After selecting Sokolov and Jarventie in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft, the Senators traded away both this month. Why?
After selecting Sokolov and Jarventie in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft, the Senators traded away both this month. Why?
The Ottawa Senators’ vaunted 2020 draft class has taken a small blow over the last few weeks.
While the team’s first-round selections (Tim Stützle, Jake Sanderson, and Ridly Greig) have developed into lynchpins, the organization has cut ties with two of their second-round picks.
After trading Egor Sokolov (61st overall) to Utah earlier this month for Jan Jeník, general manager Steve Staios packaged Roby Järventie (33rd overall) and a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Edmonton Oilers yesterday for forwards Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson.
The 2020 second-round picks represented two of the younger, more impactful offensive players on the Belleville Senators, but their futures in Ottawa felt muddied.
Järventie’s value rested in his shot and scoring ability. In 22 AHL games with Belleville, the Finnish winger produced nine goals and 20 points. His all-around game remained a work in progress, but a persistent knee injury that required offseason surgery has hampered his development.
Sokolov is a power forward who used his size and strength to create offence. Despite these qualities, his skating ability has fueled concerns about whether it would allow him to become an NHL regular.
If their production levels were substantial, it would quell concerns about their respective shortcomings. Perhaps that development can occur with fresh starts elsewhere, but the risk that Ottawa gave up on either player feels small. Järventie’s a shooter whose two-way game needs refining, and the reality is that Sokolov’s 24 years old. This version of the player feels a true representation of his talent level.
More importantly, their departures represent a philosophical shift.
Staios’ two trades emphasize a pursuit of balance.
In moving two one-dimensional offensive prospects, the Senators have acquired players who offer multi-positional flexibility and represent better fits for bottom-six depth roles. This change in philosophy reflects a desire for more immediate, reliable, two-way contributions to the lineup. By focusing on players who can solidify his team’s depth, Staios is trying to create a more balanced and, hopefully, competitive roster.
There is also the roll of the dice that Xavier Bourgault can be more than he has shown through two professional seasons in the AHL. The 2021 first-round pick (22nd overall) was praised for his offensive ability and legitimate middle-six projection as a prospect, but like many other Oilers prospects, his development sputtered.
Byron Bader’s HockeyProspecting.com uses a player’s offensive production and NHL historical data to project the likelihood of a prospect panning out and developing into a star or regular. Of all the players mentioned above, Bader’s model believes Bourgault has the highest probability of developing into an NHLer.
This month’s two trades also highlight how little value the Senators have created with their second-round picks.
Since the organization decided to gut the roster and rebuild in 2018, the Senators have made 10 second-round selections.
- 2018: Jonny Tychonick (48th)
- 2019: Shane Pinto (32nd), Mads Sogaard (37th)
- 2020: Roby (33rd), Tyler Kleven (44th), Egor Sokolov (61st)
- 2021: Zack Ostapchuk (39th), Ben Roger (49th)
- 2022: Filip Nordberg (64th)
- 2024: Gabriel Eliasson (39th)
Aside from Shane Pinto, the organization has yet to produce another impactful player. In fairness, that could happen in time. Erik Brannstrom’s departure should clear the deck for Tyler Kleven to become a regular on the team’s third pairing this season. Mads Sogaard’s two-year extension should allow him to become the team’s backup goaltender in 2025-26. There is also the hope that Zack Ostapchuk can develop into an important depth player, but the Senators have left a lot of value on the board.
And, that is before mentioning that the Senators have compounded their problems by trading six second-round picks between the 2020 and 2026 NHL Drafts for inconsequential short-term fits.
- 2020 second-round pick used to acquire goaltender Matt Murray
- 2021 second-round pick used to acquire Derek Stepan
- 2022 second-round pick was packaged in the Alex DeBrincat deal
- 2023 second-round pick was sent to Chicago to dump Nikita Zaitsev’s contract and create cap space to acquire Jakob Chychrun
- 2024 and 2026 second-round picks were moved to Arizona for Jakob Chychrun
The previous regime’s mismanagement and willingness to leave value at the draft table have contributed to the Senators’ plight.