An upbeat Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion arrived in Vancouver on Wednesday in advance of this weekend’s 2019 NHL Draft.

So why would the GM of the league’s worst team be walking with extra pep in his step? For the simple reason that the Senators possess a whopping 16 picks in the first three rounds of the next three drafts.

At his media availability Monday in Ottawa, Dorion wanted to let all teams know that the Senators are open for business and will contemplate just about any possible trade scenario tossed their way.

“I think we’re going to be popular," Dorion said. "We’re going to receive a lot of calls - because we have a high number of picks this year and in the 2020 draft, which is going to be one of the better ones in recent years.”.

MORE: SN's NHL Mock Draft, final edition

Dorion’s first priority when he takes his seat on the Rogers Arena floor Friday evening is to find a trade partner willing to assist his team in moving up — the Senators' highest pick is current the 19th spot.

“There’s been multiple discussions more about moving up than down," Dorion said. "We have picks 32 and 44, and we’re one of four teams that have three picks in the top 44, and I think in this draft having as many picks as we have in the top two rounds, can bring us something.”

“I think it’s a very volatile draft," he added. "Everyone has a pretty good idea of who is going to go number one and two. Our scouts have a grouping of three down to eight or nine, then nine to 19. There could be a lot of volatility. And that tells us we could end up with a really good player - and that may open the door to moving up or staying in our spot.

"We have numerous picks in the next two drafts. We have three seconds next year. We’ve got ours, Columbus and Dallas. There’s a possibility we’ll have three seconds in 2021, with ours, Columbus and someone else’s (Sharks). When you have that many second round picks and a lot of players come out of the second round, it really gives us an opportunity to do a lot of good things for this organization.”

While Dorion remains hopeful the Senators can climb up the draft ladder, the GM is fine with selecting 19th if a trade can’t be finalized.

One position the team won’t be focusing on when the Senators head to the podium is goaltending.

“What we’re looking at is; with the depth of our goaltending position, we’re most likely not going to take a goalie, but we think we can get a top six [or] seven forward with some offensive ability or a top four defenseman with some offensive ability, too. I think with the way the game has gone, we saw that transitioning the puck is important. And that’s the type of player our fans can get into,” Dorion said.

Fitting this description are forwards Arthur Kaliyev (Hamilton, OHL), Raphael Lavoie (Halifax, QMJHL), Ryan Suzuki (Barrie, OHL) and Phil Tomasino (Niagara, OHL), and defencemen Thomas Harley (Mississauga, OHL), Ville Heinola (Lukko, SM-Liiga), Victor Soderstrom (Brynas, SHL) and Cam York (U.S. NTDP).

The Senators’ goalie depth chart is quite full at the moment, which makes Dorion's focus on other positions a fairly easy choice. If anything, the glut in the Senators' crease means Dorion will be looking to offload a netminder in the near future.

Last season’s backup, Anders Nilsson, recently re-upped for the next two seasons. Mike Condon, who started only two games in 2018-19 due to a hip injury, has been cleared to play. Craig Anderson remains the anointed starter at 38 years old. In addition, Joey Daccord, Filip Gustavsson and recently re-signed Marcus Hogberg are all fighting for future spots in the Senators’ crease.

One can expect a trade at some point. Dorion admitted as much.

“You never what could happen," he said. "We could make a trade. The season doesn’t start until October 2 or 3, there’s a lot of time until then.”

Additional priorities

The draft won’t be the only subject on Dorion’s mind in Vancouver. The GM is seeking to add a veteran player or two, whether it’s this weekend or July 1 when Free Agent Frenzy hits.

“It depends who they are. It depends how they fit. It depends on age group. It depends how they fit on our team, the Senators’ GM told Sporting News. “At the same time, we want to make sure we grow and develop as a team. We want to make sure any player we’d acquire helps our team - whether it’s a veteran guy that might be on his last two or three years of his contract or whether it’s a 28-year old that can still help us for another three years if he’s under contract. I think you have to look at all situations and scenarios.”

With reports that next season’s salary cap may be shy of $82 million, several teams have to clear the decks in order to retain key free agents. This is a factor Dorion recognizes.

“There are multiple teams facing cap issues. If we can get an asset out of them, get us to where we need to be, we will," he said. "You always have to remember we have to do what’s best for us. We’re not going to take a contract for the sake of taking a contract. We have to make what we acquire an asset that’ll help the Ottawa Senators in the immediate or near future.”

In addition, Dorion is in the midst of negotiating a contract extension for d-man Cody Ceci. The team has several offers tabled, “short, medium, long-term” per the Senators’ GM.

However, the belief is Dorion is leaving no stone unturned with the pending RFA — who was victorious in arbitration settlement versus the club last August — and trading Ceci is not out of the realm of possibility.

Filling staff positions

Having recently hired Jack Capuano to run the team’s defence and penalty kill, head coach D.J. Smith will also be busy in Vancouver. The Senators’ new bench boss will be conducting interviews to fill out the two remaining assistant coach positions.

Most all Pierre Dorion knows Senators’ fans are watching his every move.

“These next 14 to 20 days are very crucial for us moving forward – for our growth. At the same time showing commitment to our fans, that we’re heading in the right direction.”