The NHL trade deadline is on Monday, and judging by what Ottawa has already done in the last two weeks, there might not be anything left of this team come Tuesday.
Since Feb. 9, Ottawa has traded away Mike Fisher, Chris Kelly, Jarkko Ruutu, Brian Elliott and Alexei Kovalev, with Craig Anderson the only player coming back. The rest of the return has been draft picks. And there are likely more moves coming. Chris Neil is expected to be dealt if the lower-body injury he suffered Wednesday isn't serious and only a no-trade clause has kept Chris Phillips in Canada's capital. That could still be waived before Monday.
It's nothing new to see a team out of the playoff race sell off assets to build for the future. That's one of the primary purposes of late-season deals, along with teams on the other end of the spectrum trying to pick up the final pieces for a long playoff run.
But can some of these rebuilding projects go too far? Is it really good for the NHL to see a team like Ottawa turned into a glorified AHL club for the stretch run?
The Senators' moves may or may not help them rebuild. The first-round pick they got for Fisher is a decent chip. The second-rounder The Bruins gave up for Kelly has value as well. But the sixth- and seventh-rounders that Ruutu and Kovalev netted aren't likely to make any meaningful impact. Of course, you can argue that those players weren't making any positive impact in Ottawa this year, either.
Still, this run of trades, coupled with injuries to Daniel Alfredsson, Sergei Gonchar and others, have left Ottawa with makeshift roster filled with fringe prospects and minor-league journeymen called up from the AHL. In the last 10 days alone, the likes of Robin Lehner, Bobby Butler, Erik Condra, Colin Grenning, Andre Benoit, Francis Lessard and Jim O'Brien have all come up from Binghamton to fill out the big club's roster.
That's a roster that is going to play a major role in deciding the playoff seedings in the East. Ottawa plays 20 games after the deadline, all against Eastern Conference teams and every opponent left on the Senators' schedule can claim at least an outside shot at making the postseason. Ottawa might well decide the Southeast Division crown. Tampa Bay and Washington are battling for the division lead, but the Lightning get to pad their stats with three more games against Ottawa, while Washington faces the Senators just once more.
The NHL puts restrictions on the rosters teams can dress in preseason to try to justify the tickets costing as much as regular-season games. Clubs must have at least eight players who either played 40 games in the NHL the previous season or 100 NHL games in their career. Ottawa's current roster barely meets that standard, and these games down the stretch mean a lot more than just an excuse to gouge season-ticket holders for a few extra bucks.
Fire sales like what is going on in Ottawa threaten to make a mockery of what should be pivotal late-season games, but are there any real alternatives? The trade deadline would be pretty boring if somebody wasn't selling. With the league's current parity and three-point games due to the extra points for overtime and shootout losses keeping the standings packed, there aren't many teams willing to sell off assets, so the few that are open for business are going to get pared to the bone.
Teams do have a right to try to build for the future when their present is so obviously bleak. There is already a cap floor in place to prevent teams from gutting their rosters completely, though that doesn't always work as intended.
The Islanders have stayed above the floor this season only thanks to the buyout money owed Alexei Yashin and Brendan Witt. The actual payroll for the players on the ice is well under the floor, and New York's dismal performance this year has reflected that lack of financial commitment.
Other leagues have stepped in to protect teams from themselves. The NBA instituted the so-called "Ted Stepien Rule" in the early 80s after the then-Cleveland owner repeatedly dealt away the Cavaliers' first-round picks for marginal veterans. NBA teams are now prohibited from trading their first-round picks in consecutive years.
But this situation is different. Teams like Ottawa can make a convincing case that they are building for the future and doing what's best for their franchises in the long term by trading away veterans and stockpiling picks.
It will certainly make things a little more interesting for Senators fans in June, but that's probably little solace to the people who paid NHL prices to watch AHL players the next couple months. Or to fans of teams in the rest of the conference who could see their playoff fates determined by games played against Ottawa's makeshift lineup.
Are fire sales like what's going on in Ottawa good for the game? Share your thoughts below.