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Ottawa Senators: Pierre Dorion’s best trades

By Joshua Delorme |
OTTAWA, ON - OCTOBER 4: Pierre Dorion, General Manager of the Ottawa Senators, walks the red carpet prior to the start of their home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks at Canadian Tire Centre on October 4, 2018 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)
OTTAWA, ON - OCTOBER 4: Pierre Dorion, General Manager of the Ottawa Senators, walks the red carpet prior to the start of their home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks at Canadian Tire Centre on October 4, 2018 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)
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The second and final post in the ‘Trades by Dorion’ series is finally here! Today I take a look at the five best trades Pierre Dorion has been able to pull the trigger on as General Manager of the Ottawa Senators.

If you are interested in seeing Dorion’s complete history of trades, signings, and players drafted during his time as General Manager of the Ottawa Senators, check out his CapFriendly page! Alright, I now present you the top-5 best trades by Pierre Dorion.

Number 5 – 2016 first-round pick & 2016 third-round pick to New Jersey for a 2016 first-round pick

OTTAWA, ON – FEBRUARY 24: Ottawa Senators Center Logan Brown (21) keeps eyes on the play during first period National Hockey League action between the Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators on February 24, 2019, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
OTTAWA, ON – FEBRUARY 24: Ottawa Senators Center Logan Brown (21) keeps eyes on the play during first period National Hockey League action between the Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators on February 24, 2019, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Pierre Dorion’s first trade as the General Manager of the Ottawa Senators. The new GM gave up a third-round pick to move up one spot in the NHL Draft to select Logan Brown 11th overall.

While Logan Brown’s development hasn’t been as fast as some fans would have liked it, the young centre still projects to be a top-6 centre in the NHL. Brown has the hockey IQ to be able to play with the best players on the team, he has the offensive capabilities to suit up in the top-6, his skating, however, has been the knock on him going back to his draft year. The good news for Ottawa Senators fans is that skating can be improved! You don’t have to look much further than Mark Stone. When Stone was drafted, his skating was absolutely terrible. He worked at it and managed to improve it enough to be one of the best wingers in the game.

Compound all the skill that Brown has with his 6’6″ frame and you’ve got the makings of a very good top-6 player. Yes, Dorion was forced to give up a third-round pick to just move up one spot on the draft floor, but anytime you have the opportunity to add a big centre that projects to be a top-6 forward you have to jump at it. Those types of players generally don’t grow on trees, and they do not become available via trade very often.

Number 4 – Curtis Lazar & Michael Kostka to Calgary for Jyrki Jokipakka & 2017 second-round pick

OTTAWA, ON – JUNE 29: Ottawa Senators Prospect Left Wing Alex Formenton (59) during the Ottawa Senators Development Camp on June 29, 2019, at Bell Sensplex in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
OTTAWA, ON – JUNE 29: Ottawa Senators Prospect Left Wing Alex Formenton (59) during the Ottawa Senators Development Camp on June 29, 2019, at Bell Sensplex in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Every team has misses when it comes to drafting in the first round. Scouting and drafting are not exact sciences. Teams do not hit on 100% of their selections, it’s simply impossible. Curtis Lazar was one of those misses in the first round.

When Lazar was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the first round in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, he was coming off a pretty impressive season with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League. The skill that he had at the junior level simply never translated to the NHL. Many fans believe that the organization rushed him into the NHL and Lazar was stuck playing third or fourth line minutes, unable to continue to develop his offensive capabilities.

Whatever the reason may be, the fact that the organization moved on from Lazar when it did was a good sign for Sens fans. The Ottawa Senators have a history of holding on to “young” players a little too long until their value around the league completely dwindles away. A prime example is Cody Ceci. I won’t even get into the fact that the Edmonton Oilers called one time offering Taylor Hall for Cody Ceci, or that one time that Steve Yzerman offered Jonathan Drouin for the right-handed defenceman.

Related Story. Get to know your Senators prospects: Alex Formenton. light

Getting a second-round pick for a former first-round pick that was clearly not going to live up to being drafted in the first round was pretty good for Pierre Dorion. The fact that the second-round pick turned out to be Alex Formenton makes the result of this trade even better!

Number 3 – Derick Brassard, Vince Dunn & 2018 third-round pick to Pittsburgh AND Vegas for Filip Gustavsson, Ian Cole, 2018 first-round pick & 2019 third-round pick

LAVAL, QC – DECEMBER 12: Goaltender Filip Gustavsson #30 of the Belleville Senators protects his net during the warm-up prior to the AHL game against the Laval Rocket at Place Bell on December 12, 2018 in Laval, Quebec, Canada. The Laval Rocket defeated the Belleville Senators 3-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
LAVAL, QC – DECEMBER 12: Goaltender Filip Gustavsson #30 of the Belleville Senators protects his net during the warm-up prior to the AHL game against the Laval Rocket at Place Bell on December 12, 2018 in Laval, Quebec, Canada. The Laval Rocket defeated the Belleville Senators 3-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

I don’t know that we’ve ever seen a General Manager pull off this many three-way trades in such a short amount of time! Three-way trades are always a little complicated, so I’m just going to focus on the Ottawa Senators part of the trade.

