The Five Worst Trades Of The Bryan Murray Era
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.