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Time for a Thursday Think Tank!
Keep the Pick
With the draft just one day away, some fans are wondering whether or not Ottawa should actually give away this years pick to Colorado and keep next years instead. Without Mike Hoffman and presumably Erik Karlsson, the Senators are going to be a terrible team next year, and will probably have to give up a high pick no matter what. While I understand that it’d be scary to give up a potential lottery winning pick, Ottawa has to keep their 2018 selection.
My heart says give it away, because it is going to be dreadful next year watching a team that has no real playoff aspirations and also won’t get the reward of a high pick. But at the same time, even if Ottawa finishes dead last (and the lottery percentages stay the same), they’ll have a slightly higher chance of picking fourth than they do in the top-3. I’m not confident in saying that they’ll 100% finish last place next season, because most people thought New Jersey and Colorado were going to be terrible this year yet they both made the playoffs.
I’m not saying Ottawa will be a playoff team, but it doesn’t take much to finish 25th. Yes, that may end up being a top-3 pick anyway, but the math does not add up in this situation---my brain disagrees with my heart and says that there is way too much risk in giving up the 4th overall pick.
Zadina will be a Senator
There’s been so much speculation about who the Montreal Canadiens will take with the 3rd overall pick, and although the obvious choice seems to be Filip Zadina, I’m betting they will end up taking Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
As I’ve mentioned before, Zadina himself said that Montreal was looking for a centre or a defenseman, and other scouts and reporters have talked about Zadina falling as well. Furthermore, with how thin they are down the middle, Kotkaniemi is a great fit for them. My gut tells me that it will be Kotkaniemi, but a defenseman like Quinn Hughes or Adam Boqvist is a possibility too. I really believe that Zadina will be available at fourth overall, and I can’t imagine Ottawa messing that one up.
Considering how bad the Senators are right now, they need every position, and Zadina would definitely be the best player available. I’m betting that he’ll be a Senator by tomorrow night.
Options at 22
I was initially going to do more draft profiles on some potential draft picks at 22nd overall, but since there were so many other things to talk about, those planned articles took a back seat. I obviously can’t get into too much detail about all of these players, but here are some names (amongst many) to look out for at 22nd:
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Akil Thomas (C): Could be a steal at 22nd as he led a so-so Niagara team in points with 81 in 68 games.
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Rasmus Sandin (D): Racked up points on a stacked Sault Ste. Marie team, but has shown offensive ability in Sweden as well.
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Jonatan Berggren (RW): Lead the SuperElit league (U20) with a phenomenal 57 points in 38 games. For comparison, a similarly ranked solid prospect Dominik Bokk had 41 points in 35 games. The Senators do love their Swedes...
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Martin Kaut (RW): Played with Filip Zadina at the World Juniors and had seven points in seven games, which makes him an intriguing second pick for Ottawa. Also played with men in the Czech league with 16 points in 38 games.
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Bode Wilde (D): Puck-moving defenseman from the right side who played in the USDP this past season. Seems to be a complete player, although there’s a chance he goes much earlier than 22.
Awardless in Vegas
Of course everybody knew that no Senators were going to win an award last night in Vegas, but it’s still sad to see no players even come close. Last year, Craig Anderson won the Masterton Trophy, Erik Karlsson was second in Norris voting, and Pierre Dorion was third in GM of the Year voting. This year there was nothing to even cheer for, and to be honest I had forgot that the Awards were on until the day of.
Karlsson ended up finishing 12th in Norris voting, and Mark Stone finished tied for 22nd in Selke voting and tied for 31st in Lady Byng voting, which is a hilariously balloted award:
Others on the way out?
Hoffman has already been shipped out, and there might be more coming. I’ve come to accept the fact that Karlsson is most likely gone, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a few other deals get done in the next few weeks as well:
It’s not going to be a fun time, but at least there will be plenty to talk about…
Stay tuned, as I’ll have all of your Senators coverage right here.
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