Senators continue to try to wheel and deal as draft wraps up in Vegas

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Steve Staios did a lot of talking, but it didn’t turn to action.

The Ottawa Senators wrapped up Day 2 of the National Hockey League draft Saturday by making five selections at The Sphere in Las Vega before packing their bags to head home with plenty of work to do.

Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, tried desperately to continue to make changes. Though there was a flurry of deals as the draft got under way Saturday morning, the club’s only significant move was the deal for goalie Linus Ullmark Monday.

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The Senators went into this weekend with an eye towards moving winger Mathieu Joseph along with defenceman Erik Brannstrom. They were also listening to see if they could find the right fit for defenceman Jakob Chychrun and possibly Jacob Bernard-Docker.

Ottawa had been seeking a draft pick in exchange for either Joseph or Brannstrom but wasn’t able to find any takers. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the coming days, but in the case of Brannstrom the club has to make a decision on his future Sunday.

A restricted free agent, Brannstrom will require a $2 million U.S. qualifying offer by 5 p.m. Sunday to retain his rights. Several league executives told Postmedia the best bet for Ottawa is to allow Brannstrom to become an unrestricted free agent July 1 unless he accepts a pay cut.

The Senators have only $11.5 million in cap space heading into the opening of free agency on Canada Day at noon and letting Brannstrom walk would by more space. He was acquired by former GM Pierre Dorion and this management has no ties to him.

Another player who could get squeezed out is fourth-line winger Parker Kelly. He finished with eight goals and 18 points in 80 games with the club last season, but the Senators have indicated they will likely pass on giving him a qualifying offer of $813,500.

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He has rights to arbitration and the possibility exists that he could still return on a lower deal if Kelly isn’t able to find anything on the open market. He had a strong year with the Senators and seemed to find his legs after Jacques Martin took over as the interim coach.

Arbitration is all about numbers and he’d win based on the way he played last season. The door remains open for the two sides to have talks, but it’s a bit of a surprise he won’t be qualified. He’s a strong penalty killer and may be able to help another team.

This roster could still undergo changes. The club needs to fill in the gaps up front, especially on the third-and-fourth lines.

“I don’t they’re (making trades and free agency) mutually exclusive,” Ottawa senior VP Dave Poulin told TSN 1200 Saturday. “Sometimes you have to be able to make a trade to get to where you want to get to financially in free agency.

“You could still see some movement. There’s ebbs and flows and there was certainly a lot of trade chatter go right up to the draft that would have included draft picks in those trades. When that doesn’t happen, it still might taking freeing up financially.

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“The cap is so significant in trying to make deals. We might say to a team, ‘OK, we’re going to do this, but one of the two teams has to move financial space’. You’ll still see some movement. We’re going to be in free agency mode to try to fill a couple of spots, but it may have to happen simultaneously to be effective.”

One possible target for the Senators was taken off the board Saturday when the Toronto Maple Leafs dealt for the rights to defenceman Chris Tanev, 34, from the Dallas Stars. He was the No. 1 target in free agency for Toronto and the expectation is GM Brad Treliving will give Tanev term.

Don’t be surprised if the Senators make an aggressive pitch to Los Angeles Kings blueliner Matt Roy. He’s a name on the club’s list along with Brandon Montour of the Florida Panthers. The Senators need a right shot blueliner, but they also have to convince these players to come here.

A league source told us that the Senators may have had some level of interest in Carolina Hurricanes’ defenceman Brett Pesce, but it would appear he’s all but settled on going to the New Jersey Devils.

The club wrapped up the draft with its final pick in the fifth round.

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Mostly the Senators went for size and then used their final three picks to take players that will need a long time for development.

“The way our list unfolded was pretty good as far as where players went and where we were to get some of our players,” chief scout Don Boyd told Postmedia from Vegas. “We got everything you set out to do. You don’t get everybody you want, but you’d have to have 221 picks to get everybody you want.

“You’ve got to think of the whole week. We had a seventh and a 25th pick. We managed to come out with, and not chase it, a right shot defenceman with offensive ability and a goaltender. We put size, speed and skill into our organization plus a little bit of edge. You’re checking off a lot of boxes and we’ll tell in time.

“I truly do believe that 32 teams built a Stanley Cup championship team today.”

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

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