The Five Worst Trades Of The Bryan Murray Era

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Bryan Murray has been the Ottawa Senators General Manager for almost nine years now. He’s made some good moves, but also some poor ones. I’d say he’s done very well at drafting, but is sub-par with trades. With that line of thought, I decided to show the five worst trades of the Murray era. Some of them are worse than others, but nevertheless they all look regrettable.

Here they are, from least hurtful to most hurtful:

1. Joe Corvo and Patrick Eaves to CAR for Mike Commodore and Cory Stillman

Dec 5, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Ottawa Senators defenseman Joe Corvo (77) skates with the puck during the third period at Tampa Bay Times Forum. Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

This one was a while ago, and doesn’t seem so significant now. Eaves is the only one who is still on an NHL team, and he’s a fourth line player. At the time it looked like a decent move for Murray, as he wanted a veteran scorer like Stillman to help them in the playoffs, and a depth defenseman in Commodore.

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Well it didn’t work out at all. Stillman played fine in the regular season with 19 points in 23 games, but the Senators were swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round anyway. Both Stillman and Commodore left for free agency, and the trade was ultimately quite pointless. Corvo was solid for a few more years after that, until he came back to Ottawa in 2013 and was atrocious.

Eaves hasn’t been much of a regular until this season, but he was still a fine bottom six player. This trade doesn’t hurt that much in the end, but having Corvo an extra couple seasons would have been nice.

2. Jakob Silfverberg, Stefan Noesen and a 2014 1st round pick (Nick Ritchie) for Bobby Ryan

Mar 20, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks right wing Jakob Silfverberg (33) looks on against the Colorado Avalanche during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Maybe everybody is starting to criticize this trade right now because Silfverberg is playing insane in the playoffs right now. Ryan didn’t exactly end the season on a high note, so there or course will be critics. In the end, I don’t think this trade will look too awful. Ryan is still 28 this year, and will have some good years left in him. I think Silfverberg will still be a bit behind him in point production, but he’ll be a solid player for Anaheim.

I’m not sure if Noesen will ever stick in the NHL, although Ritchie was a top ten pick in 2014 so he could end up being a second/third line kind of player. As of now it looks like the Ducks are the winner here, but I don’t think it will be a slam dunk or anything.

Ryan has the most upside of all these players, but the fact the Ottawa gave up potentially three NHL’ers is the reason it hurts. And I also miss saying “Ohh Ahh Silfverberg” every time he scores. At a time when the Senators are looking for forwards, the three they traded are the ones they could use right now.

3. Jason Spezza and Ludwig Karlsson to DAL for Alex Chiasson, Nick Paul, Alex Guptill, and a 2nd round pick in 2015

Jan 17, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators right wing Alex Chiasson (90) skates with the puck in the third period against he Carolina Hurricanes at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Hurricanes defeated the Senators 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

The fact that Kyle Turris and Mika Zibanejad have turned into legitimate top six centres takes some sting out of this deal. However, taken at face value this is still a bad trade. I can’t totally blame Murray for this because he had no leverage in trading Spezza, but the return has not looked good.

Chiasson probably belongs on the fourth line, and Paul may end up being a regular in the NHL, but nothing spectacular. The 2nd round pick from this draft may turn into something, so at least there’s still some hope. I had advocated for trading Spezza, and I still like that they did it. However, the return wasn’t as good as it could have been.

I wonder if Murray tried to target some other Stars players, because there were certainly lots of other better prospects that had good years for them. It’s a shame that Chiasson may end up being the “best” piece.

Next: Murray Mishap Number 4

4. Ben Bishop to TBL for Cory Conacher and a 4th round pick (Tobias Lindberg)

May 9, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop (30) looks on during the third period in game five of the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

This is the most infamous trade amongst Senators fans, and I’m sure it will be talked about for a long time. Since Bishop was traded he has become an elite starter, and now Conacher isn’t even in the league. I remember at the time I was excited because Conacher was having a great rookie season. He looked like another Tyler Johnson, but alas he came nowhere near that.

The only saving grace from this trade is Lindberg, who had a very good year in the OHL with Oshawa. If he turns into a solid top nine forward, then maybe this trade doesn’t look as bad. However, it’s tough seeing an elite goaltender go to a division rival, especially when they’re close to winning the Cup.

Next: Number 5: An Interesting Choice

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5. The eventual trade of Robin Lehner

Feb 16, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators goalie Robin Lehner (40) stands for the National Anthems prior to the start of game against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

Yes, Lehner is still with the team, but it’s only a matter of time. Andrew Hammond was signed to a 3-year extension today as expected, which means one of Craig Anderson or Lehner will be on the move. Considering how much confidence they have in Anderson, I can’t see a scenario where he is the one being traded.

I can’t imagine them getting proper value for a possible elite goaltender

But in the end, I doubt Ottawa can get much for Lehner. He is still not a totally proven goalie, and now he has some concussion issues. If all the Senators can get for him is a 2nd round pick or a B level prospect, they will regret that deal for a long time. I still have faith in him, and I talked about that a couple of months ago.

It may be too harsh to judge a trade before it even happens, but I can’t imagine them getting proper value for a possible elite goaltender. They will get much more value for Anderson in a trade, and I feel like trading Lehner now will be a repeat of Bishop. Ottawa can’t afford to lose another elite starter.

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So there they are, the five worst trades from Bryan Murray. Although some of these look bad, Murray has also made some good trades and signings. However, that wouldn’t fit with my theme for this blog now would it?

Next: Foligno Named Blue Jackets Captain, Ottawa Not Regretting The Trade

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