Rumblings of a big trade coming out of Ottawa.

The Ottawa Senators are looking to make a significant move.

After a very busy offseason the Senators find themselves with relatively limited cap space this season, unfamiliar territory for the franchise over the last few seasons, and it sounds like they might be looking to remedy that problem.

Former National Hockey League goaltender turned NHL analyst Kevin Weekes is now reporting that the Ottawa Senators appear to be making a big effort to trade veteran defenseman Nikita Zaitsev.

It appears as though the Senators are aware of the fact that trading Zaitsev, who carries a cap hit of $4.5 million for both this season and the next, will not be an easy target to move as Weekes also believes that the Senators are prepared to sweeten the deal in order to find a buyer.

Additionally, it would appear as though Zaitsev's representation is also involved in these potential talks, which does make some sense given that Zaitsev currently has a 10 team no trade list and does have some measure of control over where he would go in a trade.

"I’m told Senators are actively actively seeking a trade of D Zaitsev," said Weekes. "They’ve granted permission to his representatives to speak with clubs. My understanding is Sens willing to move high draft pick or a prospect to accommodate trade."

Zaitsev has been limited by injury this season and has appeared in just 19 NHL games thus far as a result. He has no goals and 3 assists over that stretch and currently boasts a plus minus rating of -6 on the season.

This of course raises the question of why the Senators may be looking to clear that cap space, that however will be a question for another day.