The Ottawa Senators have acquired forward Zach Sanford from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward Logan Brown and a conditional fourth round pick. If Brown plays in 30 or more games this season, then the pick does not transfer.
A second round pick by Washington all the way back in 2013, the Boston College alum Sanford was acquired by the Blues in the Kevin Shattenkirk trade in 2016-17. He scored in game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals to help the Blues win against his hometown team. But his time with the team has been running out. He struggled last year, with both a drop in goals and points, plus in his all-around game. The Senators see a one-year rental who they can try to clean up, and then potentially flip at the deadline or extend. Sanford will earn $2 million this season then hit unrestricted free agency. But the price comes at a former first-rounder who has not panned out how Ottawa has hoped.
Sanford, 26, scored 10 goals with six assists for 16 points in 52 games for St. Louis last year. In his NHL career for the Blues and Capitals, he has scored 38 goals with 36 assists for 74 points in 209 games.
The Blues definitely receive a ton of upside in this trade. Brown has been a great AHL player with little NHL experience. He had 28 points in 25 games for the Belleville Senators in 2019-20 while also playing the bulk of his NHL experience. Brown only played in one NHL game last year, but also had nine points in 13 AHL games. The 11th overall pick in 2016 is a Raleigh native who grew up in the St. Louis area. His father, Jeff Brown, was a Blue for five seasons and was also an all-star.
Brown, 23, scored a goal with seven assists in 23 games in 2019-20. In his NHL career, he has just one extra assist for nine points in 30 games.
CarterHud 