The Ottawa Senators have agreed to trade Dylan DeMelo to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a 2020 third-round pick.
The #Sens have traded Dylan DeMelo to the Jets. They get a 2020 third round pick in exchange.
— Hailey Salvian (@hailey_salvian) February 18, 2020
Senators Trade Dylan DeMelo
Key Players
Dylan DeMelo is a strong defensive defenceman. This season, he has yet to score a goal, but has 10 assists for just 10 points, adding 31 minutes in penalties. Those totals are worse compared to last season, where he had a career year and scored 4 goals, 18 assists for 22 points in 77 games. Over his five-year NHL career, DeMelo has played for the Ottawa Senators and the San Jose Sharks. He was originally drafted in the sixth round, 179th overall of the 2011 NHL draft by the San Jose Sharks. He was apart of the Erik Karlsson trade that sent Karlsson to San Jose and seven assets back the other way.
What This Means for the Future
For the Jets, they are getting a strong defensive defenceman. DeMelo leads Ottawa in all defensive metrics. He isn’t overly physical but he is intelligent, he usually finds himself in the right position. This allows him to stop and attack and make the correct play. He is also a player who can move up and down the depth chart with ease. His strong defensive play makes him a good partner for offensive-minded defenceman. Or, a reliable player to put out on the bottom pairing.
Ottawa wanted to keep DeMelo because his reliability would be useful when they need to integrate young blueliners into their lineup. Now that Ottawa has traded Dylan DeMelo, they will have to find other veterans in the offseason who can mentor the young defenceman like Erik Brannstrom, Christian Wolanin, Christian Jaros, Jacob Bernard-Docker and Lassi Thomson. This is a rebuilding year for the young Senators team and trading expiring players for assets is a part of that. Look for them to continue to acquire assets and build going forward.
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