Senators Draft Preview: Opportunity for Staios to restock prospect cupboard

OTTAWA — For many years, the NHL draft was the Ottawa Senators’ Stanley Cup of sorts. Hope sprang eternal, rising up from the despair of missing the playoffs yet again.

That is no more. After breaking their post-season drought, the Senators have the 21st selection in the upcoming draft.

It’s a new feeling in Ottawa. The future is cool, but the near present is more important for fans and, to some extent, the organization.  

Often, after a team takes the leap into the playoffs, the general manager is aggressive in pursuit of an immediate impact player. But one constraint on the Senators is that they do not have a cupboard filled with prospects.

After trading away first-round picks in three straight years, the team has only one elite prospect: last year’s seventh overall pick, Carter Yakemchuk. And then there’s the impending loss of the team’s first-round pick next year from the botched Evgenii Dadonov trade.

So, the more prudent approach for GM Steve Staios might be to hold on and select a talented young player. Nonetheless, Staios will tell you "everything is on the table," and there is a chance he will trade away his pick for the right piece such as Calgary's Rasmus Andersson or Buffalo's J.J. Peterka.  

Speaking of prospects, in Staios's first draft last year, all seven of Ottawa’s selections were six foot-two or above. Staios denied his picks were all about size, but it’ll be interesting to see whether that trend holds this year.

If the Senators do make the selection at 21, it will likely be the best player available because Ottawa is in no place to draft based on needs with such limited talent in its pipeline. It might also be shrewd of the Senators to trade down from No. 21 to recoup some much-needed draft capital.  

Draft picks: First, Third (via Florida), Fourth (via San Jose), Fifth, Sixth, Seventh

Potential Round 1 options

Jack Nesbitt, C, 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)

Nesbitt was the name our scouting expert Jason Bukala said would be a perfect fit in Ottawa. He's a big body who can play centre and wing while providing high-end compete and excellent net front battle. He excels at the bumper spot on the power play. Nesbitt netted 25 goals and 64 points in Windsor last season.

Bill Zonnon, C, 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL)

Zonnon is likely a player who will still be available at 21 for the Senators. Bukala calls him “Brady Tkachuk lite,” which is music to Senators fans' ears. Zonnon is super competitive, big, strong and dominant in front of the net. Like Tkachuk, he's not the prettiest skater, but he's always in the fight. If his feet arrive, he could be a strong addition at the NHL level.

Blake Fiddler, D, 6-foot-4, 209 pounds, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)

Fiddler comes in the mould of a second-pairing, shutdown-type defenceman. Big, strong, always in the right place, blocks shots and is an excellent skater. His dad, Vernon Fiddler, played in the NHL. He likely won’t be much of a point producer at the next level but could be an ideal elite defensive stalwart for the Senators.

Malcolm Spence, LW, 6-foot-1, 203 pounds, Erie Otters (OHL)

If the Senators want a high upside player, Spence is that. He creates offence via his size, speed and skill. However, his motor has been questioned. The Senators have rarely bet on a player who doesn’t have an elite compete level, but his best shift arguably is better than any of the aforementioned players. He produced 32 goals and 73 points with Erie.

Last year's top pick

Some commentators, myself included, thought Yakemchuk should have made the Senators out of training camp last season. But after his breakout pre-season, his play in the Western Hockey League left scouts underwhelmed. However, Senators brass was pleased with his performance in the WHL, and Bukala calls him a "workhorse." Yakemchuk went from over a point-per-game player in his draft season to 49 points in 56 games with the Calgary Hitmen this season.

Yakemchuk has silky smooth hands, loves to compete, is incredibly strong and physical and boasts a creative offensive mind that is propelled by a cannon of a shot. But his skating still needs to improve. He told Sportsnet.ca during last season’s training camp that his skating was the part of his game he was trying to refine.

The other glaring hole in Yakemchuk’s game — a reminder, he’s only 19 — is his defensive play and his puck recoveries at five-on-five, according to Bukala. In the defensive end last season, he tended to lose coverages at a high rate for junior hockey, leading to Calgary not trusting him to play on the penalty kill. If he rounds out his defensive game, he could be an elite NHL defenceman.

Some within the Senators organization believe Yakemchuk could be ready for the NHL and make the team this coming season, but Bukala doesn’t believe he’s ready. This writer is also skeptical, but with Nick Jensen’s injury looming large there is an even larger hole on the right side of the Senators defence corps as it currently stands. The Senators may already be ruing passing on Zeev Buium, the blue liner who went to the Minnesota Wild and debuted in the playoffs. Yakemchuk’s growth this season and beyond — whether in the American Hockey League or in Ottawa — will be a huge story to monitor if the Senators want to go from a good playoff team to a great one. No pressure, kid.

One bold prediction

In his latest 32 Thoughts column, the great Elliotte Friedman mentioned that he'd "heard (Claude) Giroux and Ottawa were battling over bonus structure" in contract negotiations. It’s surprising that Giroux and the Senators haven’t signed on the dotted line despite both sides reportedly wanting one another. It could have been done yesterday.

This is where my bold prediction comes in: the Senators are holding back their negotiations because they want to upgrade their top six by trading for Peterka while signing him to a seven-year, $49 million contract with the money originally allocated to Giroux. As good as Giroux still is at 37, a younger and more productive player such as Peterka is what Ottawa should prioritize. If Giroux is left at the altar, that’s OK if the Senators are able to find a better marriage for now and the future.