June 13, 2024 | 12:45pm ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

SENATORS OPEN TO TRADING 7TH OVERALL PICK

Senators GM Steve Staios

The Ottawa Senators are exploring all of their options ahead of this month’s NHL Draft in Las Vegas, including trading the seventh-overall pick.

On Wednesday night, Senators Sr. Vice President Dave Poulin spoke at the club’s first Spring Summit for season-ticket holders at the Canadian Tire Centre and revealed they have spoken with other teams about the pick.

“We had interest in the (No. 7) pick,” Poulin said, as quoted by the Ottawa Citizen. “Teams will call you and say, ‘Are you interested in moving the pick?’ and you don’t know what that’s going to look like because you don’t know what’s going to be available there. You have to stay very flexible.”

The Senators could move back in the Draft, or trade the pick entirely for immediate help. The uncertainty in who could be available at the No.7 slot adds to the mystery.

“There are so many questions about this early group,” Poulin said. “It’s very hard to nail down. Very often you know who is going to go No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3. This group is all over the board. By all accounts, Macklin Celebrini will go No. 1 and after that it’s wide open.”

The Senators have been evaluating the goaltending market, as well, and GM Steve Staios has reached out to the New Jersey Devils about Jacob Markstrom, the Boston Bruins about Linus Ullmark and Nashville Predators about Juuse Saros. However, the Sens have wanted to move Joonas Korpisalo in a deal and that seems to be a sticking point.

There is also speculation that Markstrom may not be interested in waiving his no-movement clause to play for the Senators.