Since May 10th when Pierre Dorion and co. found out that the Ottawa Senators were going to be selecting inside the top 10 of the NHL Entry Draft for a fifth consecutive year when their name was announced for the seventh overall pick at the NHL lottery, the biggest question was “what would they do with this pick?”
The Senators brass understands that the team has holes to fill heading into free agency, specifically when it comes to their top six (winger) forward and top four (right hand) defenceman, and the seventh overall pick could land them a fix in one of those areas.
If you need a reminder on how the last four years of top 10 drafting have gone, here it is.
- 2018 – 4th Overall – LW Brady Tkachuk
- 2019 – 4th Overall – D Bowen Byram (COL via Matt Duchene trade)
- 2020 – 3rd Overall – C/LW Tim Stützle (via SJS in Erik Karlsson trade)
- 2020 – 5th Overall – D Jake Sanderson
- 2021 – 10th Overall – RW Tyler Boucher
Now into the fun stuff. It’s been reported that the Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild, and Vegas Golden Knights have all shown interest in acquiring the pick, and each team, conveniently, has a player that could benefit the Senators heading into the 2022-23 season. Let’s take a look at each of the four teams and what a potential deal might look like.
Arizona Coyotes
2022 1st Round draft picks:
- 3rd Overall
- 27th Overall via Carolina Hurricanes
- 31st or 32nd Overall via Colorado Avalanche
The Coyotes are a very interesting team as they currently have a total of seven picks within the first two rounds of the 2022 draft. We know that Arizona is looking to move left-handed defenceman Jacob Chychrun, but could they be looking at trading their star right-winger Clayton Keller?
Clayton Keller’s 2021-22 season ended prematurely, when he crashed legs-first into the boards against the San Jose Sharks in March. He is expected to be ready for the start of the 2022-23 season, however. The soon to be 24 year old finished the season with 28 goals and 63 points in only 67 games. Keller has 6 years left on an 8-year $57,200,000 signed in 2019 carrying a $7,150,000 million AAV towards the cap.
What could a deal look like between the Coyotes and Senators?
Arizona Coyotes receive:
- 2022 1st round pick (7th overall)
- 2022 2nd round (via TB)
- RHD Jacob Bernard-Docker (1yr x 950K ELC)
- LW Alex Formenton (RFA)
Ottawa Senators receive:
- RW Clayton Keller
- 2024 2nd round pick (via FLA)
Arizona adds two more picks in the first two rounds while also bringing in two young players who they can either sign or flip for more draft capital, while Ottawa is able to solidify their top six with Keller slotting in with Batherson as your right side.
Chicago Blackhawks
2022 first-round draft picks
- 6th overall (to Columbus for Seth Jones)
When the Chicago Blackhawks made the blockbuster moves for Seth Jones out of Columbus and Marc-Andre Fleury out of Vegas, it was a signal that they were looking at remaining competitive and pushing for a playoff spot heading into the 2021-2022 season.
It was reported that Chicago was fielding offers for 40-time goal scorer Alex DeBrincat and would be looking for a young NHL player, high draft pick, and high prospect as a return. While nothing is guaranteed, moving the 24-year-old with one year left on his deal which carries a $6,400,000 million cap hit next season before his arbitration-eligible RFA status would bring back the biggest return.
What could a deal between Chicago and Ottawa look like?
Chicago Blackhawks receive:
- 2022 1st round pick (7th overall)
- 2023 1st round pick (top 5 protected)
- 2022 3rd round pick (via BOS)
- C Ridly Greig (3 years x $863,333 ELC)
- LW Alex Formenton (RFA)
Ottawa Senators receive:
- Alex Debrincat (1 year x 6.4M + 7 year x 52.5M extension)
- 2023 2nd round pick (via TB)
Minnesota Wild
2022 first-round picks
- 24th overall
A first-round exit at the hands of the St. Louis Blues has given the organization plenty of time to reflect and work on a plan on what can be done with maneuvering the upcoming cap issues with the $12,743,588 in dead cap on the books due to the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts last offseason.
Right-handed defenceman Matt Dumba has one year left at 6M AAV, and pending RFA winger Kevin Fiala needs a new big-money contract, Bill Guerin could look to move either player to help restock the team’s prospect pool with Matthew Boldy, Marco Rossi and Calen Addison all looking to take the step to everyday NHLer once camp opens up in the fall.
Ottawa could use Minnesota to fill two holes in one trade by potentially acquiring both Fiala and Dumba in a blockbuster deal.
What would a Minnesota and Ottawa trade look like?
Minnesota Wild receive:
- 2022 1st round pick (7th overall)
- 2023 1st round pick (Top 10 protected)
- 2022 2nd round pick (via TB)
- C Ridly Greig (3 years x $863,333 ELC)
- RW Connor Brown ( 1 year x $3,600,000)
- LHD Erik Brännström (RFA)
Ottawa Senators receive:
- RHD Matt Dumba (1 year x 6M + 5 year x 32.5M extension)
- RW/LW Kevin Fiala (RFA – 7 year x 49M extension)
- 2023 2nd round pick
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas missed the playoffs for the first time in their short franchise history and they need to replenish their prospect pool after trading their 2019 first-round pick (Peyton Krebs) and all three of their 2017 first-round draft picks (Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki and Erik Brännstöm).
With a projected -$2,657,143 in cap space according to cap-friendly, Vegas is in massive need of a move to save some money, and get into a comfortable spot heading into the season where they hope that Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, and Max Pacioretty will all be healthy for the full season. The big question is, who is untouchable?
What would a Vegas and Ottawa trade look like?
Vegas Golden Knights receive:
- 2022 1st round pick (7th overall
- 2022 2nd round pick (OTT)
- RHD Lassi Thomson (2 years x $863,333)
- LW Alex Formenton (RFA)
Ottawa Senators receive:
- RHD Shea Theodore (3 years x $5,200,000)
- 2023 3rd round pick (VGK)
Over the next two weeks, we are going to hear a lot more of these as we get closer to the NHL Draft and the conversation around what deals could look like will continue to heat up as fans speculate on if Ottawa decides to either make the pick or to move it.
Thanks for reading. Let me know which offer you like or what you think a more realistic offer would be? What other teams could make a play for the seventh overall?
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