CHICAGO — Better late than never.
If the Ottawa Senators hadn’t taken such a deep ride into the post-season, they wouldn’t have been forced to play the role of spectator on Friday night at the United Center until the No. 28 pick in the draft rolled around.
The teams that had terrible regular seasons were rewarded for their failure by making their selections at the top, while the Senators — thanks to their trip to the East final this spring — sat in the back row of the rink with the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks.