Draft-bound Dorion readies game plan
In wake of cyberbullying fallout, Hoffman deal desired before Dallas NHL entry draft
Pierre Dorion will pack his bags Tuesday to head for the Lone Star State.
He might want to bring along an extra cellphone battery or two.
As the Ottawa Senators prepare for the NHL Draft Friday and Saturday at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, getting prepared for the No. 4 and No. 22 selections in the first-round is just one of the items on Dorion’s plate as this pivotal week begins.
Not only does Dorion need to sit down with chief scout Trent Mann and staff to map out what’s going to take place at the draft table this weekend, the Senators also face the task of setting a course for what’s going to happen before training camp opens in September.
The first order of business — after deciding who to take with the No. 4 pick — is fielding calls to determine what the club might be able to get in return for winger Mike Hoffman, who could have a new home by the end of the week.
Yes, there has been plenty of speculation over what the club might get in return after it was reported last week that Melinda Karlsson, the wife of Senators’ captain Erik Karlsson, has filed for an order of protection against Hoffman’s fiancée Monika Caryk because of alleged cyberbullying.
Though there has been plenty of talk that the asking price for Hoffman has diminished as a result of the accusations that he and Caryk denied to this newspaper Friday, the Senators should still get a decent return because of Hoffman’s proven goal-scoring ability. There are no shortage of teams looking for offensive help next season.
With a cap hit of $5.187 million through the final two years of his contract, it’s believed there are still several teams interested in Hoffman. The St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks and New Jersey Devils are all in the market for scoring help.
“The hockey player is the same player. Do I think they can still trade (Hoffman)? Yes, I do,” said a league executive Monday. “He’s demonstrated that he can score goals. He’s not in the top echelon but he’s certainly a goal scorer that’s for sure. This (other) stuff just doesn’t make the deal easy for Pierre.”
It’s hard to predict what the asking price might be for Hoffman, but there’s a sense the club would like a first-round pick in 2019 and a player who can help immediately. That figures to be difficult to get at this juncture, however, there’s no question Hoffman can help somebody.
It’s in the best interests of the Senators to try to get this move done quickly. Teams are going to want to do their own homework on Hoffman and Caryk before making a decision, but ideally, Dorion would like to have this trade done before the draft wraps up.
Of course, we’re going to have to keep an eye on Karlsson as well.
The Senators stated during the town hall meetings with fans in April they plan to make him an offer for a contract extension on July 1 and then hope to negotiate an agreement which would keep him in Ottawa long-term.
Since the club listened to offers for Karlsson at the trade deadline — including pursuits by the Vegas Golden Knights and Tampa Bay Lightning — teams are certainly going to come calling again when Dorion arrives in Dallas. That’s just the reality.
This is the time of year where teams are engaged in the process and are trying to build for next season. If teams are serious about Karlsson, they’re going to make a hard push in Dallas to see if they can entice the Senators into making a deal for the franchise blue-liner.
If that’s not enough, the club also has to determine what it’s going to do with the No. 1 selection. There will be offers to move down in the draft but, Dorion and Mann need to determine what that’s going to do to the selection pool if the club does decide to step back.
While Swedish defenceman Rasmus Dahlin remains the consensus No. 1 pick, it gets interesting from there, but many believe Barrie Colts’ forward Andrei Svechnikov is going second to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Montreal Canadiens hold the No. 3 pick.
The Senators have identified seven or eight players they like because of the uncertainty of what teams may do in front of them.
Forwards Brady Tkachuk of Boston University, Filip Zadina of the Halifax Mooseheads and Michigan’s Quinn Hughes along with highly-rated blueliners Noah Dobson of Acadie-Bathurst and Evan Bouchard of London are all highly thought of by the Senators.
And, once that decision is made, the Senators’ next order of business will be the No. 22, a selection they acquired in the deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins at the deadline for centre Derick Brassard.
It’s going to be a busy week indeed. Stay tuned.