Last night the Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated from the playoffs by the Washington Capitals. With their elimination, their first round pick that they sent to the Ottawa Senators was solidified. The Sens will now select 22nd overall in the NHL Entry Draft in June.
All the way back in February when the Ottawa Senators were expected to sell half their roster they opted to trade Derick Brassard to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins were hoping to improve going into another Stanley Cup run. The Sens were looking to stock up on young talent as they prepare for a rebuild or retool. In the trade the Sens received goaltending prospect Filip Gustavsson, a first round pick in 2018 and a third round pick in 2019. They also received Ian Cole who was flipped for a draft pick.
With the Penguins acquiring Ian Cole it was expected that the Penguins would make another deep playoff run. It was expected that they would at the very least make the Conference Finals. However, this was the year that they were finally defeated by the Washington Capitals and sent packing in the second round. This is good news for the Sens as they now select earlier than expected at 22nd overall.
Next: Ottawa Senators Land Fourth Spot In 2018 NHL Draft
With this pick solidified, the Ottawa Senators will now select 4th and 22nd in the first round of the draft this June. In what’s being called one of the deepest drafts in recent history, the Ottawa Senators should be able to make significant additions to their prospect pool and speed up what could be a difficult rebuild.