"I think we have to look at everything," Dorion said Wednesday. "Maybe this is the year that we move pick seven to get an impact player that can help us right away. We're not going to get a guy that's a pending (unrestricted free agent) in a year's time; I don't think that would be really smart for us to do. But if we can get a guy that we know we will have some control over for more than a few years, that's something we'd definitely look at.
"It's no secret that we have a lot of good young players, but adding an impact player, someone that can help us get to that next level, that's something we would definitely look at."
The Senators have 10 potential picks in the 2022 draft at Bell Centre in Montreal on July 7-8 and several first-round selections either on the roster or in the system (Brady Tkachuk, Thomas Chabot, Josh Norris,
Jacob Bernard-Docker
,
Lassi Thomson
,
Tim Stutzle
, Jake Sanderson,
Ridly Greig
,
Tyler Boucher
).
Dorion cited a need to add a top-four defenseman to a young core at the position that includes Thomson, a 21-year-old who had five assists in 16 games for the Senators this season. Docker, 21, had one assist in eight games. Sanderson signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Ottawa on March 27 after two seasons at the University of North Dakota. He is expected to attend development camp after recovering from a hand injury.
The Senators (33-42-7) failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth straight season, the longest drought in their history. They haven't qualified since 2016-17, when they advanced to the Eastern Conference Final before losing Game 7 in double overtime to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
"We've never hid the fact that we'd like to add a top-four defenseman, but those don't grow on trees," Dorion said. "I think every team that needed a top-four defenseman went and got one before the playoffs started and paid a significant price for it. We need to add depth up front and some scoring up front. Those are two things we have to do internally. Whether it's sacrificing prospects, picks, current players within our own roster, that's something that we'll look at in the offseason."
Dorion also said Matt Murray will be ready for training camp and that the goalie was in good spirits during his recovery from a concussion when he visited the Senators' executive offices Tuesday. Murray went 5-12-2 with a 3.05 goals-against average and .906 save percentage in 20 games this season.
The two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Penguins (2016, 2017) started 0-5-0 with a 3.26 GAA and .890 save percentage before he was placed on waivers and sent to Belleville of the American Hockey League on Nov. 28. He was in NHL COVID-19 protocol from Nov. 11-20 and out with an upper-body injury from Oct. 23-Nov. 1.
Anton Forsberg led Senators goalies with 46 games played (44 starts). Filip Gustavsson played 18 (16 starts), and 21-year-old prospect
Mads Sogaard
was 1-1-0 in two starts.
Murray, who turned 28 on Wednesday, completed the second season of a four-year, $25 million contract ($6.25 million average annual value) he signed Oct. 9, 2020, two days after he was acquired in a trade with the Penguins.
"We don't see any hurdles for him playing for us," Dorion said.
---
Listen: New episode of NHL Draft Class
