NHL insider Darren Dreger reported this morning that teams have shown interest in acquiring Ottawa Senators defenseman Dion Phaneuf via trade. Phaneuf, you may recall, declined to waive his no-trade clause earlier this week for the purpose of being exposed in the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft.
So, while Phaneuf was not interested in a move to the Nevada desert, might he still waive his clause for another destination? Anything is possible, but the player’s $7 million cap hit may make such a move difficult. Few teams have the ability to take on such a high salary without moving a contract back in a trade and its almost a certainty that Phaneuf would only agree to be moved to another Stanley Cup contender.
Whatever the case, Sens general manager Pierre Dorion will have some difficult decisions to make regarding the team’s blue line over the next week. With two of their three Expansion Draft protection spots used on Phaneuf and captain Erik Karlsson, the Sens will only be able to protect one of Marc Methot, Cody Ceci and Chris Wideman.
