Ottawa senators have called back Dillon Heatherington from the AHL’s Belleville Senators, via team announcement. According to Postmedia’s Bruce Garriochthis recall was made so Heatherington could make the trip with the Senators to Boston for Monday’s game, adding a seventh defender to Ottawa’s roster.
Although this move does not appear to be directly related to trade talks, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that “talks have intensified” to move senators forward Tyler moth.
It seems that beyond this recall, other changes to the senator list could be on the horizon. adds Garrioch that Motte will sit in for Ottawa’s game against the St. Louis Blues today for trade-related reasons. Although no deal has been finalized, Garrioch notes that it is being worked on.
As for the officially announced transaction, Heatherington, 27, now has a chance to return to the Senators’ lineup for the first time since late December, when he appeared in three games for head coach DJ Smith’s team. In those three games, Heatherington averaged just over nine minutes of ice time per game, almost entirely at even strength. Overall, the 2013 second-round pick has 23 games of NHL experience on his résumé.
At the AHL level, Heatherington makes more of a difference. He currently serves as the captain of the AHL Belleville and plays a top mating role for the team. While not a great offensive player (he has eight points in 39 games this season), he is a valued leader, an AHL veteran with championship Calder Cup experience, and a capable defensive back. He should be able to adequately fill a profound role for the senators with this recall.
As for Moth, a deadline-season deal would mark his second midseason trade in as many years. He was loaned to the New York Rangers last season and helped them on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Motte is an energetic bottom six forward who doesn’t do much on offense but is a respected penalty killer.
With an expiring cap of $1.35 million, it’s easy to see why a rival team would want to pull the trigger relatively early on a deal to acquire Motte, provided the price is within reason. Last year, the Rangers paid the Vancouver Canucks a fourth-round pick to acquire Motte. although Larry Brooks tweets from the New York Post that “the asking price is significantly higher” than last season to acquire Motte this year.
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