In delaing away Chris Campoli and a conditional 7th round pick in exchange for C Ryan Potulny and a conditional 2nd rd pick, the Senators have accomplished 3 things. 1) Added to the bounty of draft picks they now possess for the 2011 draft. 2) They cleared almost $200,000 in real money by moving a player who didn’t fit into the future plans of the team. 3) They brought in a player who can compete for a 3rd line role on this team.
Campoli was a player who struggled out of the gate this season and even spent time as a healthy scratch. He did come on of late, and that was beneficial to the club as his value obviously increased.
Potulny is a player who has bounced around between organizations (Ottawa is his 4th NHL club) and hasn’t been able to secure a full time NHL roster spot. He has been able to chip in offensively when given the chance, as he is about a .75 point per game player in the AHL, and about .5 per game at the NHL level over his last 3 seasons. That is about the same amount of production you would expect from Mike Fisher and a little more than Chris Kelly. He also has some grit and isn’t afraid to shoot the puck. I think he just needs a chance to have a full NHL season to prove his abilities. He was good enough to represent the US at the 2010 World Championships, where he netted 4 points in 6 games.
If they can sign Potulny to a contract that is favorable in terms of money and flexibility (ie: 2 way deal) where it offers him a chance to prove himself on an everyday basis, this trade might be considered a steal, before you even take into account the flexibility offered by the 2nd rd pick acquired with him. He can play in all situations (PP, PK) and with a little improvement on faceoffs, could be a younger, cheaper version of Chris Kelly, but with better hands.
I think this was a great trade for the Senators.