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Ottawa will be Drafting in the Late Teens

May 6, 2019, 10:31 PM ET [20 Comments]
Trevor Shackles
Ottawa Senators Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
You can follow me on Twitter @ShackTS

The Columbus Blue Jackets were eliminated tonight after their 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins, meaning we’re one step closer to knowing exactly where the Senators will be drafting in the first round:




The Senators acquired this first round pick in the Matt Duchene trade, and it is the only 1st round pick they have in 2019. If the Blue Jackets had moved onto the Conference Finals, this pick would have moved into the 28th-31st range, as the final four teams always draft at the bottom regardless of their regular season record. However, Columbus finished the season 13th overall (19th in reverse order), and because they only won one playoff round, that draft pick will not slide any lower.

Not only that, Colorado and Dallas finished lower than Columbus so if one of them makes the Conference Finals, the pick will move up to 18th, and if both of them win, it will move up to 17th. Picking anywhere between 17th-19th is quite good for a 1st round pick acquired for a rental because usually the teams that acquire a player like Duchene end up drafting somewhere around 25th-31st. The difference between 17th-19th and 28th-31st would not have been devastating necessarily, but it’s noteworthy, and Senators fans have to be pretty happy with having a draft pick in the top 20.

No, it’s not 4th overall, but they should still be getting a solid prospect with that pick. Furthermore, Ottawa also has the 32nd and 44th overall picks, so this draft will still be very important for their farm system.

I think this has been the best scenario for the Senators so far, as Duchene got to be a part of a winning playoff team (his first playoff series win in his career), but they still get a draft pick in the teens. In addition, there’s a solid chance Ottawa gets Columbus’ 1st rounder in 2020 as well. Winning a series should be good enough to convince Duchene that the Blue Jackets are a strong team, even if some of their UFAs leave in the summer. He seemed to have so much fun in the playoffs, and I really think he wants to stay there:







The Blue Jackets have to be willing to give him a hefty contract too, but if one of or both of Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky leave, I’m sure they will be desperate to keep Duchene around. Perhaps I am being too optimistic about his chances to stay in Columbus, but it feels very realistic that he re-signs. All he wants to do is be on a winning team, and Columbus did a good job of that in the playoffs. If both sides can get a deal done, then Ottawa will get a third 1st round pick in 2020, which would be huge for their rebuild.

All in all, tonight’s news was great, as the Senators could very well end up with an extra draft pick in the teens in both 2019 and 2020.
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