Another left winger on a team with sky-high salaries, though he’d have to waive his NTC to come to Ottawa. Malone has a $4.5MM cap hit, but his salary in both of his final two years is $2.5MM. Seems like he could fit into MacLean’s two-way hockey mantra.

Joe Pavelski

– I was surprised to see that Pavelski didn’t have a NTC/NMC, and at $4MM with only one year left on his contract, he’d be pursued heavily if he’s indeed on the block. I don’t see him being worth a bidding war (look at what San Jose got for Ryan Clowe), but it’s worth kicking the tires. He is a centerman, which Ottawa doesn’t need as badly, though as the6thsens guys pointed out recently, our depth at center isn’t as good as we sometimes insist it is.

Devin Setoguchi

– Minnie is spending a ton of money on a mediocre lineup, and Setoguchi only has one year left on his deal. At $3MM, and not much required to get him, he might be worth the risk–though his game seems to have degraded badly over the past two seasons. He’s 26.

Dustin Brown

– This would be an absolute coup, and Ottawa would need to pay through the nose to get him. Brown played a diminished role in this year’s playoffs, often relegated to the third line on a deep team, and he only has one year left on his contract. It’s probably not worth paying a king’s ransom (wah-wah) for one year of Brown before he tests the UFA market, but he instantly makes the team better, and is a great young leader on a team of young, character players. I’d love to have him in a Sens uniform.

Derick Brassard

– He’s a centerman which, again, Ottawa doesn’t need as badly, but he seems to fit the mold of a Bryan Murray trade: good pedigree (drafted 6th overall), stuttering development, connections to Columbus. He only has one year left on his deal, but he’s an RFA after that, so Ottawa retains control. He’s right in that age wheelhouse too, at 25.

Ales Hemsky

– Hoo boy, this one is probably contentious. Most people seem to think that Hemsky sucks. Most in the analytics community seem to think he…sucks less. Personally, I think he makes a lot of money in a market that is thoroughly sick of losing. He’s a focal point for a terrible team. He makes $5.5MM this year, which is a bit hefty, but could probably be got for a pick or mid-tier prospect unless one of those desperate big market teams gets involved and fucks everything up like they usually do.

Scottie Upshall

– I liked Upshall when he was in Philly, and sort of hoped that Ottawa would throw him an offer before Dale Tallon went nuts that one year and signed every mediocre free agent on the market. Upshall is borderline top six, and so might not be worth the risk, and he’s got two years at $3.5MM left. Which, again, was pretty stupid, Dale. But if he can reclaim his spark-plug scorer acumen, giving up a late pick for a salary dump might seem brilliant.

Mike Cammalleri

– Is Calgary rebuilding? I guess so, but it’s hard to say with Feaster and that ownership group. Camm has one year left at a whopping $6MM, but would look awesome next to Spezza. You’d probably have to get into a bidding war with somebody. There is the benefit of knowing that Calgary probably isn’t going to wait until the trade deadline to trade him; everyone knows that that team is going to suck this year. They should unload at the draft if they can.

Chris Stewart

– I wish…St. Louis will probably re-sign him–he’s an RFA without a new deal–but Stewart is just the kind of power forward Ottawa would love to have line up in their top six. St. Louis also needs to re-sign Pietrangelo and Shattenkirk, so they’re kind of screwed. They might be willing to part with a complementary, big forward, especially since he had a down year playing in Hitchcock’s defensive system. Alongside Dustin Brown, this would probably be my #1 player to see in a Sens uniform.

Radim Vrbata

– He’s pretty much the only scoring threat in Phoenix’s lineup, and he has a NTC and a great relationship with his team. But, as always, ownership issues in Phoenix make this a possibility. Would they trade him now and get something in return rather than watch him walk next year, as he only has one year left on his deal? He’s older (32), but would be a decent replacement for Alfie if the captain retires.

Blake Wheeler

– Like Stewart, Wheeler is an RFA in need of a deal. If they can’t get something done in Winnipeg, could they trade him? Would Ottawa want to put themselves in a situation where they give up assets in advance of a contract negotiation, removing all leverage? (cough cough Flyers cough.)

Bryan Little

– Another centerman, another RFA without a deal, and another player who is probably not worth the package required to get him. But might be worth a second look if negotiations don’t go Winnipeg’s way.

Alex Burmistrov