The 50 Greatest Ottawa Senators of All Time: #40 – #31
By Jack Leiper
39. Sami Salo
Stats: 195GP, 19G, 69P
Height/Weight: 6foot3, 215lbs
Acquired: 1996 NHL Draft (9th Round pick)
For a player selected in the 9th round, Sami Salo made himself quite the career.
It began in Ottawa until he departed for the Vancouver Canucks in a trade that brought back Peter Schaefer for the Senators. Salo is fairly high on my list as he was a steady defender who gave Ottawa nearly 200 games as a young hockey player. The Senators could have probably benefited from keeping Salo around as he turned out to be a top-tier defender in Vancouver.
Salo was never a minus while with Ottawa and during the 195 games he played, he added a little bit of offence too. He suffered injuries which led to shortened seasons in 1997 and 1998, but would put up good numbers in those two years.
Salo certainly isn’t remember for his time in Ottawa, but the fact that he started his career as a Senator and would end up with 900 games of NHL experience gets him a nod on this list.
Next: #38 Another Who Moved On Too Soon