Ottawa Senators: Breaking Down The Matt Duchene Trade
It will take some time for the dust to settle on the Matt Duchene trade. However, until then critics will look to determine how each team did. Let’s take a look at how the Ottawa Senators did in the Sunday night blockbuster.
Initially when I saw the trade I didn’t know how to feel. I was excited, but I was also nervous because it looked like the Ottawa Senators were giving up a lot. However, when you look at what was given up it was a good deal for the Sens.
Draft Picks
First let’s look at the draft picks. The Sens traded a first round pick in 2018 and a third round pick in 2019. In all likelihood the third rounder won’t turn into an NHL player and is likely negligible. Even if it does, that player will likely not come close to the quality of player that Duchene is.
The real talking point with the draft picks is the Sens gave up their first round pick in 2018. While this may seem bad, we have to consider that it is likely to be a late first round pick as the Sens are projected to do quite well this season. However, even on the off chance that the Sens perform poorly, the pick is top 10 protected. This means that if the Sens were to pick in the top 10 the pick would slide to 2019. As a result, there is zero chance the Sens give up a top prospect for Duchene.
Shane Bowers
The second thing that was given up was Shane Bowers, their top pick in 2017. However, due to the Sens deep playoff run he was just the 28th overall pick. He was also considered a safe pick meaning that he was expected to make the NHL but has a low ceiling. He was projected to be a third line centre. The Sens were always going to have to give up a prospect for Duchene, but it was expected to be a much better one. They were able to hold onto, Chabot, Brown, White, Chlapik, Jaros, and Formenton, all of whom are higher than him on the depth chart.
Andrew Hammond
Additionally, the Sens gave up Andrew Hammond. This is a good thing for the Sens as it helps clear up their logjam in goal and gives more time for players such a Marcus Hogberg to develop. They no longer have to pay the contract of a player who was likely never going to play for the team again
Kyle Turris
The final piece of the trade was the biggest one, Kyle Turris. The Sens would have loved to keep Turris, but they had appeared unable to sign him. Since the trade happened it has come out that the Sens were likely never going to reach a deal for Turris and getting something for him was certainly worth it.
Next: Ottawa Senators: Saying Goodbye To Kyle Turris
Re-Signing Duchene
What really determines how good a trade this was for the Ottawa Senators is if Matt Duchene re-signs. He has this season and next season left on his contract before he is a free agent. Since the trade it has sounded like Ottawa was one of the destinations Duchene was most fond of, so there’s a good chance he will re-sign. Additionally, it seems unlikely that Dorion would make this trade if he thought they couldn’t re-sign Duchene. If he is signed this will be a great deal for the Ottawa Senators.