The draft isn't going to be out of defensemen by pick 7, but even if, somehow, there are no defensemen worth picking there, why would Ottawa trade their blue chip, 5th overall defenseman that they desperately need, for a pick that doesn't have any other defensemen worth taking?

They'll just keep Sanderson and take whoever they have as the BPA at their spot.

No chance in hell will Ottawa trade Jake Sanderson. He's going to be an absolute stud, and he's exactly the type of piece the Sens desperately need on the blueline. There are plenty of great D in this draft, but outside of Owen Power I don't think any of them match Sanderson's potential as a top pair Shutdown D.

That said, if Jersey is Picking 7th, they could easily still be landing a pretty nice Dman. I can see one of Edvinsson or Hughes being on the board still. It's a pretty murky draft and while I think the top 4 should be pretty clear (in no order Power, Guenther, Clarke Beniers) it's a bit of a crapshoot after that. I'm sure the Devils would be totally content with picking up a Hughes brother 7th overall. Even if both Edvinsson and Hughes go 5 and 6, it's not that big of a drop to take Carson Lambos after that.

Again, its not super realistic and I get that. Also in the description I said it would only make sense if Ottawa went by BPA and drafted Hughes/Power (LHD) with pick #3 or whatever they end up with. With Chabot already there that would have them loaded on the left side. I don't think it's ideal asset management to project one of Chabot, Hughes/Power, or Sanderson forced to play 3rd pair when there are so many other areas of need on the team. Here you'd be getting Okothyuk (throw in, much more of a 3rd pair guy who shouldn't end up costing much $), Zacha (a 24yo center with 300 NHL games and 22 pts in 36 games this year who should be a top 6 player for Ottawa), and a 7OA pick in a pretty deep draft where you can take another BPA. You aren't getting rid of your blue-chip defenseman, you're just changing their name (Sanderson->Power) and gaining assets in the process.

Im not saying Ottawa has to do it that's just my thought process about why it could make sense. And if you're right and one of the top 3-4 defensemen is available at #7 then this is all for naught because NJ would probably just take them.

I sure hope you're right. Hughes would probably be the dream for NJ. Incentivizes he and Jack to stay long term and maybe even Quinn to come over at some point. As for Ottawa I totally understand where you're coming from. I guess my question is what do you do if the BPA on the board at #3 or wherever you are picking is Power/Hughes? That would give Ottawa Chabot, Sanderson, and Power/Hughes, 3 LHD. With the lack of talent on the roster rn and so many areas to address, would it not be wise to look for ways to address other concerns via trades? Not saying it would be a Sanderson trade, I'll admit that is very far-fetched, but it could be a tricky situation to navigate.

If Ottawa were to grab Power, the only thing it really changes for me, Is that I probably start shopping Erik Brannstrom for a high end RW prospect. For Sanderson though, I don't think it would hurt him much. He played a chunk of the season this year on the right side, and looked really strong. I don't think his game changes that much playing weak side or strong side. Play one of Sanderson or Power on their off side with Chabot and you have a guaranteed top 5 D pair in the league. Hell play them both together and have them shutdown the entire NHL, then let guys like Bernard-Docker and Zub fight it out for the spot with Chabot.

Honestly though if I'm picking 3rd, I think I'm just taking Guenther. I think he has the best offensive ceiling of anyone in the draft, and Ottawa is lacking a high end right shot winger besides Drake Batherson.

Interesting, didn't know Sanderson has played time on the right side that would be very helpful in this hypothetical situation. I know for some guys its a seamless transition and other guys straight up can't do it. I go back and forth between BPA and position of need depending on the situation but come draft day I'll certainly be rooting for you guys to take Guenther or another forward. Selfishly I want as many defenseman as possible available when NJ is on the clock.

If all the high end defenceman are gone by the time the Devils pick they should take Eklund, Johnson, or Lysell. This team still needs a ton of help offensively