The 2026 NHL Draft is less than five hours away, and while that’s usually one of the most chaotic events on the NHL calendar, the few days leading into have been equally so.
Over the past week, some massive names around the National Hockey League have been traded, and after an intriguing 2025/26 campaign, the 2026/27 regular season is shaping up to be just as exciting. On Draft day, we’ve already seen a trade involving the Buffalo Sabres and Anaheim Ducks, and now, the Ottawa Senators are remaining active, as they have made a move to acquire a former first-round pick.
Andre Burakovsky Acquired by the Ottawa Senators
GettyAndre Burakovsky of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Last weekend, the Senators moved captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers in a deal involving three first-round picks along with a second, and clearly, they were intent on using that draft capital to upgrade. Days later, the team acquired former first-round pick William Eklund from the San Jose Sharks as a replacement for Tkachuk, with many believing they were doe dealing for now.
However, that’s not the case, as they’ve reportedly remained active in pursuit of Jason Robertson and Mason McTavish, and on Friday, they made another deal for a very good upgrade to the wing position. First reported by Frank Seravalli, the team have now confirmed they are sending a seventh-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for former 23rd pick Andre Burakovsky.
During his three seasons with the Colorado Avalanche between 2019 and 2022, Burakovsky posted 150 points across 191 games played, but since departing the team, he’s struggled to replicate that success, posting under 40 points a year across three seasons with the Seattle Kraken and one with the Blackhawks.
Senators Take a Chance on Burakovsky Returning to Form
At his best, Burakovsky was a 20 goal, 60 point player, and while that’s not going to be franchise changing for the Senators, given that they surrendered just a seventh-round pick, it makes sense for them to take a chance on the 31-year-old bouncing back in 2026/27 and beyond. Last season on a much less talented roster than Ottawa’s, Burakovsky posted 11 goals and 33 points in 75 games played, and even if he’s a 40-point player next season, this will be a worthy pickup for the Senators.
For Chicago, this move makes perfect sense as well, as they open up a spot in their forward group for one of their talented young names to get much more time, even though Burakovsky spent much of 2025/26 playing on their fourth line. On top of that, the team aren’t retaining any money on Burakovsky’s deal, with the Senators set to take on the entire $5.5 million owed to him this season before he heads into free agency next summer.
Ultimately, this is a high upside swing for Ottawa with just a seventh-round pick given up, and given the presence they need to replace in Tkachuk, getting more than one player in this off-season makes perfect sense.
Senators Acquire Former First-Round Pick in Trade With the Blackhawks