The Ottawa Senators are entering the draft with two, top 5 picks and as draft day (finally) approaches
Scenario 1: #3 Quinton Byfield #5 Lucas Raymond
Grade: A+
First off, any scenario that has Byfield dropping to pick 3 is going to influence the grade in my mind. In this scenario, Lucas Raymond is the 5th pick and arguably drops to that spot as well (although there are many players you could pick in that range). This scenario is the best-case scenario because Ottawa gets two, elite potential players, both with ceilings that could potentially reach the height of the entire draft class. Ottawa gets the #1 Centre in Byfield, which arguably fills their greatest need at the moment. Then you couple that with an elite potential right-winger in Raymond, who has speed, skill and a shot. Walking away from the draft with 2/3 of a top-line would be an unprecedented position and unquestionably escalate the pace of the rebuild. It’s also how these 3 players would fit together that tips the scale for me.
https://twitter.com/BarSouthNCelly/status/1122642307436535809?s=20
With Tkachuk presumably assuming the LW position on the top line, the Sens would now have 3 players who possess very different, high-end skill sets that could potentially get the job done in a variety of ways. The 3 together, at least on paper check nearly every box both offensively and defensively and there’s almost nothing they couldn’t achieve together. Whether it’s puck possession, the cycle, net-front presence, physicality, speed, skill, size, playmaking or scoring, this line would have the potential to do it all. Byfield and Raymond for the ultimate win on draft day.