The 2024 NHL Draft is going to be a big one for the Ottawa Senators. The team’s prospect pool is in ruins following several poor drafts, so the pressure will be on the new management group to make this year’s first-round picks count. Thankfully, with the seventh and 26th picks, as well as an early second and four fourth-round picks, they are set up to do some damage on the draft floor. But who should the Senators be looking at?
A couple of weeks ago, I looked at the Senators’ biggest holes in their farm system and current roster and came up with three priorities to address with their first-round picks: a top-pairing right-shot defenceman, center depth, and support on the right wing. In the days and weeks leading up to the draft, I’ll now look at some players expected to be selected in the first round that could best fit those areas, as well as some risks associated with each pick. So, let’s get started with a player that many have the Senators taking with their first pick, right-shot defenceman Zayne Parekh.
Zayne Parekh Scouting Report
Parekh is a dynamic offensive defenceman playing with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). This season, his second in the league, he led all defencemen with 33 goals and 96 points, setting a record for the most points scored by a defender since Ryan Ellis hit 100 in 2010-11. He also became just the second defenceman to cross the 30-goal mark in 24 years and the 27th since the OHL was founded in 1974-75. In the playoffs, he continued to dominate, finishing with 11 points in 13 games before being eliminated by the London Knights in the third round, then going on to put up five more points in four games in the Memorial Cup, helping the hosting Spirit return to face the Knights in the Final.
Already a rarity among blueliners, what makes Parekh truly unique is that he also shoots right, a skill that has become increasingly important in today’s NHL and making him a hot commodity heading into the 2024 NHL Draft. Here’s what The Hockey Writers‘ Jordon Orth had to say about Parekh’s potential in his scouting report:
Related: THW’s 2024 NHL Draft Guide
“Parekh has all of the potential to have the same impact that his former teammate Pavel Mintyukov has had for the Anaheim Ducks due to his offensive game. With the right development and added muscle and weight to his frame, he could become a top-four defenseman on whatever team takes him while also being able to man a power-play unit as well. The biggest question mark on his game transitioning to the next level comes down to the translation of his style of play being viewed as “loose.” While the system that the Saginaw Spirit runs allows him to do this, the NHL game is slightly different. A good comparison for Parekh is a mix of Cale Makar, Adam Fox, and Quinn Hughes. His skating ability is reminiscent of both Makar and Hughes, while his offensive skillset is comparable to all three current NHLers.”
Why Parekh Makes Sense
Ottawa has a giant need on the right side of their defence. Right now, the Senators don’t have a single player who can effectively play on the right side of the top pairing. Jakob Chychrun is stronger on his left and didn’t mesh as well as hoped with Jake Sanderson or Thomas Chabot, and Artem Zub is better suited for a second-pairing role. Beyond them, the only players with the potential to play second-pairing minutes with a right shot are Maxence Guenette and Hoyt Stanley.
Parekh, however, gives the Senators a bona fide top-pairing defender who could slot comfortably beside Sanderson. He is an incredible puck mover, pushing the play and making risky plays to create scoring chances and keep possession with his team, and he finds creative ways to make passes. But his best skill is his shot. He has a deceptive release, firing it quickly and low to the ice, making it very hard to read. Given that the Senators don’t have a dynamic offensive presence on their back end, he would make a lot of sense to add at seventh overall.
Why Parekh Might Not Be the Right Choice
The problem, however, is that the Senators need one of those dynamic offensive presences on their blue line right now, and Parekh won’t be ready to take on that kind of responsibility next season, or likely even the season after that. Although he’s one of the best offensive defencemen to come out of the OHL in decades, he still is just 18 and makes mistakes that 18-year-olds do, like trying to do too much with the puck and putting in a half-effort on defence. There are seeds of strong defensive instincts, such as his ability to use his stick to break up plays, but he’ll need time to develop them to become an effective NHL player. Thankfully, all those issues are coachable, but it still will take time. It might already be too late by the time he’s ready to contribute to the Senators.
Speaking of defensive issues, the Senators once again struggled to keep the puck out of their net, and given Parekh’s inconsistencies on defence, he might only make the problem worse. It’s similar to bringing in Chychrun, who led the defence in scoring but also was one of the worst players defensively, posting a team-low minus-30 along with Dominik Kubalik. However, it’s also unfair to assume Parekh’s issues now will continue into the NHL; both Quinn Hughes and Erik Karlsson were criticized for their lack of defence in junior.
Finally, there’s the age-old question – do you draft for need or take the best player available? Most scouts would claim to do the latter, but year after year, general managers go up to the draft podium and grab a player that fits a need in their organization now and pass over spectacular prospects who end up becoming spectacular NHL players, while the player drafted for a specific need often doesn’t do as well. Parekh might be the best of both worlds for the Senators, but he’s not the only option that will be available to them at the seventh pick.
