Who Should the Ottawa Senators Protect? Austin Watson or Evgenii Dadonov

OTTAWA, ON - JANUARY 15: Evgenii Dadonov #63 of the Ottawa Senators skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Canadian Tire Centre on January 15, 2021 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)
OTTAWA, ON - JANUARY 15: Evgenii Dadonov #63 of the Ottawa Senators skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Canadian Tire Centre on January 15, 2021 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)
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Evgenii Dadonov #63 of the Ottawa Senators(Photo by Matt Zambonin/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)
Evgenii Dadonov #63 of the Ottawa Senators(Photo by Matt Zambonin/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)

The Ottawa Senators will have to choose between some important pieces to protect, including a likely decision between veteran forwards Austin Watson and Evgenii Dadonov

With the NHL Expansion Draft taking place on the 21st of July, the Ottawa Senators will have some interesting decisions to make when they release their protected list. This has been a hot topic throughout Sens Twitter over the past few days and there are valid arguments to protect/expose either player, I’m sure the Senators front office has been mulling this decision.

The Watson/Dadonov decision has created a divide between Senators fans, some siding with toughness and character while others are more interested in the better overall player, which is undoubtedly Dadonov (even with his poor production last season). This is a seemingly easy decision for a team with plenty of cap space to play with.

There are other fringe players that could also be left unprotected, with the most polarizing player being Logan Brown, who would be a smart player to protect while he still has value as an asset. All of these storylines make for an interesting expansion draft and Senators fans should be prepared to lose an NHL body.