The Ottawa Senators entered Phase 1 of the Draft Lottery in June with the best combined odds to land the No. 1 overall selection and exited with picks No. 3 and 5. Don’t expect the club to trade them away or attempt a deal to land that top spot.
“The idea of trading our 3rd and 5th picks for the No. 1 pick is nonsensical,” Senators owner Eugene Melnyk told Postmedia on Monday, via email. “We’re very excited to welcome our many new Ottawa Senators that will come to us via the upcoming draft.”
The New York Rangers, fresh off being eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the qualifying round of the NHL’s return to play, emerged as the winners of Phase 2 of the Draft Lottery last week and will pick first. The Los Angeles Kings won the right to pick second.
The rebuilding Senators have been busily piling up draft picks ahead of this year’s particularly deep talent pool. At No. 3, they’re guaranteed a top forward in either Quinton Byfield or Tim Stutzle. At No. 5, they’ll be in a position to take the top defenceman in the draft — the smooth-skating Jamie Drysdale, or elite shutdown man Jake Sanderson. They’ll also have a third first-rounder, acquired from the New York Islanders as part of the Jean-Gabriel Pageau trade.
[relatedlinks]
