Edited Sep. 14, 2018 at 7:43 p.m.
From The Athletic:
That 2018 pick turned out to be fourth overall and the Sens just flat out got greedy – and used it to land Brady Tkachuk. A lot of people believe Tkachuk is going to be a very good NHLer. If he’s anything like his older brother Matthew, who plays for Calgary, he will be a presence on the ice and in the dressing room. I get the attraction of landing a player of Tkachuk’s pedigree and character. But please. In the midst of this massive public rebuild, now the Senators don’t have their own first-round pick in 2019, which could easily be first overall.
If they had passed on Tkachuk and hung on to the pick, then at least they could have sold hope for the next nine troubling difficult months, in which their fan base is sure to take a massive hit. Had they hung on to their first-round selection in 2019, then with every passing loss this season, Sens fans could have consoled themselves with the knowledge that they might be creeping one step closer to Jack Hughes, the consensus top player in the 2019 draft, and someone who projects as a cornerstone player – which, by the way, every successful rebuild requires.