Ottawa is in a fairly unique situation among NHL teams, in that they’re (occasionally) competitive, with loads of cap room, and the prospects to upgrade. Really, the only other team in this situation is Colorado, maybe the Rangers. But I see on various blogs (and not just the Ottawa-centric ones) how Ottawa is a team that could make some noise if they went out and got that extra piece at the deadline. They’re having their occasionally dominates stretches of possession. Their goaltending, though still all over the place some nights, can lock it down and frustrate opponents, seemingly out of nowhere. It’s all hearsay and speculation, but when fans of other teams start really paying attention to Ottawa, I think it’s mildly indicative. It’s at least exciting.

Leaving aside where Ottawa would actually get the cash from, let’s look at some of the expiring contracts for 2014 and 2015, which could represent trade targets. I’ve only taken wingers because 1) that’s what Murray is rumoured to be looking for, and 2) when you take a look at the pending UFA defencemen, you’ll see it’s not even worth writing about. Unless you think Henrik Tallinder is an upgrade on Chris Phillips.

Oh, and I’ve only looked at teams who could be sellers. Sure, Thornton and Marleau are pending UFAs, but I don’t see San Jose packing it in this season.

Here’s what we’ve got.

Some interesting options in there, but let’s start with what would easily be the most intriguing: Daniel Alfredsson.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say he’s got some comfort with the market. There’s probably not a lot to worry about when it comes to chemistry. Would it be awkward? For a minute or two, then we’d all dig our Alfredsson jerseys out from the bottom of the trunk where we buried them, and get ready to chant his name at 11:11. He thought Detroit would give him a better chance to win. Well, maybe they still do. But as of right now Detroit is not in a playoff spot.

Now, if Daniel Alfredsson is going to be traded at the deadline, it would likely be to an honest-to-goodness contender. San Jose or Los Angeles or something. (Imagine, for a moment, if Alfredsson was traded to the league-leading Ducks – the franchise that beat his Senators in the Final in 2007, and now including former Senator Jakob Silfverberg. Would you cheer for them in the playoffs? Talk about being conflicted.) But if it’s a comfort thing – somewhere where his family will be familiar and somewhere where he will be appreciated – well, I can think of no better destination.

I put both Callahan and Dubinsky on the list, even though New York and Columbus are both pretty close to a playoff spot and probably won’t be sellers, but those are the type of guys who you know managers salivate over adding to a playoff-bound team. They produce points, their possession stats are respectable, and they have all of those delicious intangible bullshitty things like handshakedness and stick-to-it-iveness that coaches and GMs love.

I don’t see Jagr being traded, and if he is I don’t see him being traded to Ottawa. But how amazing would it be if Jaromir Fucking Jagr played for Ottawa, even if only for a couple of months.

For basically any of these guys I think Ottawa would have to trade one of their better prospects – a Puempal, maybe even a Lazar (though we hear he’s untouchable). Mark Stone seems pretty entrenched where he is, but I imagine he’s got a few GMs’ attention at this point. And then there are several second tier prospects who are performing well in the AHL, but who may never be NHL players – your Shane Princes and Mike Hoffmans. All of them, along with a second round pick, would surely be up for grabs for the players on this list.

Sound off in the comments: should Ottawa be looking to buy? If so, who should they target?