While the Ottawa Senators don’t pick until the fourth round, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about the 2023 NHL Draft. General manager Pierre Dorion has a very busy stretch before then, with uncertainties about some of his players, and a shallow prospect pool. It is therefore crucial that the Senators make up ground at the draft and have some young players ready to make an impact on entry-level contracts (ELC) in their contention window.
The Senators have not been afraid to spend their draft picks to help speed up the rebuild. With no picks in the first three rounds, we’ll start by taking a look at where those draft picks went.
Where Did the 2023 Draft Picks Go?
To acquire Jakob Chychrun, the Senators were expected to give up Shane Pinto or Ridly Greig. Somehow, Dorion finalized the deal without trading a prospect or roster player. With that, he of course had to give up his first-round draft pick in the 2023 Draft, which landed at 12th overall. While it would have been nice to have that pick, they were also lucky to get a player of Chychrun’s calibre for it.
The Sens’ second-round pick was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks along with Nikita Zaitsev to get his salary off the books. If Zatisev was still on the roster, the Senators would have a tougher time making things fit under the cap this offseason.
The pick in the third round was also traded to the Blackhawks, this time in the deal for Alex DeBrincat who was acquired for two picks in the 2022 Draft and this year’s third-round pick. The third-rounder wasn’t the most valuable piece, but the Senators still need to find a way to make up some ground, and despite the uncertainty of his contract moving forward, this was still a good trade.
The Senators traded their sixth-round draft pick to the Philadelphia Flyers at the 2023 Trade Deadline for Patrick Brown, who they used as a depth option in their final playoff push of the season. His future in Ottawa is still to be determined.
The Senators did get a pair of extra seventh-round picks this year. One from the Nashville Predators in exchange for Erik Gudbranson and one from the New York Rangers as part of the Tyler Motte and Julien Gauthier swap.
Recouping Draft Picks
The best way for the Senators to get a pick or two back is in a DeBrincat trade as it seems he does not want to stick around long-term and should be moved by the draft. In an ideal world, the return would start with another high-end forward or a goaltender. But, either way, Dorion must take the best package possible, even if it is only draft picks.
If the return for DeBrincat is a set of picks, the Senators can use the cap space to add via free agency or even use the picks to acquire a new replacement for DeBrincat or a goaltender. Regardless of the specifics of the trade, they will need to get some kind of draft pick in return.
Related: 2023 NHL Draft Guide
Erik Brannstrom’s name hasn’t come up recently, but I wonder if the Senators might try to trade him to move up in the draft. It is hard to gauge his value, as there aren’t many players like him who have been traded recently. I believe there is a lot of value in keeping the player, but with the strong defense the Senators have built, some question if there is even room for Brannstrom anymore and if he has become the odd man out.
Although he can play both sides, he is typically a left-shot defender, and Thomas Chabot, Chychrun and Jake Sanderson are ahead of him on the depth chart on that side. It is expected that one of those three move to the right side and play with Artem Zub, making up the top four defensemen. Even with the two third-pair spots open, it is between Brannstrom, Tyler Kleven, and Jacob Bernard-Docker; even Lassi Thomson and Travis Hamonic could be looked at for those spots. If there is a good deal out there, Dorion must take it.
These are the two biggest names to watch if the Senators want to add draft picks. If they want to acquire another high-end goalie, Anton Forsberg could be moved as well, but given his injury status, that is unlikely.
Depleted Prospect Pool Can Be Costly
The Senators are entering their window of contention, and they need some quality players on ELCs to join the roster for the next few seasons. As of now, there aren’t too many players that catch the eye.
They do have Angus Crookshank, Egor Sokolov, Roby Jarventie, and Zack Ostapchuk who could challenge for a roster spot as soon as next season. These forwards are the exact young, impactful players on cheap contracts that the team needs to succeed.
Other prospects like Thomson and Tyler Boucher are hard to get excited about. Boucher has struggled with consistency and his health, and while he could be an impactful player on the Senators, it has been and always will be an uphill battle for him after being selected 10th overall, well above his projected ranking. Thomson has a lot of promise too, but he can’t seem to get it together. There is a lot to like about his play, but he hasn’t proven he can do it consistently yet.
The Senators have had good luck selecting in the second round, so if they can somehow acquire a second-round pick, they could find what they need; an NHL-ready player still on his ELC or on a cheap contract.
The Senators’ 2021 Draft class looks to be detrimental to this point. I can’t express enough the importance of young, low-cost players on a competing roster. At this point, the group Ottawa drafted is looking like quite a disappointing draft.
2021 Draft Picks
Boucher was their top pick, and again, he was a big reach at 10th overall, which continues to be held against him, unfairly. He has the skill set to be a solid NHL player, he just needs to prove he can stay healthy and start producing at a quality rate.
Ostapchuk has turned out to be a fantastic pick in Round 2. He was acquired by the Winnipeg ICE of the Western Hockey League (WHL) as they loaded up for the playoffs, and the Senators seem to be very excited about him. He was a leader, a goal scorer, and a clutch player in the WHL this season, and it wouldn’t surprise any to see him contend for a roster spot out of training camp.
Oliver Johansson bounced around some of the top leagues in Sweden last season but ended up playing most of the year in the HockeyAllsvenskan and only registered nine points. He has some upside, but he needs to put together a stronger season next year.
The trio of Ben Roger, Carson Latimer and Chandler Romeo did not receive a contract and will re-enter the 2023 Draft. Having a second, fourth, and seventh-round pick go to waste adds up to a very frustrated fanbase and evidence of poor amateur scouting during that time.
Draft Needs for the 2023 Draft
It is hard to project draft picks in the later rounds, but the Senators should be on the lookout for players who fill a specific need. For forwards, they obviously like the physical impact, but they need some more strong two-way players to play down the lineup. The up-and-coming prospects, specifically Sokolov and Jarventie, are not defensively reliable, and while they can still grow, it looks like there are a few prospects that are developing more as pure offensive players with little defensive play. It would be ideal if they could find a few two-way players who play like Shane Pinto.
It never hurts to add depth to the back end, especially on the right side. The Senators have drafted many defensemen who seem to be developing well, but it never hurts to stock the cupboards with more.
As for goaltending, any goalie they draft will be three to five years away from making an impact but taking a chance on a goalie in the late rounds is always worth it. They only need to hit on one to be set up for a decade. The Senators have a good amount of goalies in the system, but the more the merrier.
As of this writing, there isn’t much to be excited about for the draft itself. Most players selected won’t be in the Senators’ system for a few more years, but the idea of trades, getting into the top three rounds, and some nerve-racking storylines – like the DeBrincat saga potentially coming to an end – there is no lack of reason for excitement at this time of year.