The Vladislav Namestnikov trade set off a hurricane in the Ottawa Senators Twittersphere. Rather than it simply being viewed as shipping out a mid-round pick and [insert random person] for a serviceable NHLer, Senators fans immediately took note of the bigger picture. By loading up on mid-level NHL talent, Ottawa is blocking roster spots that could be taken up by developing prospects.
It’s true that there is certainly benefit to letting prospects marinate in the American Hockey League for a time; the present-day Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings of yesteryear are evidence of that. However, there are issues associated with overloading on that choice.
Firstly, there’s the risk that young, homegrown players who see their peer group succeeding at the NHL level will be upset at the thought of John Whatshisface or Mark Whoisthat taking up a spot on the roster. There’s reason to believe that Logan Brown falls into that camp, as evidenced by his agent’s recent comments:
Logan Brown’s agent @Andy_Scott15 on his client’s demotion: “We have never seen an early first round selection met with such resistance by the club which drafted them.…
— Eric Macramalla (@EricOnSportsLaw) October 3, 2019
The problem with "keep the kids in Belleville" is Davidsson was already on the 4th line for Game 1. Sending more kids to Belleville means someone we're excited about is gonna be a healthy scratch in the AHL. 12 guys can't all get Top 6 minutes in the AHL.
— Count Drosscula (@Sheer_Rossyness) October 8, 2019
With respect to the whole “1st line AHL vs. 4th line NHL… minutes debate, it should also be noted that the entire argument is predicated on an outdated view of the game. There is nothing that obligates a team to load up its fourth line with guys who can’t skate, can’t pass, and can’t score. Just because the Senators chose to make Scott Sabourin a fixture on this roster, doesn’t mean they had to do so. There was nothing stopping the Senators from creating four balanced lines that would have spread the talent around, giving young players an opportunity to develop at the NHL level regardless of line number. More spots for young players today also means staggered cap obligations in the future, which is something that ownership will undoubtedly be seeking.
Now, none of this is to say that the deal is without benefit. It's one thing to be bad, but another to be historically bad. The Senators can't afford to embarrass the young players they do have on the roster, as that's something that can have long-term effects on development as well. There's a delicate balance to be had here. Adding effective players like Namestnikov can help in this regard.
The bottom line: It will be interesting to see how Ottawa achieves that balance between the need to develop its young players at the NHL level and its desire to look competitive at the same time. Right now, their strategy for doing that is woefully unclear.
As always, thanks for reading.
Michael Stuart was the Tampa Bay Lightning writer for HockeyBuzz from 2012 to 2015, and has been the Ottawa Senators writer since September 2019. Visit his archive to read more or follow him on Twitter.