BREAKING: Ottawa Senators Pull Off Their Second Trade Of The Day With The Carolina Hurricanes

According to reports, the Ottawa Senators have acquired Jamieson Rees from the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2024 6th round draft pick.

This marks the Senators second minor-league acquisition today, following their addition of center Wyatt Bongiovanni from the Jets. Both players won't be eligible to play for Ottawa in the remaining season due to their acquisitions post-March 8 deadline.

However, they can join the team's AHL affiliate in Belleville for the remainder of the season. The high activity in the AHL today can be attributed to it being the league's trade deadline.

Carolina's decision to trade Rees indicates a loss after selecting him in the second round of the 2019 draft. The 23-year-old faced challenges due to the Hurricanes' lack of an AHL affiliate this season, resulting in limited production with just four assists in 37 games between the Springfield Thunderbirds and Charlotte Checkers. In the previous season, Rees showed promise, ranking fourth in scoring for the Chicago Wolves, Carolina's former primary affiliate, with 14 goals and 42 points in 65 games.

Despite showcasing strong skating skills, Rees has struggled to score consistently in the AHL. While his breakout season in 2022-23 saw him averaging 0.65 points per game, his performance in other seasons ranged from 0.48 to 0.14 points per game. As a Calder Cup champion with Chicago in 2022, there's still potential for growth if he can regain confidence and benefit from stability within the Ottawa organization. However, experiencing a challenging season at this stage of his development raises concerns.

Rees is currently in the final year of his entry-level contract with a cap hit of $839K. He will become a restricted free agent (RFA) this summer if the Senators extend him a qualifying offer, although he won't have arbitration rights.