Dorion mulls trade, draft options
Plenty of picks could put Sens in trade mix in advance of NHL draft on Oct. 6 and 7
It's like the NHL calendar has moved from June to September.
The Stanley Cup Final is set to start as early as Saturday night if the Tampa Bay Lightning can send the New York Islanders packing Thursday night in Game 6 in Edmonton, with the winner taking on the Dallas Stars. And the level of trade chatter around the NHL has increased over the course of the past week or so.
That's because with the virtual NHL draft set for Oct. 6-7 and the salary cap remaining flat at US$81.5 million, the NHL's 31 general managers are trying to put pieces in place for whenever the 2020-21 season begins. The threat of the novel coronavirus has left a ton of uncertainty within the league and several teams are looking to cut salary instead of adding to their payroll.
With nine picks in the first three rounds and 13 in total, Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion can expect his phone to ring a lot in the next three weeks. Teams will be looking to move contracts in exchange for picks, and the Senators can use some of those assets as they've got to shore up places that need immediate attention.
But, as pointed out by a league executive Wednesday, don't expect anything to happen quickly. Teams usually get things done when there's a deadline attached and that's why there's a chance it may take until the actual week of the draft before trades occur.
The good news after months of inactivity is that trade talk is heating up again and, at the least, you can expect Dorion and the Senators to be in the middle of those discussions. Qualifying offers for restricted free agents are due on Oct. 7 at 5 p.m. EST and that's going to play a role.
The flat cap “is paralyzing and a propellent at the same time,” TSN analyst Dave Poulin, a former NHL executive and player, said Wednesday from Toronto. “Teams know they have to do stuff. You're going to see (GMs)
There are going to be teams that are going to say, ‘We’re not going to go the cap. We’re just simply not.’
try to slide players through qualifying-offer (period) and then come back to offer them something else.
“That's a critical date because teams are going to be watching those lists. And the sense I'm getting is there's more teams aren't looking to make change — they have to make change.”
There are several teams that will be trying to cut payroll. That doesn't mean the Senators will have to take on bad contracts by any stretch of the imagination, but it does mean maybe they can bolster some areas on their roster.
“I do think, depending on the industry (the owner is in), there are going to be teams that are going to say, `We're not going to go the cap. We're just simply not. We're going to be a budget team,' ” Poulin said. “And, who knows what we're talking about for next season?
“Are we going to see full stands? Are we talking about a Jan. 1 start? We're not going to have that information when these decisions are being made by teams and that's the problem. Teams are going to be airing on the conservative side” when it comes to making moves.
That could make for attractive options for the Senators if they decide to go that route. It's believed the club is involved in talks for a veteran goaltender
— it may be Pittsburgh's Matt Murray — and it's possible one of those selections could be used to help stabilize the net. Columbus and Arizona are also dangling goaltending options on the NHL trade market.
Of course, there also are going to be possibilities at forward and defence — and that is why Dorion will consider all the options that are put in front of him in the coming weeks before the draft. The Senators are going to cash in by getting two high-end prospects with the No. 3 and No. 5 selections, but those players may not be ready next season.
Dorion is “going to be able get players (through trades), he should be able to get them cheap, and that doesn't mean he'll have to take bad contracts,” Poulin said. “He can get guys like Chris Tierney. He's a good 25-year-old pro who can contribute.”
Dorion has his own restricted free agent to deal with and so he has to see where everybody fits.
Down the road, one way or another, restricted free agents Anthony Duclair, Connor Brown, Filip Chlapik, Rudolfs Balcers, Nick Paul, Christian Jaros,
Joey Daccord and Tierney will all be signed. Some have rights to arbitration but all will be in camp. Decisions have to be made on Andreas Englund and Jayce Hawryluk.
As we get closer to the draft and the Cup final gets completed, gossip will increase. A lot has changed in the world, but one area that won't is the time around the draft being used by teams to set the table for next year, and you can expect Dorion will have no shortage of options.