Welcome back to the Pierre Dorion’s Best Trade Tournament! The battle was tighter than I thought it might be, but ultimately the GM being able to extract Anthony Duclair and multiple picks for Ryan Dzingel won out over the deal that sent Derick Brassard to Pittsburgh in the last quarterfinal matchup. Tonight’s contest is unfortunately a good argument for why I should have reseeded the bracket after the first round, as neither deal was all that impactful:
Trade: Ebert, 4th --> NYR Out: Nick Ebert, 2021 4th Round Pick In: Vladislav Namestnikov
This year, the Senators found themselves in a spot where they felt they needed NHL bodies on the roster so that they could keep developing prospects in Belleville for a competitive run. Dorion acquired Namestnikov for pennies on the dollar, and the player immediately came in and provided a spark. He was really quite good for his first handful of games with Ottawa, more than justifying the acquisition price. While his production and performance fell off a cliff as the season moved along, it’s hard to argue with the rationale or cost involved in this trade. It was a no-risk move that provided a small bit of benefit earlier in the season.
Trade: McCormick --> COL Out: Max McCormick In: J.C. Beaudin
McCormick had been a long-time journeyman with the Senators organization when he was traded to the Avalanche in 2019. He was never a particularly prolific offensive producer with the Baby Senators, and certainly not with the Big Senators during his few cups of coffee, but he was someone who had spent a bit of time with the organization. Perhaps looking to get younger and add a bit more size and potential, Dorion traded McCormick for J.C. Beaudin. While Beaudin’s transition to the pro game hasn’t been all that easy, his junior totals as late as 2016-17 give reason for optimism. The Senators clearly feel like he has potential to be at least a contributing tweener on the depth chart, as he received a bit of NHL playing time this year.
As always, thanks for reading.