Ottawa Senators assistant general manager Tim Murray doesn’t appear to be thrilled with the depth of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
“I don’t think it (the draft) is as deep as I’ve been told by you guys (the media),” Murray told NHL.com. “But in saying that, I think the top end is good. The first couple of rounds are decent. At the top of the first round is very good. I think it’s a decent draft.”
The Senators, who currently have the 17th pick, would like to get into the top 10 but might have some trouble doing so, said general manager Bryan Murray.
“I think it will be difficult to move up from the indications I’ve gotten,” Murray told reporters Tuesday. “I’ve talked to a number of teams now and they haven’t even given me a price to move up.”
With the draft less than a week away, Murray said he hasn’t given up on making a deal.
“As I’ve been told by a couple of managers, ‘It’s hard to move back to No. 17 from where we are,'” Murray said. “Maybe on the day of the draft somebody will come and say, ‘If you give me X player I would consider it.’ I haven’t been given that option so far.”
Defenceman Cody Ceci was taken by the Senators 15th overall in last year’s draft and Tim Murray cites that the club will most likely look at offence if they stay at No. 17.
“If you go back and look at the past drafts, it’s tough to get an impact defenseman at that point,” Tim Murray said. “I’ll let you guys figure that out. The percentages say it will be a forward, but maybe a defenseman drops.”