Report: Senators interested in Donato, Brandon Tanev

The Ottawa Senators have expressed interest in Chicago Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato and Seattle Kraken forward Brandon Tanev, reports Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.

Donato has already set career highs in goals (19) and points (38) in 55 games this season. The 28-year-old has a $2-million cap hit and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Tanev has nine goals and 17 points in 57 contests and leads all NHL forwards with 88 blocks on the campaign. The 33-year-old has a $3.5-million cap hit and is also in the final year of his contract.

Donato and Tanev were teammates with the Kraken from 2021-23.

The Senators have $1.65 million of cap space, according to PuckPedia. Nick Cousins and Jacob Bernard-Docker are currently on long-term injured reserve.

Ottawa holds the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 62 points. The team last made the playoffs in 2017.

The Senators still have to forfeit either their 2025 or 2026 first-round pick as punishment for the team's error in the invalidated Evgenii Dadonov trade with the Vegas Golden Knights.

The NHL's trade deadline is March 7 at 3 p.m. ET.