Yes, things are bad for the Ottawa Senators. After coming into the 2023-24 season with playoff hopes, the team sunk to last in the Eastern Conference, leading to the firing of their general manager and coach, but it’s hardly improved since then. The young core is not performing as expected, the depth has once again come into question, and neither of their two starting goalies can bail them out of a tough spot. The lack of success has led to plenty of trade speculation, leading to Jakub Chychrun being on the trade block. It’s not a fun time to be a Senators fan.
However, thankfully, there is a silver lining – the Senators’ top prospects are doing just fine. December was a strong month for many of Ottawa’s young players, and while there may not be any superstars left in the mix, last month demonstrated that these players look destined to make an impact at the NHL level. Here’s a rundown of the best stories from December and early January.
Donovan and Toure Are On the Move
Jorian Donovan has been having a stellar 2023-24; in 34 games with the Brantford Bulldogs, he leads the team’s defence with 28 points and sits 15th among all Ontario Hockey League (OHL) defencemen in points per game. He was also an injury replacement for Team Canada at the 2024 World Juniors and managed to play in all five games. But just four games since returning from Sweden, he’s on the move again after he was flipped to the Saginaw Spirit for a whopping eight picks: two second-rounders, four thirds, and two fourths.
Trades like that are unthinkable in the NHL, but during the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Trade Deadline, they’re all but commonplace. Even though the Bulldogs are one of the OHL’s best teams, the Spirit are hosting the 2024 Memorial Cup and have gone on a spending spree to load up on talent. No price is too expensive, and so when Saginaw’s general manager had a chance to add a top defenceman, he took it, saying, “the amount of experience this young man has packed into his hockey career is remarkable, and that naturally leads to the character and leadership qualities our staff seeks out. We believe we’ve gotten the best two-way defender in the league.”
Donovan wasn’t the only Senators’ prospect dealt in the past week. Djibril Toure was also traded from the Sudbury Wolves to the Windsor Spitfires. After seemingly coming out of nowhere at the Senators Rookie…
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