Draft should provide means to continue rebuild
Draft should provide prospect roster of next building blocks for stronger future
Pierre Dorion called this season a step in the right direction.
And whenever the 2020-21 campaign gets underway, the Ottawa Senators’ general manager is confident that with the right decisions made in the NHL Draft and proper changes to the roster, the club will continue to be competitive under coach D.J. Smith.
Dorion is hopeful the Senators’ fan base will start seeing the fruits of the club’s labour in the organization’s current rebuild.
“It wasn’t a full season but it was close enough that we got a good evaluation of our team,” Dorion said in a Zoom call with local media Thursday. “We felt we made great progress, we felt we were very competitive and we were very happy with the job D.J. and his staff have done. We felt we were progressing well and following the plan of this team getting better.
“Lots of our good, young players in Ottawa improved and got better. We had some good veterans that we counted on. At the same time, the development of the players in Ottawa and in Belleville (AHL) was very good. It’s unfortunate what happened in Belleville, with their season coming to an end, but we knew they were gaining valuable minutes there.
“I thought we made great gains in how we play, compete, team structure, and we feel the plan that (owner) Eugene Melnyk and myself put in place in February 2018 is on the right path and on schedule to bringing a lot of success down the road.”
The NHL Draft this summer is going to play a big role in shaping the direction of the next steps of this rebuild. The Senators have three picks in the first round, including two that are guaranteed to be in the top six. In all, Ottawa owns seven picks in the first two rounds and 13 in total. The draft lottery is set for June 26, while the draft itself will be held sometime in the summer or when the season is completed.
The rules of the lottery were laid out by commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly on Tuesday, and the good news for Ottawa fans is that the Senators will retain their 25-per-cent odds of getting the No. 1 overall selection. The Senators have a 13.5-per-cent chance with their own pick and another 11.5-per-cent opportunity with the selection they received from the San Jose Sharks in the Erik Karlsson trade in September 2018.
You aren’t going to hear complaints about the lottery format from Melnyk and Dorion.
“The NHL made a good decision and they consulted with many teams, including us,” Dorion said. “We’re very happy with how the draft lottery will proceed. We know we’re going to get two players in the top six in the worst-case scenario and in the best-case No. 1 and No. 2, and we’re looking forward to the draft lottery.”
That’s why Dorion noted the Senators targeted this draft when starting the rebuild because they know it’s deep with talent and one of the best in years. Ottawa not only has a shot at consensus top prospect Alexis Lafreniere of the Rimouski Oceanic, but
Tim Stuetzle of Germany and Quinton Byfield of the Sudbury Wolves are both highly rated as well. The Senators also have the New York Islanders’ first-rounder from the Jean-Gabriel Pageau deal at the trade deadline.
Dorion is confident chief scout Trent Mann and his staff are well prepared.
“We always knew this would be one of the best drafts in the last 10 to 20 years and that’s why we stocked so many picks,” Dorion said. “We wanted to get ready for it and we feel that we’re in a very good position with nine picks in the first three rounds and three picks in the first round.
“We feel we’re in a good position to help our rebuild and our long-term success by stockpiling so many picks for this year’s draft. We feel it’s a really quality draft, and in the first 15 to 20 (picks) you’re going to get really good NHL players, and in the top three rounds we feel you’re going to get really solid NHL players also.”
Dorion wouldn’t say whether he would use all the picks he has in the draft and did leave the door open to making deals for help right away if the Senators get the right offer.
“I don’t want to tip our hand on what we’re going to do with our picks,” he said. “I’m sure as we get closer to the draft there will be multiple discussions. We know that we have a plan in place, we’re going to follow that plan, we know we’re not going to rush things.
“We’re going to do things properly and that’s part of having a long-term success of building a championship-calibre team in Ottawa if we do the right thing with this draft.”
The Senators have already interviewed about 50 prospects for the draft and, at some point in the next month or two, they will hold their scouting meetings to make their final lists. The reality is they’ve got lots of time to prepare and they’re going to make good use of it.
“Right now, we’re in no rush. We’re going to have meetings in the next month or so, but we’re going to take our time and do it right,” Dorion said.
“It’s not a race here, it’s to make the best list possible going into this draft.”