Senators trade Nick Paul to Lightning

The Ottawa Senators have traded winger Nick Paul to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forward Mathieu Joseph and a 2024 fourth-round pick, the Senators announced Sunday.

Ottawa will retain 44.5% of Paul's remaining salary in 2021-22.

Paul, 27, carries a cap hit of $1.35 million and is a pending unrestricted free agent. He has 11 goals and seven assists in 59 contests this season while averaging over 17 minutes a night.

He missed the Senators' last two games as a healthy scratch as Monday's trade deadline loomed.

"Obviously, Ottawa is where we were looking to sign. I love the fans. I love the city. I wanted to make it work here, but unfortunately, it just didn't work with the numbers," Paul said, according to The Athletic's Ian Mendes. "But that's nothing against the team. It's just how things played out."

Paul was a fourth-round draft pick of the Dallas Stars in 2013. He has 66 points in 227 career NHL games, all with the Senators.

Joseph won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Lightning, chipping in two assists across 10 playoff contests. Tampa Bay selected Joseph in the fourth round of the 2015 draft.

The 25-year-old has 18 points in 58 games this campaign. He's a pending arbitration-eligible restricted free agent.

Alongside Paul, the Lightning also acquired Brandon Hagel from the Chicago Blackhawks earlier this week to shore up their forward corps ahead of the postseason.