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In this episode of The Hockey Writers Senators Roundtable, Ottawa Senators writers Jacob Billington and Dayton Reimer are joined by prospects and draft expert Peter Baracchini to discuss the Senators' options for the 2024 NHL Draft at seventh overall. In this clip, they talk about Anton Silayev.
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0:00
Anton Solyaev, I don't know what to expect this draft with him
0:04
I've seen mock drafts with him at three and I've seen some with him at 14
0:10
So Peter, I'll ask you first, where do you expect that Solyaev goes and do you think
0:14
that he'd be a good pick for Ottawa? He's left handed, so not necessarily a need for Ottawa, but when a six foot seven defender
0:21
that did very well in Russia comes available, do you take him if you're Ottawa
0:28
You definitely have to consider it. I mean, like you said, six seven, it very screams Zdeno Chara-esque
0:37
We all know the early days of Zdeno Chara with the Ottawa Senators before he went to
0:40
the Boston Bruins, but even then, having a six foot seven mobile defender that can move
0:46
as effortlessly as he does is very phenomenal. And to get those minutes in the KHL too, because players his age are still in the junior level
0:57
they're still in the VHO. He's already he was being relied on heavily in the KHL and that is a big feat right there
1:04
That is a big accomplishment for him. And that's why he got on a lot of radars because of that ability
1:09
I think the main question is what like he had that strong offensive production, like
1:15
he was about a point per game or just under a point per game and like eight or nine games
1:20
really, really cooled off after that. What's his offensive upside going to be
1:25
Is he going to be a defender that you can rely on offensively
1:28
Or is he just going to be, you know, middle of the pack, but still very good defensively
1:34
So he's got a lot of things down pack. He's got that physical edge
1:38
He's got that size advantage. He's got that defensive game that screams, you know, kind of top pairing shut down and
1:45
he can contribute offensively. But if you're expecting him to get a little bit more offense out of him, I don't see how
1:52
that could be top 10 potential maybe given how he hasn't been consistent throughout the season
1:58
And again, it could just be attributing to the fact that he is 17. I mean, he is still growing
2:03
He's still learning the ins and outs of the games, but he's already got a lot of foundation
2:07
for him to be an effective NHL. So it depends on if they feel like they can move out a left handed defenseman and feel
2:16
like he's the next best option. And then that makes someone available as another prospect because he's going to shoot up right behind
2:22
Jake Sanderson isn't a prospect anymore, but he is definitely going to become their number two defensive player within the system, be it NHL or prospect
2:32
So he is definitely a name, but it's a very, again, like you said, he's very sporadic of
2:37
where he's going to be, whether it's two, three, five, 10, or just outside of that
2:43
Personally, I think he's just outside. But you know, it wouldn't surprise me if there are going to be teams that are going to be
2:48
knocking on the door when they go up and want to announce his name when they make the pick
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