Trade gives younger players time to develop

The kids just need more time.

Yes, the Ottawa Senators plan to get back to respectability with a youth movement, but the decision to acquire 26-year-old winger Vladislav Namestnikov from the New York Rangers Tuesday had been in the works since the summer and general manager Pierre Dorion is happy to add more experience to the lineup.

The Senators made the decision to acquire Namestnikov because they feel he can help the team immediately and there’s nothing wrong with the fact a lot of the club’s top prospects will spend more time developing with the AHL affiliate in Belleville.

“We have a plan and we want to make sure we stick to the plan,” Dorion said Tuesday. “The reason we made this trade — and we personally thought it was going to happen before the season and the two losses haven’t affected anything we’ve done here — (is) because our long-term vision is to make sure our younger players develop properly in Belleville.

“And at the same time, we don’t want them to lose confidence. We want to make sure when they’re playing for the Ottawa Senators they can give us their best hockey possible. That not only helps this team, but it shows our fans that we’re doing it the right way.”

The reality is there’s no use trying to rush players to the NHL when they aren’t ready to handle the pace and that’s why the club sent winger Drake Batherson to Belleville on Sunday. He’s going to play here this season along with the likes of Logan Brown, Alex Formenton, Josh Norris and other top prospects; however, they all need more time to develop.

“It allows us to keep the young guys down there,” said coach D.J. Smith. “It’s a good move for us now and it’s a good move for us later because it allows the young guys to continue to develop down there.

“Our plan is for these guys to get (repetition) down there and confidence. Then when they come up, they’re ready. Without (acquiring Namestnikov) today, we’re an injury away from having to call up another young guy.

Dorion said he’s liked what he’s seen from Namestnikov and so did the club’s pro scouting staff and that’s why the deal was made.

“We’re very happy to have him on board,” Dorion said. “We feel we’re adding someone that can play in our top nine, can play on both special teams, has a great hockey sense, quick hands in tight and has good pace and quickness, will definitely help in the short term and in the long term with the compete level he brings.” twitter.com/sungarrioch