Pierre Dorion will be on the phone until the NHL draft begins.
The most likely scenario would be for the design to either be held in a hotel or practically anywhere between October 9th and 15th, but it is unclear what can happen to the novel corona virus threat around the world.
With a total of 13 selections, including three in the first round and seven in the first two rounds, the senators are likely to use some of these picks to either win NHL players up, back, or in return for picks. The reality is that they are unlikely to take all of these players and some of these selections could be used in the second round to get NHL players back.
“Ottawa has a lot of space and if the salary ceiling is limited for the next year or two, there is a chance,” said Craig Button, former NHL-GM and scouting director of TSN, Monday from his home in Calgary. “The teams have to find a way to be cap compliant so there are opportunities, and how do they do that?
“Exchange players for an election. Ottawa can say that we will take this player, we have some space for the cap and you can make a selection for the second round. You want the cap management, prospect management, and roster position to tick each box, and I don’t want to be overly critical of the goalkeeper, but that’s the box you need to find to check it out. “
The answer on this front may come from within because the senators have prospects of Joey Daccord, Filip Gustavsson, Kevin Mandolese, Mads Sogaard and Marcus Hogberg in the system, but Button speaks of someone who can take them to the next level.
Button is optimistic about the path that the senators have taken in this renovation, which began in February 2018 when the owners Eugene Melnyk and Dorion decided to follow that path. Winning the lottery would have been nice, but it’s not the be-all and end-all for this plan.
“It’s a lottery and why are you buying a lottery ticket? To win, ”said Button. “You want to win and you want to be as high as possible and the fans want to see you win. Yes, there are initial disappointments, but step back and take a look at the big picture. I am really impressed with what has developed in Ottawa.
“I was really impressed with the deals (Dorion) did, how he did it and he really kept a good level of serenity. I see a team that is really well positioned. “
Twitter: @sungarrioch
