(UPDATE 11:25 AM- Certainly doesn’t sound like the Senators are done for the day even with the goalie trade out of the way. They now have four picks in the first two rounds and will try to package those together to move up in the Draft. Goes without saying but they would also be open to packaging those together if an impact player was available. Going to be a fun day! In the meantime, here’s some reaction from Bryan Murray courtesy of SensTV.
(UPDATE 9:53 AM)- Well that didn’t take long. Bob McKenzie is reporting that the Ottawa Senators have traded goaltender Robin Lehner along with David Legwand to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for the 21st overall pick in tonight’s draft. Considering where we had previously heard the market was set on goalies, this looks like one heck of a deal by Bryan Murray. The Sabres get a good young goalie while the Senators get another 1st round pick in a deep draft. They also get a little cap flexibility by including David Legwand.
It’s one of the most important days of the off season.
A rare chance for 30 General Managers to gather together in one place. A day when dreams come true for 30 young hockey players but at the same time, a day where veterans across the league sit anxiously wondering if they’ll be looking for a new place to live in the next few months.
The NHL Entry Draft is upon us.
The Ottawa Senators currently hold the 18th (and 21st) overall selections. It would have been a lot higher if not for that miracle two and a half month run but I think we can all agree that was worth the cost of sliding down a few spots in the draft order.
You’ll hear it on several occasions today but this is considered to be one of the deepest drafts in NHL history, perhaps even rivaling the 2003 draft. There’s high end talent up top and even though it does drop off a bit in the middle of the first round, most scouts seem to agree that everyone in the first round is walking away with a good player. And in fact, even the 2nd round has the potential for some real solid NHL prospects.
The first round goes tonight but the rest of the draft will be completed tomorrow with far less fan fare and attention. The Senators currently hold two 2nd round picks (42nd over all and 48th overall) and could end up with more than that before the day is out. The Sens also hold picks in round 4 (109th overall), round 5 (139th overall), and round 7 (199th overall).
By the time things wrap up tomorrow afternoon, the Senators will have stocked the cupboards with a handful of prospects that will help the organization in the future.
And while all eyes will be on those 30 draft selections scheduled for later tonight, the trade talk seems to be the focus of the hockey world right now. Perhaps more than any other year, there seems to be a ton of rumours swirling leading up to the deadline. It has the potential to be one hell of a day for hockey fans.
Going to be an exciting day with plenty of rumours and speculation. As always, I’ll pass along anything I hear throughout the day. Either at the top of this post, in the comment section and/or on Twitter.
In the meantime, I encourage you to check out the Draft Preview that prepared for us by Craig Smith over at Hockey Prospectus. Craig will be back after the draft to provide a little more information on the players the Senators select over the next couple days.
Happy Draft Day everyone!
-Some news from last night to pass along as former Senator Head Coach Paul MacLean has accepted a job as an Assistant with the Anaheim Ducks. Sounds like they are still working out the details but it’s pretty much a done deal at this point. Really do wish Paul all the best in Anaheim. Things didn’t work out here in Ottawa but he’s still a good coach and he’ll have the chance to prove that with a talented Ducks team. Have to think Bruce Boudreau is on the hot seat a little bit so maybe MacLean gets a chance to be a Head Coach again if the Ducks struggle early on. Either way, best of luck to Paul in Anaheim.
