7 Biggest Trades in Ottawa Senators History, Ranked

The Ottawa Senators have seen some good, bad, and strange times since they joined the NHL in 1992-1993. 

The Sens struggled to compete in their first four seasons, but they started to trend in the right direction in the late 1990s. Despite establishing themselves as a consistent playoff team, it wasn’t until the Senators made a huge splash in the new millennium that everything changed.

That deal would be a sign of things to come, as the Sens made several moves that would alter the franchise.

Check out my picks for the seven biggest trades in Senators’ history.

Biggest Trades in Senators History

1. Alexei Yashin for Zdeno Chara, Bill Muckalt, and a First-Round Pick (Jason Spezza)  

Some trades change everything.

Alexei Yashin was a star with the Ottawa Senators. He was the face of the franchise and the team’s captain. His 491 points are fourth in franchise history.

But a long line of off-ice battles with the front office finally resulted in Yashin being traded to the New York Islanders at the 2001 NHL Draft.

The deal was a coup for Ottawa.

Not only did the Senators land Zdeno Chara, but they also got the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft, which they used to select Jason Spezza.

With Spezza, Chara, Wade Redden, and Daniel Alfredsson, the Senators became one of the best teams in the NHL and were often at the top of the Stanley Cup odds during the mid-2000s.

Spezza’s 687 points are the second-most in franchise history.

2. First-Round Pick for a First-Round Pick and a Third-Round Pick

It was obvious that the Chara/Spezza for Yashin trade was monumental, but the second-biggest trade in Senators’ history was much more subtle. Yet, it yielded one of the most important players in the team’s history.

On paper, this deal looks run-of-the-mill.

The Senators sent the No. 18 overall pick and a third-round pick in the 2008 NHL Draft (which was held in Ottawa) to the Nashville Predators for the No. 15 overall pick.

It became clear quickly why the Sens jumped up a few spots. They wanted Erik Karlsson.

The smooth-skating Swedish defenceman joined the Senators in 2009, and a couple of seasons later, it was clear he was one of the best blueliners in the game.

Karlsson ranks third in franchise history with 526 points and captured the Norris Trophy twice during his nine-year stint in Ottawa.

3. Marian Hossa and Greg de Vries for Dany Heatley

This one was a stunner.

Hossa was considered one of the game’s best two-way players at the time of this deal, but the Sens wanted to shake things up after some shortcomings in the playoffs before the 2004-2005 lockout.

So Ottawa sent Hossa to the Atlanta Thrashers for Dany Heatley, one of the best young scorers in the NHL.

The trade worked out splendidly for the Sens.

Heatley hit the 50-goal plateau in his first two seasons in Ottawa and helped the Sens get to the 2007 Stanley Cup Final.

Heatley’s 1.14 points per game remains the best mark in franchise history.

4. Erik Karlsson and Francis Perron for Josh Norris, Chris Tierney, Rudolfs Balcers, Dylan DeMelo, and a First-Round Pick

Karlsson’s departure from Ottawa was quite a saga.

With the team staring down a rebuild, Karlsson began to push the Sens to explore trading him. They granted him his wish right before the 2018-2019 season when they dealt him to the San Jose Sharks.

At the time, it was viewed as a coup for the Sharks, who were still considered one of the best teams in the Western Conference.

But as the trade aged, things didn’t look so bad for the Sens.

Karlsson was always going to be the best player in this deal, but Josh Norris has built himself a nice career in Ottawa, and the first-round pick turned out to be Tim Stutzle.

At this point, you’d have to call the deal a wash at worst, but there is a strong argument to be made that the Sens ended up on the right side of this deal, considering the trajectory of Stutzle’s career.  

5. Bryan Berard, Don Beaupre, and Martin Straka for Wade Redden and Damien Rhodes

The Senators seem to make out quite well when they deal with the Islanders.

This trade may not have the same star power as the swap at the top of my list, but it was almost as impactful.

Wade Redden helped turn the Sens from a team that was always at the bottom of the hockey odds to win the Stanley Cup into a respectful outfit and then into a powerhouse.

The Senators made the playoffs in 10 of Redden’s 11 seasons, and the steady blue-liner helped lead Ottawa to their only appearance in a Stanley Cup Final in 2007.

Redden ranks fourth in franchise history in games played and his 410 points are second-most by a Senators defenceman. 

6. Mark Stone and Tobias Lindberg for Erik Brannstrom, Oscar Lindberg, and a Second-Round Pick

The Senators didn’t have much of a choice but to trade Mark Stone at the 2018-2019 trade deadline. 

Ottawa was rebuilding, and Stone, the team’s best player, was going to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

At the time of the trade, it seemed like Ottawa made out pretty well, considering the team didn’t have much leverage.

Erik Brännström was considered a strong prospect at the time, and they got a second-round pick to go along with the Swedish rearguard.

Unfortunately, neither Brännström nor Egor Sokolov (the player they selected with the pick) made much of an impact in Ottawa.

7. Mika Zibanejad and a Second-Round Pick for Derick Brassard

This is one the Senators would want back.

Although Derick Brassard was considered a gifted playmaker at the time of the deal, he was exiting his prime while Mika Zibanejad was entering his.

Zibanejad would become a point-per-game player for the New York Rangers, while Brassard struggled to make the type of impact the Sens envisioned when they acquired him.

The silver lining is Brassard played a decent role on the Senators team that made a surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2016-2017 season.