Ottawa Senators: 2020 NHL Draft will be huge turning point

The Ottawa Senators have an opportunity to change their future at the 2020 NHL Draft. It’s an opportunity they can’t afford to miss.

The Ottawa Senators have been trending in the wrong direction ever since they lost in the Eastern Conference Final to the Pittsburgh Penguins back in 2017. Since then, the Senators have a .411% point percentage, which is the second-lowest mark in the NHL, trailing only the dreadful Detroit Red Wings.

They’ve seen so many different players depart and sign elsewhere. First, it was captain Erik Karlsson, who got traded to the San Jose Sharks. Next, it was forward Mark Stone, who got sent to the Vegas Golden Knights. This season, it was Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who got traded to the New York Islanders and almost immediately signed a massive extension.

If goaltender Craig Anderson departs or retires this offseason, Bobby Ryan will be the only player left from Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Final. That’s quite the turnaround in merely three years.

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However, the Senators will have an opportunity to turn their franchise around at the 2020 NHL Draft. The 2019 draft could have ended horribly, as they had to send their first-round pick to the Colorado Avalanche. Luckily, it wasn’t a top-three pick and at least the Senators got Brady Tkachuk from the 2018 draft.

At the 2020 draft, the Senators will have 13 draft picks, including nine picks in the first three rounds. Three of those picks will come in the first round. They got the San Jose Sharks 2020 first-round pick because they re-signed Karlsson and got one from the New York Islanders for Pageau (assuming they don’t have a top three pick in the draft).

Two of their first round picks could feasibly be in the top three. According to Tankathon, the Senators own first-round pick has a 13.5% chance of being the first overall pick. Moreover, the Sharks first-round pick has an 11.5% chance of being the first overall-pick.

Under the current format, the lowest the Senators own first rounder can be is fifth, while the lowest the Sharks can be is sixth. It’s quite plausible the Senators could have two picks in the top five in a very loaded draft.

Armed with four second round picks, if the Senators really like someone in the later part of the first round, they’ve got the ammunition necessary to make a huge move up to grab them. That would give them four first-round picks.

The Senators must use the 2020 draft to get as many future pieces for the next contending team as possible. They really can’t afford to miss on many of their draft picks in the first three rounds. Luckily, this draft is full of great players and the Senators should easily be able to exit the draft with no fewer than two future impact players.

Right now, the fans in Ottawa need something to cheer about. They saw their hearts get ripped out back in 2017. Their hearts proceeded to be put back in and then ripped out repeatedly over the past three seasons. A strong draft by the Senators would go a long way to improving the morale in Ottawa.

The Senators need a miracle to get the first overall pick. This would give them the chance to draft Alexis Lafrenière, who projects to be an excellent scoring wing. They haven’t had someone like him since Daniel Alfredsson. But even if Lady Luck doesn’t smile upon the Senators at the draft lottery, they’re in an excellent position to drastically change their future. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is up to them.