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Sens Marketplace: The Final Chapter with the Canadiens

March 30, 2020, 11:28 PM ET [36 Comments]
Michael Stuart
Ottawa Senators Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Tonight marks the final night of the Sens Marketplace. It’s an exciting end to the series, as we have a blockbuster to announce!

The Last Proposed Trade

To Toronto: Erik Brannstrom, Islanders 2020 1st Round Pick, Blue Jackets 2020 2nd Round Pick
To Ottawa: William Nylander

Poll Summary:
Do the Senators accept this trade? Yes – (50.2/49.8)
Do the Maple Leafs accept this trade? Yes – (59/41)

Trade Result: COMPLETED

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In retrospect, I likely should have ended the Sens Marketplace blog series with the blockbuster Maple Leafs deal above. Ending with this Canadiens deal is underwhelming, to say the least. There’s simply not much that can be accomplished on the trade front with these two teams. Both are in the midst of rebuilds. Both are collecting picks. To make problems worse, Montreal’s prospect depth is incredible at every position. There isn’t much of a fit. Nevertheless, here is tonight’s trade with the Montreal Canadiens:

The Trade

To Montreal: Anthony Duclair (RFA)
To Ottawa: Canadiens 2020 2nd Round Pick, Ducks 2020 4th Round Pick

Why the Canadiens Make the Trade…
The Canadiens have nine picks in the first four rounds of this draft, so they can afford to take a chance and spend a couple in a low-risk, potentially high-reward deal. If Anthony Duclair is even half the player he looked to be during December of 2019, the Canadiens will win this deal in a landslide. If he’s not that player, the downside isn’t particularly high.

Further, the Canadiens don’t appear to be pursuing the complete teardown strategy, instead opting for what looks like an on-the-fly retool. Acquiring an offensively gifted player who is in his mid-20s like Anthony Duclair fits that kind of plan. He's also a local guy for Montreal, which doesn't hurt.

Why the Senators Make the Trade…
The Senators saw both the good and the bad Anthony Duclair this season. Giving up on his potential certainly comes with risk, but so does re-signing him to a big contract extension based on a hot month. Having made deals that shipped picks out the door in the Zaitsev dump and Nylander acquisition, perhaps the Senators look to cash in on Duclair’s December by recouping a couple draft selections.

In addition, with two top-end picks in this year’s draft, the acquisition of Nylander, and an abundance of young talent knocking on the door in Belleville, creating a roster spot by moving Duclair at peak value could make some sense.

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Do the Senators accept this trade?
Yes
No
Created with PollMaker


Do the Canadiens accept this trade?
Yes
No
Created with Poll Maker


As always, thanks for reading.
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