The first of the quarterfinal matchups in the Pierre Dorion’s Best Trade tournament is upon us. In the final contest of the second round, Curtis Lazar’s exit snatched a victory. Today, a tournament favorite from this season has a clear opportunity to move into the semifinals:
Dorion’s number-on goal in 2019-20 was to trade pending free agents for picks, and he did exactly that by sending Pageau to the Islanders. Pageau was having a wonderfully hot season before the deal, which allowed the GM to derive extreme value from the exchange. Having three first-round picks in this year’s draft, one of which is courtesy of this trade, makes this a franchise defining time in Senators history. Any trade that plays a part in creating such a moment will be considered a favorite in a tournament like this. This trade already looks good, but imagine how good it might look if New York falls off early in the play-in round?
Trade: McKenna, Pyatt --> VAN
Out: Mike McKenna, Tom Pyatt, 2019 6th Round Pick
In: Anders Nilsson, Darren Archibald
This trade was a great example of turning a whole lot of nothing into something decent. The package that Ottawa shipped out in this deal brought back a goaltender who really solidified things in the crease for this hockey team in the short-term. He posted a .914 save percentage to end last season, and a .908 save percentage in pre-injury action this year. There were many nights early on in 2019-20 when Nilsson looked like the only thing separating the Senators from the Red Wings in the standings. Between the Condon deal and this one, Dorion seems to have an eye for picking up reasonably competent goaltending at rock bottom prices.