Alex DeBrincat trade: How deal between Blackhawks, Senators impacts Bruins originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Ottawa Senators haven’t been much of a threat to the Boston Bruins since they eliminated the Original Six club in the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
That might be changing, though.
The Senators nearly advanced to the Cup Final in that 2017 playoff run, getting to overtime of Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Final before losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Since then, Ottawa has missed the postseason in each of the last five seasons.
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But during that time, the Senators have been slowly constructing a roster with some impressive young talent, and the latest building block was acquired Thursday just a few hours before the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft.
The Senators reportedly dealt the No. 7 and No. 39 picks in the 2022 draft, as well as a 2024 third-rounder, to the Chicago Blackhawks for star left winger Alex DeBrincat.
DeBrincat is coming off his second 41-goal season. He’s averaged 32 goals in his five NHL seasons and is just 24 years old. It’s a head-scratching move for the Blackhawks and a tremendous deal for the Senators. The chances of Ottawa drafting a player as good as DeBrincat at No. 7 overall Thursday night were slim.
The Senators’ stable of quality young players is quite impressive, and they’re all making an impact at the NHL level. They are no longer a pushovers in the Atlantic Division.
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Alex DeBrincat: A 24-year-old winger who will score between 30 and 40 goals on a consistent basis.
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Brady Tkachuk: The 2018 No. 4 overall draft pick and 22-year-old winger who led the Senators with 67 points (30 goals, 37 assists) last season.
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Tim Stutzle: The 2020 No. 3 overall draft pick and 20-year-old winger set career highs with 22 goals and 36 assists last season.
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Josh Norris: Acquired in the Erik Karlsson trade a few years ago, the 23-year-old center scored a career-high 35 goals last season.
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Drake Batherson: An improving 24-year-old winger who’s put together back-to-back seasons of 17 goals.
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Jake Sanderson: The 2020 No. 5 overall pick projects to be a top-four defenseman for many years.
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Thomas Chabot: A legit top-four defenseman with a fantastic offensive skill set.
The Bruins are still better than the Senators. That much is unlikely to change next season. But a rebuild is likely on the horizon for the Bruins, whereas the Senators are headed in the opposite direction.
Patrice Bergeron cannot play forever. Brad Marchand is 34 years old and just had surgery on both of his hips. Boston’s prospect pool is among the worst in the league and the franchise doesn’t own a 2022 first-round pick or a second-rounder in 2023 and 2024. The only young players with star talent on the Bruins’ roster are Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak.
It wouldn’t be the worst idea for the Bruins to bottom out at some point in the future and try to stockpile as many top-five draft picks as possible. The best way to build a perennial winner is through the draft, which is one area where the Bruins have consistently failed over the last 15 years. Sure, they have been a few wins in the draft for Boston — like McAvoy and Pastrnak, for example — but it’s mostly been a horror show, especially during Don Sweeney’s tenure as general manager.
The Senators have been bad for more than half a decade. It was painful for their fans. But they’ve used those high picks to select a bunch of quality players and trade for another in DeBrincat. And the Senators also could be a potential suitor for top-six forward Claude Giroux in free agency next week.
Ottawa is going to be pretty good soon, maybe even in 2022-23. Unlike recent seasons, Bruins fans shouldn’t look at the matchups versus the Senators on the schedule as likely victories. The Senators will be fun to watch next season with a forward group that should be tough to defend.
The Atlantic Division will be even more competitive next season, which is bad news for a Bruins team that won’t be at full strength on Opening Night due to injuries.
