Just two nights ago we watched the Chicago Blackhawks hoist the Stanley Cup, officially capping off the NHL’s lockout shortened season.
Since then the off season has kicked into overdrive. Big money buy outs in Philadelphia and Tampa Bay are just the beginning of what seems like a crazy lead up to Sunday’s Entry Draft in New Jersey. Comments from the Bryan and Tim Murray over the last couple days show the Senators are heading to Jersey ready to deal.
And while the trade talk around the league is likely going to steal all the headlines over the next few days, the real reasons teams are taking a summer trip to lovely New Jersey is to select the next crop of young NHLers.
According to people I have spoken to leading up to the Draft, there are a couple of scenarios to watch for on Sunday from Ottawa’s perspective. The first involves the Senators trading up to to grab Bo Horvat. The London forward seems to excel in all situations and has drawn comparisons to Kings forward Mike Richards. Definitely a player the Senators have a keen interest in.
Of course to move up to around that 10-12 spot, they’ll have to give something up. Dallas, Philadelphia and Phoenix currently hold those picks and would likely be looking for a prospect and the 17th to make the move. A steep price, depending on the prospect.
If the Sens stay at 17, they’ll be looking at a few options including 6’6 Rimouski defenceman Samuel Morin and Windsor Spitfire forward Kerby Rychel. TSN’s Bob McKenzie had Morin ranked 17th in his final rankings and has Rychel at 21. Rychel has back to back 40 goal seasons in the OHL. Adam Erne is another player that could be targeted around 17.
Or, they could end up trading the pick for some immediate help. Likely not a popular options among the Sens scouting staff.
Trading up into the top 5 sounds like it will be damn near impossible. There was some talk in the last comment section about including Jared Cowen in a deal to get up there. No thanks. Just not interested in giving up Cowen and then watching him turn into a Chara-type player elsewhere.
Cowen is coming off a less than stellar playoff but the fact is he was rushing back from hip surgery and was expected to hit the ground running. A full off season of training should have Cowen back and stronger than ever next season.
We are officially entering the NHL’s silly season. The Ottawa Senators management and scouts have arrived in New York and will begin the process of finalizing their plans for Draft Day in New Jersey. As always, I’ll do my best to keep the site updated with the latest.
Hang on tight, Sens fans! Could be an exciting few days.
