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Namestnikov Traded to Avalanche, Pageau to Islanders, Ennis to Oilers |
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The Ottawa Senators announced this morning that they have traded Vladislav Namestnikov to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a 2021 fourth-round pick. The team has also traded J-G Pageau to the New York Islanders, with the return from New York being a conditional 2020 first-round pick, 2020 second-round pick, and a conditional 2022 third-round pick, as per Darren Dreger. If New York's pick is in the top three this year, it moves to a 2021 first-round pick; the third-round pick is conditional on New York winning the Stanley Cup.
UPDATE: Tyler Ennis has been traded to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2021.
On Pageau...
This deal, not the Mark Stone deal or the Erik Karlsson deal, is the pièce de résistance of Pierre Dorion's rebuilding effort:
To obtain a guaranteed first round pick and a guaranteed second round pick for a pending unrestricted free agent who slots into the '3C' position on a good team is an absurd return. This was simply too much to pass up.
It's interesting to note that the Senators and Pageau were reportedly negotiating on a contract extension right up until the last minute. Reports had Pageau seeking a five or six year deal in the range of $5M-plus per season. The contrast in value to the rebuild between what actually happened and what could have happened is stark, and Ottawa thankfully ended up on the right side of things.
Pageau is a wonderful player who wears his heart on his sleeve, plays the 'right way', and can chip in on offence for a playoff team. He's not the 30-plus goal scorer that his shooting percentage bender suggests he is right now. This is a classic example of a team cashing its chips at the right moment, with value at its peak.
There's a very compelling argument to be made that this is Pierre Dorion's best trade as General Manager of the Senators. Regardless of what else happens, that's likely enough to make him a winner on this day.
On Namestnikov...
Unlike the Pageau deal, Dorion wasn't able to do much other than tread water with the Vladislav Namestnikov trade. The price he paid to acquire the player earlier in the season is basically equivalent to what he got back at the deadline from the Colorado Avalanche:
In a vacuum, the deal is underwhelming. Coloured by the tremendous return on the Pageau deal, though, it looks more like an acceptable move for future value. The Senators got what they needed to get out of Namestnikov, mainly NHL-quality minutes, and didn't pay much of a net price to get it. It's nothing exciting, but it's a fine thing for a rebuilding team.
On Ennis...
Tyler Ennis has been traded to the Edmonton Oilers for a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft:
Ennis has been linked to Edmonton for the last number of weeks, so seeing this deal come to fruition is not a surprise. What is perhaps a little bit surprising, though, is the return (or lack thereof) that Pierre Dorion was able to extract from a player having a very productive year on an affordable contract. Even so, turning a basically-free, pending-UFA into a draft pick is never a bad idea at this time of year for a rebuilding team.
As always, thanks for reading.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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