SENSNEWS

The Ottawa Senators are still hoping to be a competitive team for the remainder of the NHL season. However, with the team sitting in the basement of the NHL standings, it wouldn’t hurt to glance at some potential draft candidates for the team to target. Remember that the Senators have a pair of first-round picks for this draft after dealing Alex DeBrincat to the Detroit Red Wings.

Ottawa Senators Draft Candidates

Artyom Levshunov

Ranking Range: 4-8

Artyom Levshunov will be one of the top defensive prospects in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. Levshunov is a right-handed defender who has absolutely torn up the NCAA this season.

So far, in 18 games with Michigan State, Levshunov has three goals and 15 assists for 18 points. He has been a mainstay on the blue line for Michigan State and has excelled in the offensive zone.

Artyom Levshunov stands at 6’2 and 198 lbs with a strong skating ability. The Belarusian defender loves to jump into the play from the blue line in search of offence. His shot is also a strong suit for a defender, although he does sometimes shoot into the shin pads a little more often than some.

Levshunov’s defensive game still needs some work, but that is to be expected of a young defenceman. Working under the right coaching staff, Levshunov could transform his play to be elite at both ends of the ice. His mix of skating, playmaking and a great shot gives him the tools to become an excellent two-way defenceman.

If the season ended today, and the Senator’s selection was within the top four-six of the draft, I would suggest selecting Levshunov. Right defenders come with a premium value in today’s NHL, and Artyom Levshunov has the potential to be an elite top pairing defenceman. A duo of Jake Sanderson and Artyom Levshunov would be one of the very best in the NHL for a long time.

Cole Eiserman

Ranking Range: 2-5

Cole Eiserman is a less likely candidate to end up on the Ottawa Senators. The American forward has been a dominant offensive force throughout the entirety of his hockey career.

The left winger would significantly bolster the wing depth of the Senators, and a 1-2 punch of himself and Brady Tkachuk would be scary. So far this season, Eiserman has 59 points (37 Goals) through 32 games in the USHL and the Development Program.

Cole Eiserman stands at 6’0 and 196 lbs as a 2006-born player. He is a dynamic offensive winger, although his complete game needs some development. Eiserman’s goal-scoring ability points to him becoming an elite scorer at the NHL level. He has the potential to become a perennial 40-goal scorer with the ability to tuck in even more.

The defensive game and commitment away from the puck would need some work with Eiserman. However, with the tools he has, he could quickly become one of the best point producers in the entire NHL.

Eiserman would also fit exceptionally well in the Senator’s top six long-term on line 1A or B with players like Tim Stutzle and Claude Giroux to feed him the puck.

If the Senators have a selection that isn’t number 1 or 2, Cole Eiserman would be the ideal target in my mind. His potential is among the very best in this year’s draft class, and I believe in the development team of the Senators to get the very best out of him. As far as offensive potential goes, he is as close to Tim Stutzle as anybody else on this roster.

EJ Emery

Ranking Range: 20-27

EJ Emery is another right-handed defender who would fit nicely on the Senator’s blue line. Emery is known for playing more of a shut-down, responsible role in his own zone.

However, he still has the skills to move the puck effectively to his defence partner or wingers when under pressure. He is similar to Jake Sanderson in the sense that a lot of his work goes unnoticed on the scoresheet.

He has spent this season playing in the USHL and Development Program team, similar to Eiserman. So far, in 39 games split between the two teams, Emery has 12 points. Again, the offensive numbers will not jump off the page with Emery, but it is the small things he does that make him so effective.

If Emery can develop his offensive game to a higher degree, he would be a steal of a pick in the mid-20s. He is set to play at the University of North Dakota next season, and everybody knows how much the Senators love that program. He is a lower-risk selection, but I believe he has a ton of potential to be a solid top-four defender for a long time.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygård

Ranking Range: 10-15

Michael Brandsegg-Nygård is a prototypical Ottawa Senators type of player. He plays a very hard-working physical game that opponents dread matching up against.

He has also played professional-level hockey for the majority of his career up to this point. He has spent the majority of this season playing in the Allsvenskan League, which is the second-tier professional league in Sweden.

So far this season, MBN has scored six points in 22 games. In his limited time in the J20 league, he has 12 points in just seven games played. The offence in MBN’s game has room to grow, but he has shown the potential to be a solid top-six winger who can play in all situations.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygård also helps fill in the role of second-line left wing for the Ottawa Senators long-term. Depending on how the rest of this season unfolds, I would imagine that Brandsegg-Nygård could be a legitimate target for the Senators.

He is also one of the more NHL-ready prospects in this upcoming draft. With the Senators beginning their window of competing, Brandsegg-Nygård can provide some support sooner rather than later. Although he may need one season to develop in the American Hockey League, he should be playing in the NHL sooner rather than later.