Last night, the Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Not only is it just nice to finally see Sidney Crosby on the losing end of a post-series handshake, it’s also good news for the Ottawa Senators.
Pittsburgh’s elimination means that the Senators will now pick 22nd overall at the Draft next month. The first round pick was acquired in the deal that sent Derick Brassard to the Penguins. Had the Penguins advanced past the second round, the pick could have ended up 28th, 30th or 31st. So, thanks Washington!
While the trade wasn’t exactly universally praised at the time, it actually ends up working out pretty well for the Senators.
They filled a huge need by acquiring a legitimate goaltending prospect in Filip Gustavsson and on top of that, a selection just outside the top twenty in what is expected to be a fairly deep first round. The Senators also landed a 2020 3rd round pick and prospect Nick Moutrey in exchange for Ian Cole, who was also part of that original trade with the Penguins.
Having two first round picks certainly opens up some options for Pierre Dorion and his scouts.
If they decide to target one of the defenceman at 4th overall, they could use that second first rounder to gamble a little bit on a forward with a higher ceiling. And if they take a forward first, there should be plenty of defenceman available at 22nd in a draft that is considered to be full of legitimate blueline prospects. Trading back with the 22nd overall and adding another 2nd or 3rd rounder is also an option they have to look at.
A peak inside Day 2 of the #Sens annual scouting meetings as the group gets to work on sorting for picks #4 and #22 at the #NHLDraft. pic.twitter.com/WrHJlJqbEg
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) May 8, 2018
-Looks like Ville Pokka’s departure for the KHL is now official. Pokka, who was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks organization in a late-season trade involving Chris DiDomenico, was set to be a restricted free agent this summer. It’s not a huge loss but the team in Belleville certainly could have used him on the blueline next year. Pokka was selected by the New York Islanders in the 2nd round of the 2012 Entry Draft but never managed to earn an NHL call-up.
-Scott Wheeler at The Athletic released his Top 100 Prospects this morning and it included a couple surprises in the Top 10. Specifically, at the number four spot. The top three are in line with what we’ve seen from just about everyone (Dahlin/Svechnikov/Zadina) but he puts University of Michigan defenceman Quinn Hughes at 4th overall just ahead of one of the fastest climbers, forward Oliver Wahlstrom. And for what it’s worth, he has Brady Tkachuk at 8th, which is probably the lowest I’ve seen him on any list.
