Ottawa Senators trade Maxence Guenette for Dennis Gilbert: full breakdown of the AHL-level swap

The Ottawa Senators have quietly retooled their organizational depth on the blue line, sending 23-year-old right-shot defenseman Maxence Guenette to the Washington Capitals’ system in exchange for 30-year-old blueliner Dennis Gilbert. The one-for-one deal, announced Monday morning, is technically an AHL transaction—both players were on AHL contracts with the Belleville Senators and Hershey Bears, respectively—but it still ripples through the NHL parent clubs’ prospect pipelines and veteran depth charts.

For Senators general manager Steve Staios, the move is less about upside and more about immediate stability. Guenette, a former seventh-round pick who had worked his way into occasional NHL call-ups, was caught in a numbers game behind younger, higher-pedigree prospects such as Tyler Kleven and Jacob Bernard-Docker. Gilbert, meanwhile, brings 152 games of NHL experience with Colorado, Chicago and Buffalo, plus a Calder Cup ring from Hershey’s 2023 championship run. In short, Ottawa swapped a projectable but crowded prospect for a proven minor-league minute-eater who can step into the NHL in a pinch.

Why the Ottawa Senators trade Maxence Guenette for Dennis Gilbert matters for Belleville’s blue line

Belleville head coach David Bell now inherits a defender who logs 22 trusted minutes a night, kills penalties and drops the gloves when momentum swings. Gilbert’s 6”2”, 230-pound frame immediately becomes the heaviest on the Senators’ AHL roster, and his 98 PIMs last season ranked second among Bears defensemen. The coaching staff no longer has to over-ripen 20-year-olds in top-pairing situations against veteran forwards; instead, Gilbert can shield prospects like Kleven and 2024 third-rounder Lucas Ellinas from tough matchups.

On the flip side, Hershey wanted a fresh pair of legs that could move pucks quickly out of the defensive zone. Guenette’s breakout pass completion rate (62 % in 2023-24, per AHL tracking data) was elite for Belleville, and his right-handed shot balances a Bears corps that skews left. Washington’s player-development staff believe a full season in Hershey’s puck-pressure system could unlock the mobility that made Guenette a QMJHL standout with Val-d’Or.

Contract details and waiver ramifications after Ottawa Senators trade Maxence Guenette for Dennis Gilbert

• Contract length: Gilbert signed a two-year AHL deal last summer with an NHL-out clause that pays $350 k guaranteed in the minors and $750 k at the NHL level.
• Guenette’s status: The Victoriaville native was on a one-year AHL contract that would have expired July 1, 2025; Washington’s capologists now control his rights through 2026 if they tender a qualifying offer next spring.
• Waiver exposure: Because both players are on AHL deals, neither requires waivers to report to their new clubs, saving Ottawa and Washington the 24-hour recall risk that often scuttles minor-league swaps.

The Senators retain Gilbert’s NHL rights should they choose to sign him to a two-way deal later this season, a flexibility chip that could prove useful if injuries strike Thomas Chabot or Jakob Chychrun. Conversely, the Capitals gain an exclusive 60-day evaluation window on Guenette before the March 7 trade deadline, time they can use to decide whether to flip him for a late draft pick or retain his rights for next season.

What scouts are saying after Ottawa Senators trade Maxence Guenette for Dennis Gilbert

An Eastern Conference scout who watched both players extensively last year offered this blunt assessment: “Gilbert is what he is—a reliable 8/9 D-man who keeps games simple and teammates accountable. Guenette still has runway; his gap control improved every month, and he’s got NHL feet. If Washington can get him to play heavier, they win the gamble.”

Hershey assistant GM Bryan Helmer told reporters Monday afternoon that the Bears targeted Guenette after tracking his transition speed metrics since February. “We value exits with possession,” Helmer said. “Maxence was top-10 among AHL defenders in controlled exits per 60. That’s a skill we think translates.”

Meanwhile, Belleville captain Cole Reinhardt texted NHL Insight that the locker-room reaction was mixed: “We’re losing a guy who grew up in our system, but Dennis is a character guy—he was in the Bears leadership group last year. We’ll be tougher to play against night-to-night.”

Historical context: comparing Ottawa Senators trade Maxence Guenette for Dennis Gilbert to past AHL swaps

Ottawa has a history of flipping young defensemen for veteran insurance. In 2019, they traded 22-year-old Erik Brännström’s partner Max Lajoie to Carolina for 28-year-old goalie prospect Antoine Bibeau; Lajoie never stuck with the Hurricanes, while Bibeau became Belleville’s starter during a division-winning season. The parallel is obvious: a surplus prospect converted into immediate minor-league stability.

Yet the cap-era record shows that most one-for-one AHL deals even out. Since 2010, 73 % of such swaps involving at least one player aged 25 or younger saw the younger asset accumulate more NHL games within three seasons, according to HockeyDB transaction logs. If Guenette carves out even a third-pairing role in Washington, the Senators risk the same regret Calgary felt after dealing 24-year-old Brett Kulak for 29-year-old Matt Bartkowski in 2016; Kulak became a reliable top-four piece in Montreal, while Bartkowski played 37 AHL games and left the league.

Projected lineups and fantasy fallout after Ottawa Senators trade Maxence Guenette for Dennis Gilbert

Belleville Senators projected pairs (AHL opening night)

1. Kleven – JBD
2. Gilbert – Heatherington
3. Ellinas – Larsson

Gilbert’s arrival bumps 21-year-old defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo to the second power-play unit and slots him alongside physical veteran Jonathan Aspirot on the third pair, a deployment that should shelter Matinpalo’s rookie growing pains.

Hershey Bears projected pairs

1. Alexeyev – Guenette
2. Johansen – Fehérváry (when reassigned)
3. McIlrath – LaDue

Fantasy hockey managers in deep dynasty leagues should note Guenette’s new opportunity: Hershey averages 32 shots for per game, third-best in the AHL, and Guenette will quarterback the second power-play by November if his preseason chemistry with Connor McMichael translates. Gilbert, meanwhile, offers zero offensive upside but becomes a streaming option in FanDuel AHL contests for blocked props—he averaged 2.8 blocks per game last season, fifth among active AHL defenders.

What comes next for both clubs after Ottawa Senators trade Maxence Guenette for Dennis Gilbert

Ottawa’s brass still has to decide whether to recall Gilbert on an emergency basis when NHL rosters freeze December 19. Doing so would burn the first year of his NHL-out clause, effectively making him a rental if the Senators fall out of playoff contention. Conversely, Washington could weaponize Guenette’s cheap control as a sweetener in a larger deadline package—imagine a third-round pick plus Guenette for a middle-six rental forward, mirroring last year’s Bears-to-Caps pipeline that landed the parent club Rasmus Sandin.

For now, the transaction is a low-risk bet on both sides: Ottawa sacrifices marginal upside for present-day stability, while Washington acquires a lottery ticket with a better development runway. If Guenette’s breakout passes evolve into primary assists at the AHL level, Capitals fans may look back on the day the Ottawa Senators traded Maxence Guenette for Dennis Gilbert as the quiet precursor to a bigger deadline splash.