Senators see Jason Robertson as their Brady Tkachuk replacement after trade

The Ottawa Senators traded Brady Tkachuk for four draft picks, a blockbuster deal on Father's Day.

The Florida Panthers are the immediate beneficiary, but don't think the Senators are done. They might be planning to use their resources in a different way.

According to NHL insider David Pagnotta, the Senators are eying Jason Robertson, the Dallas Stars' superstar goal scorer.

"Things are very fluid, and there’s plenty of time for Dallas to explore its options, but sources say Ottawa is making a big push for Jason Robertson," Pagnotta writes. "If a trade cannot be ironed out and he hits July 1 as an RFA, the Senators could present him with a significant offer sheet."

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The Senators' favorite option here would be to work a sign-and-trade for Robertson so they don't get in a free agent bidding war for the RFA.

If Robertson reaches restricted free agency on July 1, the Stars can match any offer sheet, although their salary cap situation isn't ideal.

Either way, it sounds like that's who the Senators want to replace Tkachuk as their new forward star.

Robertson is coming off a season in which he scored 45 goals and had 51 assists.

That'd certainly be a huge pickup for Ottawa as it tries to rebound from a somewhat disappointing season.

The Senators have all these big-time draft picks to use now, but they still want star power. Robertson would provide it, if they can figure out a way to get it done. 

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