"I honestly think we earned the right for Pierre to add a player at the deadline," forward Derick Brassard said earlier this week.
Ask, and ye shall receive.
Indeed, the Senators landed one of the biggest names on the market Wednesday
by sending three draft picks
to the Arizona Coyotes for highly coveted defenseman
Jakob Chychrun
.
"I think we owe it to the players," Dorion said Thursday. "Anyone who's watched us play the last little while can't not be impressed with how they've played, how hard they've worked. The players]*
Ottawa hasn't qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2017, when it lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the conference final in seven games. After five years of collecting draft picks and prospects, the Senators were aggressive in the free agent market and on the trade front this offseason and have raised expectations, both within the organization and among their fan base.
To that end, Chychrun is the next step.
"I said at the end of the season, we want to play meaningful games late this season], and I think we're one step closer to doing that," Dorion said in July. "Obviously, the rebuild has been going on, we feel we're in the next phase now."
Give Dorion credit. After talking the talk, the Senators GM is walking the walk.
Look at their core: Giroux, DeBrincat, Drake Batherson,
[Tim Stutzle
, Josh Norris (injured) and Brady Tkachuk at forward; Chabot, Chychrun and Sanderson at defenseman. There are still question marks, including in goal, but it's an impressive nucleus nonetheless.
There still is work to be done. The Senators (30-26-4) have 64 points, five behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild card into the playoffs from the East.
Still, Brassard feels they're in enough of a competitive spot to warrant some help on the trade market.
Obviously, Dorion agreed. And then some.
