The Senators have been trying to trade Smith for a while
Cap Friendly: Ottawa Senators forward Zack Smith has a limited no-trade clause. He can submit a 10-team no-trade list when asked by the team.
David Pagnotta: The Senators have been trying to trade Smith dating back to last season and in the offseason. He has three years left on his deal.
Darren Dreger: There was some trade interest in Smith, but because of salary ($3.25 million) the Senators would have to tack back a contract.
James Mirtle: The Senators have been trying to trade Smith for some awhile now.
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Smith’s agent Allain Roy after the player was placed on waivers.
“It caught me off guard and it caught Zack off guard,” his St. Louis-based agent Allain Roy of RSG Hockey told Postmedia Tuesday afternoon. “It’s the timing more than anything else but teams have gotten more strategic about timing for waivers and I assume that Pierre thought this was the right time to put him on waivers.
“I’m not sure. I’ve seen teams use this time of year to put guys on waivers hoping they’re going to clear because everybody has pretty full rosters.”
Roy added that the Smith’s just had a baby a few weeks ago and his wife has roots in the area. They don’t want to go anywhere.
If Smith clears waivers he can also remain with the team.
After spoke with the league executives, the odds of Smith being claimed isn’t good because of his contract.
It’s believed that they were close to trading Smith to a Western Conference team at the trade deadline last year, but that team decided against the move.
Trade interest in Smith this past offseason was limited.
Chris Nichols of Nichols on Hockey: Darren Dreger was on TSN 1200 and was asked about the Ottawa Senators putting forward Zack Smith on waivers yesterday. Dreger notes that Smith being put on waivers was a bit of surprise, but they have been trying to trade him dating back to last years trade deadline, possibly before that.
“My sense is that there was interest – legit interest – in Zack Smith, but the Ottawa Senators would have preferred draft picks, they didn’t want to have to take a contract back. When you’ve got this year plus two more remaining on a contract at $3.25 million, that’s a tough one for even the most interested team.
“So I think that based on all of that, the Ottawa Senators maybe, simply to just unload that contract, felt that the best option was to place him on waivers and see if someone bites.”
It would be hard for the Senators to find a team willing to take on his contract without sending a contract back.