Silver Nuggets: What Would it Take to Get Kevin Shattenkirk?

The Ottawa Senators have had defensive problems for what feels like half a decade (other than the miracle run last year), and so it piqued my interest to hear that the Blues' defenceman Kevin Shattenkirk is rumoured to be available. It seems a little strange to hear that the best d-man on a Cup contender would be made available, but with Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo signed to rich long-term contracts and Shattenkirk becoming a UFA in a year and a half, the Blues may be trying to sell high on a key asset. Seeing what Keith Yandle fetched from the Rangers last year since he wasn't yet a rental may be encouraging the Blues to sell this year. As someone who was beating the drum on a Jason Spezza-for-Shattenkirk trade two years ago, I'd love to see this stud on Ottawa's blue line.

What would St. Louis want from Ottawa (or another team) in exchange for Shattenkirk? St Louis Game Time suggests that the Blues are looking for a top offensive piece. As much as I hate to say it, I think that Ottawa's best piece to give would be Mike Hoffman. For whatever reason, he hasn't been viewed as part of the core here in Ottawa, and since he'll be a UFA the same season as Shattenkirk, there seems to be a fit. Since St Louis traded away one of their best wingers in T.J. Oshie for Troy Brouwer last season, Hoffman could be a reasonable replacement. And with Brouwer and David Backes coming off the books in 2016-17, the Blues could afford to invest money in the younger Hoffman.

Other people suggest the idea of trading Bobby Ryan. I'd be more in favour of this, but 1) I think the Blues would prefer that Hoffman would likely come cheaper and they could negotiate his contract themselves, and 2) I doubt Ottawa trades Ryan. The team has committed long-term to him, he's become a charity fixture, and he's been advertised much more heavily than Hoffman publicly. With Ryan not seeming like a realistic option, the only other player I could see the team trading for Shattenkirk is Mika Zibanejad. The team seems ready to anoint Colin White an NHL player next season, so I could see Z-bad being deemed expendable. But with Zibanejad younger and having more draft pedigree, I can't help but think that Hoffman would still be the team's choice. On a side note, I don't think Hoffman or especially Zibanejad alone would get Shattenkirk from St. Louis. They would be the centrepiece of a trade, but I suspect at least one other piece (Matt Puempel or a second-round pick, for example) would be required for the Blues to pull the trigger.

Of course, Ottawa already has two too many defencemen, so adding Shattenkirk would make things complicated. I expect Ottawa would try to offload either Jared Cowen or Patrick Wiercioch or both to make this work. I expect they're going to try to offload at least one of those guys anyway by the trade deadline. Whether they'd be part of a deal for Shattenkirk or a side trade would remain to be seen.

Of course, all of this is just speculation. I highly doubt it ends up happening. Besides, we all know that the Sens will insist that Colin Greening be part of a trade for Shattenkirk.

Sens Links:

• Ottawa beat the Bruins on Saturday night in a thriller [Silver Seven, Rank the Performances, SensChirp]
• Then they followed it up with a terrible 7-1 loss to the Capitals [Silver Seven, Rank the Performances, SensChirp]
• The B-Sens lost to the Amerks but still managed to get four of a possible six points over the weekend [Silver Seven]
• Make sure to participate in our Silver Seven roll call! [Silver Seven]
• In news, Chris Driedger has been called up while Andrew Hammond is out with a personal matter [Silver Seven]
• Nichols has his own thoughts on trading for Shattenkirk - and moving Cowen [6th Sens]
• worsteverything brings you a fantastic look at Patrick Wiercioch, #actually [WTYKY]
• Peristy has a guide to improving the Sens' defence [WTYKY]
• The latest Sens Callups episode, appropriately entitled "Freddy Says Relax" [SCU]
• Peter Levi continues his descent into cynicism, especially about the Sens' trade prospects [Eye on the Sens]
• Travis Valois has a breakdown of the Sens at the halfway point [SenShot]
• The latest episode of Advanced Chats featured Graeme Nichols of 6th Sens [TSN 1200]
• In case you haven't noticed, the Sens' powerplay has been suffering lately [Ottawa Citizen]
• Looking ahead to Ottawa's California road trip [Ottawa Citizen]

Other Links:

• Did you know that P.K. Subban swore on camera? Read on for more on this non-story [Ottawa Citizen]
• The Blues and Predators are apparently putting in serious bids for Jonathan Drouin [Today's Slapshot]
• Denna Laing of the Boston Pride suffered a severe spinal injury during the Winter Classic [Stanley Cup of Chowder]
• Have the Devils played better against better teams? [All About the Jersey]
• One of the best pieces on David Bowie's legacy I've read, by Bill Wyman [Vulture]