With another few second round matchups still on the docket, today marks the last in a consecutive series of Pierre Dorion’s Best Trade blogs. The rest of the week’s content will be consumed by Mike’s Mailbag (thanks to all those who submitted) and some thoughts on the pending draft lottery proposals. But, until then, we remain locked on tournament action. Last time around, the acquisition of Vladislav Namestnikov beat out the arrival of Ryan Callahan’s contract to make it into the quarterfinals. Today, two of the lower-tier first round winners are set to battle:
Trade: Dahlen --> VAN
Out: Jonathan Dahlen
In: Alex Burrows
When this trade was made, it was almost universally panned by media commentators and fans alike. The Senators dealt a promising prospect for a player clearly deep into the back nine of his career. Canucks fans were especially excited about Dahlen, considering his history with superstar Elias Pettersson. It all looked bad for the Senators. In retrospect, though, this one really didn’t turn out too bad for Ottawa in comparison. Dahlen was never able to make it with the Canucks, and has since returned to Europe. And, while Burrows received an ill-advised contract extension and performed badly as expected, he at least provided a little bit of enjoyment for the Senators and their fans. His two-goal debut was fun to watch. This deal looked brutal to start, but never really ended up hurting the team.
Trade: McCormick --> COL
Out: Max McCormick
In: J.C. Beaudin
McCormick had been a long-time journeyman with the Senators organization when he was traded to the Avalanche in 2019. He was never a particularly prolific offensive producer with the Baby Senators, and certainly not with the Big Senators during his few cups of coffee, but he was someone who had spent a bit of time with the organization. Perhaps looking to get younger and add a bit more size and potential, Dorion traded McCormick for J.C. Beaudin. While Beaudin’s transition to the pro game hasn’t been all that easy, his junior totals as late as 2016-17 give reason for optimism. The Senators clearly feel like he has potential to be at least a contributing tweener on the depth chart, as he received a bit of NHL playing time this year.
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