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Arthur Kaliyev there for the taking for the Ottawa Senators

By James Reeve |
PETERBOROUGH, ON - NOVEMBER 10: Arthur Kaliyev #34 of the Hamilton Bulldogs skates against the Peterborough Petes in an OHL game at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on November 10, 2018 in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
PETERBOROUGH, ON - NOVEMBER 10: Arthur Kaliyev #34 of the Hamilton Bulldogs skates against the Peterborough Petes in an OHL game at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on November 10, 2018 in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

The Ottawa Senators addressed their defence with the 19th overall pick in the NHL Draft, but now is the time to take a top offensive prospect.

Arthur Kaliyev was one of the highest rated players entering the draft weekend and somehow he is still available when the Ottawa Senators selected 32nd overall on Day Two.

Kaliyev’s draft rankings were largely spread out, being ranked as high as 13th overall by some scouts and as low as 34th overall by HockeyProspect.com.

With the 17-year-old American falling out of the first round, the Ottawa Senators have an opportunity to land a legitimate game-changing prospect in the second round, with Kaliyev a proven goalscorer in juniors.

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Over two seasons with the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, Kaliyev totalled 82 goals – with 51 of them coming in his most recent campaign, seeing him top 102 total points after adding another 51 assists in 67 regular season games.

The Senators are fairly thin at forward prospect depth and bringing in a player that could potentially be a cornerstone piece to the rebuild is something the team must take full advantage of.

With a player such as Kaliyev still available at the start of the second round, teams around the league are bound to be giving the Sens a few calls to see what it would take to steal the pick away from them.

While it would be tempting for general manager Pierre Dorion to acquire a solid veteran player that can have a positive impact on the rebuild, adding a prospect of Kaliyev’s quality is an absolute must to help the team even further down the road.

A pure goalscoring forward is a rare commodity and the Senators will certainly need to bring back that type of player, having allowed three 20+ goalscorers to leave via trades at the trade deadline.

Next. Senators land top D prospect Lassi Thomson. dark

What do you think Sens fans? Should the team snap up Kaliyev with the 32nd overall pick? Which other players should the team consider, especially with the 44th pick also owned by the team? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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