They could do what Seattle did with Wright.
- 1-9 NHL games.
- Scratched for 5 straight games, that enables him to be assigned to the AHL for 2 weeks. (Which gives him a taste of 5 or so more games at a Pro level.)
- Back to Junior in time for the World Juniors.
That lets him stick around pro hockey for a significant time without rushing him.
There are two considerations in terms of games played on his ELC.
- He burns a year of his ELC when he plays his 10th game. He does not burn one of the seven RFA years he needs to hit unrestricted free agency.
- When he plays 40 games, he burns one of the seven RFA years he needs to hit unrestricted free agency. (Example, the Oilers sent Draisail down at 37 games in 2014-15.)
They shouldn't rush him, but there might be some value to playing part of the season in Ottawa and then going back to the CHL.
As far as playing 10+ games and burning a year of his ELC, there could be an argument to be made that burning a year is a good thing depending on the timeline they think that his development will take. It enables the Senators to sign him to an extension 1 year earlier than they otherwise would. This would result in him being more expensive in what would have been the third year of his ELC, but potentially cheaper over the next 8 years of his contract.