Senators will keep No. 4 pick; 2019 1st-rounder will go to Avs

The Ottawa Senators will hold off on giving the Colorado Avalanche their first-round draft pick.

The selection is owed as part of the Matt Duchene trade, but Ottawa had the option of handing over this year's pick or waiting until 2019 to do so.

#Sens will keep their pick in 2018. Dorion says they have a chance to get an impact player.

- Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) April 29, 2018

This decision comes despite the fact Ottawa fell to the fourth overall pick in the NHL Draft Lottery.

Dorion later added the Senators are 99.9 percent likely to keep the pick, but have until the time of selection to make the final call, per TSN's Mark Masters.

After finishing 30th overall, they were in line to get the second overall pick, or even move up to the one-spot.

Ottawa was leapfrogged by Montreal and Carolina, however, but it's a good enough pick that Dorion will defer until next year, hoping his team will be much improved.

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