Curtis Lazar and Cody Ceci continue to have an impact on the Ottawa Senators, even if neither one has worn a Senators jersey in the last while. Once highly-regarded prospects, both players struggled to gain any traction in Ottawa, then struggled some more, then struggled some more, and then struggled some more before being shipped out of town for pennies on the dollar. The Lazar trade looks decent enough in hindsight, with the pick brought in having been used to net Alex Formenton, but the fact remains that Ottawa dealt from a position of weakness in both of these cases.
The common refrain in the hockey world since Ottawa’s failed development of Ceci and Lazar is that they should have pulled the trigger sooner and cashed in while there was still perceived market value, despite it being apparent that there was very little actual value; that same conversation can be seen right now in Buffalo with respect to Rasmus Ristolainen, who consistently delivers subpar on-ice results. Perhaps it’s true that the Senators could have or should have done more sooner.
That experience with Lazar and Ceci has colored a lot of the discussion around Ottawa’s current prospects and their development. On social media, people have been quick to turn on players like Logan Brown and Erik Brannstrom in particular. There seems to be a fear of repeating the same ‘mistake’ again with these players. The thinking seems to be as follows: If they aren’t already performing at some subjectively-determined level, it’s time to move on before it’s too late. Of course, that subjectively-determined level is different for each observer, so there’s very little in the way of science here.
At the same time, it’s quite easy to see where some fans are coming from with respect to their concern for one prospect or another in the system. Sticking with the Brannstrom and Brown theme, we’re talking about a player who was the centerpiece of the return for arguably the most effective winger in the game and a first-round pick that has yet to live up to the hype that selection placement demands. Would it have been nice if Brannstrom had stepped in as the next Erik Karlsson immediately? Absolutely. Would the Senators look a lot better if Brown was a bona fide number-one centre? You bet. Does that mean that the team should be less patient with these players than they were in the past with others? Not in my opinion.
And, that’s the point of this blog: The Senators are now in a position where they can afford to be incredibly patient with their prospects and development. That’s the luxury of having built such a deep system – see Corey Pronman’s article ranking Ottawa’s system as the 7th best in hockey this week, even before the 2020 draft crop gets added. From an on-ice perspective, there is very little in the way of pressure on developing prospects like there might have been previously. The Senators are better off letting players develop at their own pace - and potentially missing on a few - than they are pulling the trigger too early and sending another Mika Zibanejad to the New York Rangers. The system is strong enough now where the benefits of getting a bigger return in hindsight after a player’s development stalls aren’t going to make a material difference for the organization’s depth.
So, as much as it would be great to see every player jump into the lineup and perform at a high level, that’s never going to be a reality. The best thing the Senators can do now is let their players develop in an environment that encourages it, without the pressures of needing to be “the guy” in the system. If it works, fantastic. If it doesn’t, one of the top prospect systems in hockey will undoubtedly survive.
As always, thanks for reading.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»