The Ottawa Senators aggressively traded their first round pick and 16th overall selection in exchange for Swedish defensive prospect David Rundblad.
The move means two things for two different organizations.
Blues president John Davidson made another strong move in increasing his forward depth, selecting not only one (Jared Schwartz at 14) but also the most talented player outside Tyler/Taylor in Russian forward Vladimir Tarasenko.
If not for his contract with Sibir of the KHL the young winger would be selected much sooner while Schwartz look to be a truly inspiring player.
Just like his former organization, the Blues saw no risk in adding two talented forwards to replace the players they moved for Jaroslav Halak. With the holes created by the retirement of Keith Tkachuk and the likely departure of Paul Kariya, the Blues need players to fill their spots and their kids to improve. Expect a little bit of both regarding players like Patrik Berglund and TJ Oshie.
For the Sens, they clearly did not see the player they wanted still on the board and swung a deal for a player they liked. Rundblad and Erik Karlsson played together in the World Junior Hockey Championship during two separate campaigns with the latter resulting in a silver medal. Bringing together these two Swedish offensive defensemen could reap benefits for the future of the Ottawa blueline, with Rundblad probably about a year away.
