2011 NHL Entry Draft: Ottawa Senators open thread
It seems like it took a painfully long time to come, but here we are in Minnesota at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. For the Ottawa Senators, this may very well be the most important draft in the history of the franchise, certainly within the last decade, as it will go a long way in determining the future core of the post-Senate Reform squad. Bryan Murray has certainly got the ammunition to make it a memorable draft, with (barring a trade) 12 selections in the seven-round draft, including six within the first 66 choices overall.
Only twice in team history have the Senators had as many draft picks as they have this year, and those years correspond with the selections of the best two centremen in franchise history: Alexei Yashin in 1992 (when the Senators had 12 selections in an 11-round draft) and Jason Spezza in 2001 (the Sens again had 12 picks, but it was a nine-round draft). This is especially interesting because, barring a massive surprise, the Senators will be selecting a centreman with their top pick this season.
Join us here through the two days of NHL Entry Draft magic to talk about everything that's happening on the draft floor.
ROUND ONE
- 6 overall
- 21 overall (From Nashville as part of the Mike Fisher trade)
ROUND TWO
- 35 overall
- 48 overall (from Chicago as part of the Chris Campoli trade)
- 61 overall (from Boston as part of the Chris Kelly trade)
ROUND THREE
- 66 overall/
ROUND FOUR
- 96 overall/
ROUND FIVE
- 126 overall/
ROUND SIX
- 156 overall
- 171 overall (from Anaheim, in exchange for Jarkko Ruutu)
ROUND SEVEN
- 186 overall
- 204 overall (from Pittsburgh, in exchange for Alex Kovalev)