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Draft Day! - Should The Senators Go For A Home Run/Strikeout Player?

June 24, 2016, 9:00 AM ET [29 Comments]
Jared Crozier
Ottawa Senators Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The NHL moves from the hot lights of Vegas for the Awards to the...well to Buffalo, where a bunch of 18 and 19 year olds will learn their fate for the near future. Some are already assumed, and the top 5 are pretty much set in stone and have been for some time, whether or not the team that holds the pick as of 7am this morning still holds it 12 hours from now.

Ottawa sits with the #12 pick, and Pierre Dorion is on record stating that he wouldn't mind moving up, or even moving down a few spots if the right incentive were given, meaning most likely a ready to go player who can play in the top 6.

Over the past couple of weeks I have looked at a few interesting names that may be available when the Senators pick comes around, but that is always a fluid situation because of the teams drafting in front of them, teams looking to trade, or teams thinking they see something in a lower ranked player that nobody else sees and they take that player, messing up everyone else's draft board (Boston last year for example).

This is a draft with some definite tiers to it, but it is pretty deep and the top 20 picks will stand a better chance of success than failure at the NHL level. Most will be a couple of years away, or more, from contributing at the top level and developing them properly will be the task for all teams that make the selections. They all have the skillset that got them into this postion, and the teams need to make sure they have the mindset to get them to the next level.

The Senators went pretty safe with their 2 first round picks last season, players that will certainly play in the NHL but might not have the breakout potential.

I haven't mentioned the name as of yet, but it wouldn't disappoint me if the Senators dropped 10 or 15 spots, getting a roster player in the process and then taking a flyer on diminutive but high-scoring forward Alex DeBrincat of the Erie Otters. He is coming off back to back 51 goal, 100+ point seasons in the OHL and despite having quality players around him, that is an impressive feat.

He certainly might not be able to translate the offense to the next level, but I wouldn't mind the team going for a swing for the fences, and he has slipped far enough that the Sens could move down and still add another piece that would mitigate the effect if they did strike out with DeBrincat.

That probably isn't going to happen, and he could even conceivably be around when they pick at 42, but I wouldn't necessarily count on that happening if they were to think about leaning in that direction.

He is a guy that nobody is really talking about, partly because he is small, but guys like Johnny Gaudreau have proven that size doesn't matter as much as it once did.

I would just like to see them go all-in once in a while and take a chance on hitting the big one, whether it is this player or another one. Safer picks will get you only so far, and that is essentially where the Senators have found themselves, good enough to be in the mix but not close to challenging the elite level teams.

I also wouldn't be totally averse to keeping the pick, because they will get a quality player whether it be Jost, Keller, Chychrun, MacLeod, Bean or any number of players that could go in the 6-16 range.

I will be on the road all afternoon/early evening, and will have to listen to the first part of the draft on Toronto sports radio when it comes time. I wonder if they will even broadcast any of the picks after the Leafs pick #1, or if it will be all Auston, all the time after they make it official. However I should reach my destination before the Senators pick, and will check in at that time for some discussion.

Happy Draft Day Everyone!
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