Since Robin Lehner left the Ottawa Senators organization there really has not been a “goaltender of the future” in the organization. Pierre Dorion was able to bring in a goaltender that at the time was considered one of the best outside of the NHL. The fact that he managed to get a first-round pick and a third-round pick is even better. (We can’t forget that a few days after this trade the Ottawa Senators traded Ian Cole away for another third-round pick.)

Filip Gustavsson struggled a little bit down in Belleville last season, his first complete season in North America. The organization remains high on him, and goaltenders generally do take a little longer to develop than defencemen or forwards do.

Essentially, this trade ends up leaving the Ottawa Senators with Filip Gustavsson, Jacob Bernard-Docker, Johnathan Tychonick & Mads Sogaard. The 2018 first-round pick acquired from Pittsburgh was traded at the Draft to the New York Rangers for a 2018 first-round pick and a 2018 second-round pick which became Bernard-Docker and Tychonick. The 2019 third-round pick was packaged with a 2019 second-round pick to move up and select Mads Sogaard.

Related Story. Get to know your Senators prospects: Filip Gustavsson. light

So in the end, the Ottawa Senators got two goaltenders with potential starter written all over them, a future top-4 right-handed defenceman and a defenceman that should develop to being a second or third pairing guy for this team down the road.

Number 2 – Ryan Dzingel & 2019 seventh-round pick to Columbus for Anthony Duclair, 2020 second-round pick & a 2021 second-round pick

OTTAWA, ON – MARCH 26: Ottawa Senators Left Wing Anthony Duclair (10) applies pressure on the forecheck during first period National Hockey League action between the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators on March 26, 2019, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
OTTAWA, ON – MARCH 26: Ottawa Senators Left Wing Anthony Duclair (10) applies pressure on the forecheck during first period National Hockey League action between the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators on March 26, 2019, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Getting two second-round picks for a rental at the deadline is always a good result for a General Manager. Ryan Dzingel was offered a pretty substantial contract to remain with the Ottawa Senators, but the speedy forward decided that he wanted to test free agency.

One day after Ottawa Senators General Manager Pierre Dorion traded Matt Duchene to the Columbus Blue Jackets, he once again completed a trade with Jarmo Kekalainen and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

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At the time of the trade, the two main pieces of the return were the two second-round picks. Anthony Duclair was considered by many to be a throw-in, a contract to help reduce the number of contracts for the Blue Jackets, and a player that would take a roster spot to finish the season for the Ottawa Senators.

Duclair had a pretty good finish to the season, where he scored 8 goals and added 6 assists in 21 games played down the stretch. The 23-year-old (soon to be 24) played well enough to earn himself a one-year contract extension with the Ottawa Senators. He is already pencilled in by many to play in the team’s top-6 forward group this coming season.

For this trade to be evaluated properly we still need to wait and see what the team does with the two second-round draft picks. I have confidence in the Ottawa Senators’ scouting staff to find good players with those picks. The team could also use them as compensation to either move up in the draft or use them as part of a trade bringing in an established player. So many options!

Number 1 – 2017 fifth-round pick to Pittsburgh for Mike Condon

GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 30: Mike Condon #1 of the Ottawa Senators gets ready to make a save against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on October 30, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 30: Mike Condon #1 of the Ottawa Senators gets ready to make a save against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on October 30, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images) /

The sole reason that this trade makes this list and comes in at number one is because of what happened after this trade. When Craig Anderson had to leave the team to be with his wife as she battled cancer, the team was forced to turn to Andrew Hammond.

When Hammond went down to injury, Pierre Dorion and the Ottawa Senators were forced to act. They brought in Mike Condon, who went on to play 40 games for the club that season. Condon started 27 games in a row for the Ottawa Senators and was considered by many to be the one who saved the team’s season.

I am absolutely positive that the Ottawa Senators do not make the playoffs that season if it wasn’t for the acquisition of Mike Condon. The fact that the team didn’t have to turn to Chris Driedger (served as Condon’s backup for most of the season) made sure that they would remain competitive on most nights.

Essentially, at the cost of a fifth-round pick, the Ottawa Senators managed to make the playoffs in 2016. That 2016 playoff run was one of the most memorable moments in my life as an Ottawa Senators fan.

That is the reason this trade makes the countdown and comes in at number one. If this trade does not happen the Ottawa Senators don’t make the playoffs that season. The Ottawa Senators don’t beat the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers in six games in the first and second rounds of the playoffs. The Ottawa Senators do not make it to double overtime of game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Related Story. Pierre Dorion's worst trades. light

Ottawa Senators fans, what do you think of the countdown? Which trades would you not include? Which other trades would you include? Are there trades you would rank differently? Let us know in the comment section below!

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