Ottawa Senators: Matt Duchene Traded to Columbus
The trade deadline madness has begun for the Ottawa Senators.
Just three days before the trade deadline on Monday, the Ottawa Senators finally began moving parts to begin their rebuild, and the first piece to go was Matt Duchene.
This trade shows that the Sens are more interested in acquiring prospects and picks than any players that could help the team at this time. That is smart considering the extensive amount of rebuilding that will need to go into the Senators over the next few years.
What Is Columbus Getting?
The Blue Jackets are getting what could be the missing piece for them to make a deep playoff run. Duchene has always found a way to score points on bad teams in Colorado and Ottawa. This season alone he has 27 goals and 31 points in 50 games on a terrible Senators squad, now he will be the Jackets’ second line center with Nick Foligno and Josh Anderson on a playoff contender. Duchene will provide stability up the middle and should help the Jackets go far in the playoffs.
As for Bergman, he’s a 23-year old defenseman who was a second round pick of the San Jose Sharks back in 2014. The Sens acquired him as a piece in the Mike Hoffman trade last June with the Sharks. He has played 33 games for the Belleville Senators this year and has already agreed to a deal to return to the Swedish Hockey League after this season, so the Sens traded him to get something of value before he left for nothing in the summer.
What Is Ottawa Getting?
The crucial pieces of this trade are the two first round picks. The first round pick this year is nice, but the conditional first rounder is key. The Sens will get that pick if Duchene decides to sign an extension with the Jackets, if that happens then that is a huge addition to the Sens’ draft capital. The first rounder this year is lottery protected only if it is a top-three pick, so there should be no problems there.
Abramov was a third round pick of the Jackets back in 2016. During his career in the QMJHL he had 301 points in 185 games, and in his first AHL season with the Cleveland Monsters he has scored 22 points in 52 games. That doesn’t sound too great until you realize the Monsters only have one 30-plus point scorer this season and Abramov leads all active rookies on the Monsters in scoring. He will be a nice addition to Belleville, who are still contending for a playoff spot in the AHL.
Meanwhile, Davidsson was selected in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He’s 21-years old and has spent the last three seasons in the Swedish Hockey League with Djurgårdens IF and was trained in their youth developmental system since 2011. In the SHL, Davidsson has played in 143 games and has 63 points for his trouble, with 20 points coming in 35 games this season. He’s not the brightest prospect, but he still has some potential the Sens could wring out of him.
Next. Batherson and Brown Called Up. dark
Decent Enough
The trade isn’t as bad as some would have expected, and if the Ottawa Senators get that 2020 first rounder then the trade will be even better. Time will tell if Abramov and Davidsson pan out, but right now all we know is the Sens have started making moves, and this weekend is going to be an interesting one.