It is completely ridiculous that the NHL randomly excluded seven teams from their stupid made-up playoff format only to then hand one of the other 24 teams playing in the stupid made-up playoff format the first overall pick.
Not a little bit ridiculous. Not a lot ridiculous. Completely ridiculous.
The NHL should be embarrassed at how the lottery played out but instead they are probably happy they have something else to promote.
Thankfully the Ottawa Senators still came away with a top three pick but that doesn’t change the fact that it was a complete joke that the lottery played out the way it did. There are times when I think I’m over it but watching the last couple days of hockey and a reminded how silly it all is.
Really, really dumb.
Okay, with that out of the way, on to the topic of today’s post.
Lost in the league’s confused explanation of the return to play format and the rules for the draft lottery was this little tidbit of information.
You read that correctly.
Pierre Dorion could be wheeling and dealing right now if he wanted to. They could also be organizing a pretty epic loser’s tournament with the other idle teams but that’s not the point.
Anaheim. Detroit. San Jose. Buffalo. New Jersey. Los Angeles. And of course, Ottawa. All free to make random blockbuster deals that steal the attention from the other 24 teams.
So what are they waiting for?
Some ideas, probably. With that in mind, I present one mostly terrible trade proposal for each team.
ANAHEIM
To OTT- Erik Gudbranson
To ANA- 2020 3rd Rd Pick (WPG)
Why it makes sense- Not going to lie, this post is off to a terrible start. I don’t want anything on Anaheim’s roster and it’s not entirely clear what they are up to these days. I think they are rebuilding but I can’t really be sure. They may appreciate a little more cap flexibility though? Mark Borowiecki and Ron Hainsey are both UFAs which means the Senators may need to fill a spot on the NHL roster. Gudbranson is extremely local and has just one year left on his deal (salary of $3 mil and a cap hit of $4 mil), making him a reasonable stop-gap solution on the blueline. Also, because he was traded twice last year, he should already have a bag packed. The Ducks actually seemed to like Gudbranson though so Ottawa will have to give up something to make it work. One of the million draft picks should do the trick. I am sorry but this deal is definitely happening.
BUFFALO
To OTT- 2020 1st Round Pick (8th Overall)
To BUF- Chris Tierney, 2020 1st Rd Pick (NYI), 2020 3rd Rd Pick (WPG)
Why it makes sense- Now things are getting interesting! The Buffalo Sabres are forever rebuilding but the good folks of Buffalo have seen enough. They want results, damn it! It just so happens that Results is Chris Tierney’s middle name. The Sabres have a grand total of four forwards under contract for next season and while I like Chris Tierney, he’s an RFA this off-season and his role on the Senators going forward is less than clear. The Sabres get a productive centre, the Senators add a third top ten pick and the good people of Buffalo rejoice. That 3rd round pick might need to be a 2nd to get it done. Of course we’ll need to run all this by Jack Eichel first.
DETROIT
To OTT- The Rights to Cody Goloubef
To DET- Future Considerations
Why it makes sense- I don’t know how they got Cody Goloubef but I demand they return him right this instant. Frankly, I am sick and tired of watching the Ottawa Senators let former-Olympians get away for nothing and this is our chance to right a wrong. Goloubef is a pending UFA so dealing for him now is strange but these are strange times we live in. Goloubef was a useful defenceman and can fill a roster spot in Belleville. Don’t worry about what Ottawa is giving up because as we all know, future considerations means “we’re giving you nothing” in the trading business. I toyed with the idea of trading back a spot from 3rd overall or up one to get to 5th overall but decided to prioritize rescuing Cody Goloubef instead.
LOS ANGELES
To OTT- Jeff Carter, 2020 7th Rd Pick (LA)
To LA- Nikita Zaitsev, Jonathan Davidsson
Why it makes sense- It probably doesn’t make sense but this game is hard, damn it. The Kings are in a similar spot to Ottawa. Tons of great prospects and a handful of draft picks in the upcoming draft. Two teams in a similar situation, with similar assets and goals, can make for awkward trading partners so I had to get kind of creative here. The Jeff Carter contract is made for the Ottawa Senators. He has two years left on his deal at a cap hit of $5.2 mil a season but his actual salary in those two years is just $2 mil a season. Carter can either take Chris Tierney’s spot at centre or uhh go wherever Marian Gaborik and Ryan Callahan are. The Kings create a bit of cap space in the deal and add an NHL defenceman and a prospect of sorts. Ottawa gets out from under that Zaitsev deal and makes room for Cody Goloubef! Don’t tell the Kings this but the Senators would probably give them something to let us have that Jeff Carter contract. Let’s see if we can trick them into taking Zaitsev first and go from there.
NEW JERSEY
To OTT- 2020 1st Rd Pick (7th overall)
To NJ- 2020 1st Rd Pick (NYI), 2020 2nd Rd Pick (DAL), 2020 2nd Rd Pick (NYI)
Why it makes sense- If I’m Pierre Dorion (and as these trade proposals indicate, I clearly am not) I am locked in on that Devils 7th overall pick. New Jersey has a couple other first round picks and seem like an ideal trade partner if the Senators are looking to upgrade that Islanders pick. The Devils are also currently without a 2nd round pick which happens to be something the Senators have way too many of. Not sure if this is enough to entice the Devils to move down but I would keep adding things (picks and fringe prospects) until they say yes. Of course, I wouldn’t tell them that was my negotiating strategy and you shouldn’t either, Pierre.
SAN JOSE
To OTT- Erik Karlsson
To SJ- Josh Norris, Chris Tierney, Rudolfs Balcers, Mads Soogard, 2020 1st Rd Pick (3rd Overall), 2020 3rd Rd Pick (WPG), 2021 2nd Rd Pick (Conditional)
Why it makes sense- Just kidding, that would be crazy!
This was way more work than I had anticipated and now I am starting to understand why these seven teams haven’t been passing the days pulling off blockbuster deals.
Kindly add your own suggestions in the comment section below and feel free to dream bigger than Cody Goloubef.
Maybe we can get Pierre movin’ a little bit.
