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Ottawa Senators: Why they should trade picks before the draft

By Naftali Clinton

OTTAWA, ON - OCTOBER 5: Logan Brown #21 of the Ottawa Senators prepares for a faceoff against Aaron Ness #55 of the Washington Capitals at Canadian Tire Centre on October 5, 2017 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)
OTTAWA, ON - OCTOBER 5: Logan Brown #21 of the Ottawa Senators prepares for a faceoff against Aaron Ness #55 of the Washington Capitals at Canadian Tire Centre on October 5, 2017 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images) /
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The result of trading away franchise stars Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman and more, is ending up with a ridiculous amount of draft picks. The Ottawa Senators have been stockpiling picks for a while now, and this year it will finally come to fruition.

It’s always a good idea for teams to keep a healthy supply of picks, to keep a steady eye on the future. But what the Senators now have is a ridiculous overabundance of draft selections for the 2020 draft, whenever that takes place. So it would be a sound strategy for general manager, Pierre Dorion, to actively shop one of his four second-round picks in this year’s draft.

The Ottawa Senators currently have only ten roster players signed for next year, they also have the last year of Marian Gaborik‘s contract. There are seven RFA’s to sign as well, and five UFA’s to possibly sign.

It would make sense to trade a prospect and a second-round pick for a quality NHL player or two to provide some leadership and stability to a young Senators team. One Sens prospect that could be a piece in a trade of this sort is Logan Brown. He’s a player that has struggled mightily in the 4 years since getting drafted 11th overall by Ottawa in 2016.

Next. Ottawa Senators: Lots of options for the last first round pick. dark

Package Brown with a pick or two, and you will have a lot of teams interested in parting ways with a good veteran.

The Ottawa Senators currently own the rights to 13 picks in the draft, 9 of which are in the first three rounds. It’s more important to get some productive players now with a couple of those picks than to simply keep all the picks, and only see the results many years down the line.

While the plan is to contend for the Stanley Cup down the road, the goal is to be competitive as early as the 2020-21 season. Acquiring a veteran or two with offensive upside can go a long way insuring that the Sens are at least competitive in 2021.

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