Some teams played all year in a quest for the Stanley Cup. The 2019-20 Ottawa Senators, on the other hand, played all year for this moment. It’s draft lottery day!
What the Senators didn’t know heading into this year, is that the San Jose Sharks were also going to be playing for this moment on their behalf. Combined, San Jose’s pick and their own make this lottery a potentially franchise-defining moment. Regardless of how the lottery balls land tonight, the Senators are guaranteed two top-six picks. Even the most cursory of looks at recent draft history will tell you that this presents the Senators with an exceptionally rare opportunity. Not making the most of it simply isn't an option for Pierre Dorion and his scouting team.
The possibilities for what tonight will bring are endless (read: limited to eleven mathematical options):
“If that’s despair, that would be something I’m willing to sign up for!…@GinoRedaTSN & @CraigJButton on the importance of having two draft lotteries if needed and ‘what if’ the Ottawa Senators slipped to the No. 4 & 5 spots after the draw: https://t.co/1z7cfeaUIv#TSNHockey pic.twitter.com/MAaLbXDrJ6
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) June 25, 2020
All of the speculation, all of the talk about Player X vs. Player Y, all of the dreaming of what the future of Senators hockey might look like… The lottery will provide some much-needed context for those discussions starting tomorrow night. Until then, keep your fingers crossed.
Thanks for reading.