Senators Acquire Josh Brown from Panthers

The Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers made a trade on Friday. The Panthers sent Josh Brown to Ottawa in exchange for a fourth-round pick in next week’s draft. While a small trade compared to some of the bigger deals expected over the next few days, this is the first sign that the Senators might starting using their many draft picks to add players.

Brown is a pending restricted free agent and Sens GM Pierre Dorion released a statement hinting that his intention will be to get the defenseman signed.

News Release: The #Sens have acquired defenceman Josh Brown from @FlaPanthers in exchange for the team's fourth-round draft pick (95th overall) in 2020: https://t.co/ucsjxAYHRz pic.twitter.com/wRnRpunW17

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) October 2, 2020

He said:

Josh Brown is a big, strong defenseman who plays a physical style of game. He’s a defensive defenseman who skates very well and who is exceptionally competitive. He’s also a very good shot blocker who clears a lot of space in front of the net. We’re looking forward to seeing him in our lineup.

Some are seeing this trade as Brown taking the place of a player like Mark Borowiecki who is going to test free agency and is not expected to return with the organization next season.  For the Senators, Brown is a younger version of the same style of player, only with better underlying numbers over a shorter time period.

Brown average approximately 13 minutes a game with the Panthers but it is expected he’ll see more ice time with the Senators if he signs. While inexperienced, Brown still has more games under his belt than some of the Sens young blueliners and, because he has a history with head coach D.J. Smith, he’s likely going to get every chance to prove he’s a steady NHL player.

Panthers Making Blue Line Changes

This deal sees Florida send away its second defenseman in a matter of a couple of weeks as the team traded Mike Matheson to the Pittsburgh Penguins not that long ago. It is not expected they are done making changes to their roster for next season.

Next: Prospect and NHL Draft News: Virtual Preparation in 2020