Another oft-rumored deal came to fruition tonight, with the Ottawa Senators announcing that they have acquired Braydon Coburn, Cedric Paquette, and a 2022 second-round pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Anders Nilsson and Marian Gaborik. After giving up a second-round pick while helping out a cap-strapped team last night, GM Pierre Dorion got this one right and was able to bring home an asset while weaponizing his ample salary cap space.
With both Nilsson and Gaborik injured, this is an example of the Senators turning nothing into something. Beyond the second-round pick, Braydon Coburn will likely have the opportunity to compete for minutes on an otherwise weak Senators blue line; he may not be the same player he once was, but he’s still an effective bottom-pairing guy who can likely outplay some of his teammates. Paquette, on the other hand, is unlikely to be an upgrade on anyone, and seems as though he should be destined for popcorn duty with the team attempting to integrate young players. If DJ Smith intends on giving ice time to Alex Galchenyuk, Austin Watson, Derek Stepan, and Cedric Paquette while players like Logan Brown and Josh Norris hang out with the taxi squad, the fan base might turn on him fairly quickly. Consider the following:
The Sens have 17 players on one-way contracts for 2020-21, and only 10 of them (59%) were above replacement level last season (from @EvolvingHockey).
— Colin Cudmore (@CudmoreColin) December 28, 2020
There’s a clear need and case for prospects to get their shot, even if it comes at the expense of “bigger… names. There can certainly be a benefit to having experience in the dressing room, but there's no need for it to be below-replacement-level experience. If the kids are alright, it's time to play them.
Today’s other piece of good news, which ties into the commentary above, was the announcement that the team has signed Tim Stuetzle to his entry-level contract. We can officially start discussing this specific young player as one of the players who will have – or at least should have – an opportunity to earn ice time in Ottawa; every bit of commentary from the team suggests that they expect him to play in the NHL this year.
Drawing broad conclusions from World Junior play is a foolish exercise, but it’s hard not to feel optimistic about Stuetzle’s future after watching him in the tournament’s early going. Even in Germany’s blowout loss to Canada last night, he was one of the more noticeable players on the ice. His creativity, passion for the game, and offensive instincts have all been on full display. If he can bring those same qualities to Ottawa, it’s not unreasonable to expect that he’ll be one of the team’s better forwards this year.
In summary, with a true “weaponize cap space… trade and the signing of Stuetzle to an entry-level contract, today was a really good day for the Ottawa Senators. Hopefully there are more to come.
As always, thanks for reading.