The 50 Greatest Ottawa Senators Of All-Time: #30 – #21
This is the third part in an on-going series of blogs. To check out parts one and two, click through here:
Part One: #50 – #51
Part Two: #40 – #31
Part Three: #30 – #21
Part Four: #20 – #11
Part Five: #10 – #1
30. Peter Schaefer
Stats: 315GP, 53G, 158GP
Height/Weight: 6foot0, 180lbs
Acquired: Trade with Vancouver Canucks (For Sami Salo)
I know Peter Schaefer is a little high on this list.. he didn’t have a wildly successful career outside of a few good seasons in Ottawa, and even then, he wasn’t more than a 4o-point winger.
That said, Schaefer was one of my favourites growing up and I like many Sens fans feel he was a big part in the teams depth when it came to the success the franchise saw around the mid-early 2000’s. Schaefer’s best season came the year before Ottawa’s cup run when he posted a 20 goal, 50 point season.
He certainly benefitted from playing on a rock-solid offensive team and by receiving powerplay minutes, but the fact remains that Schaefer was an important depth piece for the Senators. Not to mention, he scored one of the nicest goals in Senators history (seen above).
Schaefer was never a dynamic scorer, and neither were/are any of the players ranked behind him.
His speed was among the best on the team and although his scoring rate as a Senator was only 0.50ppg, I give Schaefer a high spot on my list due to his 300+ games in Ottawa and 150+ points. Now only if he had been a playoff performer.
More from SenShot
29. Andrej Meszaros
Stats: 246GP, 26G, 110P
Height/Weight: 6foot2, 223lbs
Acquired: 2004 NHL Entry Draft (23rd overall)
When Andrej Meszaros played in Ottawa, he looked like one of the NHL’s best up-and-coming defenders.
He managed to crack the Senators’ roster as a 20-year-old and as a rookie he posted 10 goals and 39 points. That was enough for Meszaros to finish 7th in Calder voting in a year which featured a rookie class of Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Dion Phaneuf, Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Miller, and Brad Boyes.
Safe to say, Meszaros was among elite company in his early years.
It was after contract negotiations spoiled that the Senators decided to ship Meszaros to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for defender Filip Kuba. It would end up being the right move for the Senators who moved on from Meszaros and gained Kuba, a prime defensive partner for Erik Karlsson.
He’s made himself a good career. It wasn’t as grand as some would have expected, as Meszaros has travelled around since his days in Ottawa. After making some big bucks in Philadelphia, moves to Boston and Buffalo have forced Meszaros into unrestricted free agency as he currently looks for a deal.
Why is Meszaros so high on the list? Well.. he really was something special in his early years. He seemed like a former first rounder who had panned out and was ready to make himself a successful NHL careeer. He was a big body, and a mobile one. The tools were there and so were the expectations. It didn’t end up working out in the long-run, but Meszaros had some nice seasons as a young Senator.
28. Filip Kuba
Stats: 261GP, 14G, 116P
Height/Weight: 6foot4, 226lbs
Acquired: Trade with Tampa Bay (for Andrej Meszaros)
Following Andrej Meszaros, the player he was traded for is ranked 28th overall.
Filip Kuba acted as Erik Karlsson’s defensive partner in his early years and preceded his current partner, Marc Methot. Like Methot, Kuba brought stability to Karlsson’s game in a year where Karlsson won the Norris Trophy.
The thing Kuba was able to mix in that is not necessarily a part of Marc Methot’s game is offence. Kuba had 40 and 32 point seasons where he was able to play on the Senators powerplay. While Methot rarely sees PP time, Kuba was a good point man as he mixed size and offensive ability on the blue-line.
Kuba’s 261 games in Ottawa came to an end when he signed a 2-year, 8 million dollar deal. A buyout was placed on Kuba’s contract following his first year in Florida as he had under-performed. His best years came in Ottawa as he would be a steady defender during Erik Karlsson’s young years, earning him a fairly high spot on this list.
Next: A Captain, NHL Leading Scorer
More from SenShot
27. Nick Foligno
Apr 8, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Nick Foligno (71) against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Nationwide Arena. The Jackets won 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Another one of my personal favourites, for a guy whose best season in Ottawa was a 17-goal, 47 point year, Foligno gets a pretty high ranking. The Senators certainly made a mistake when they traded Foligno, as he’s since gone on to be a stud and leader in Columbus.
That said, Ottawa had what once looked like the better end of the deal with Marc Methot. Either way, both teams are happy.
Foligno is still a young hockey player at 27-years-old. He’s coming off a career year with Columbus, which saw him put up 30 goals and 73 points. He projects to be a good player for a few more years, and with a young team like Columbus, he may just see some further success there.
But it has to be asked, is Foligno a consistent 30-goal, 70-point guy in today’s NHL? Perhaps, but likely not. Clearly 15-16 will be a big telling year. His time in Ottawa was fairly lengthy as he enjoyed over 350 games as a Senator. His sub 150 point total didn’t cut it, which ultimately led to Foligno being dealt.
However, he was a fairly steady 3rd line/2nd line insulation guy during his time in Ottawa and was still a key player. He’s obviously evolved into something much more since, but by judging his time in Ottawa, Foligno is a fit right around his former draft position on this list at 27th overall.
More from SenShot
26. Mika Zibanejad
Jan 14, 2014; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Ottawa Senators forward Mika Zibanejad (93) against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Senators defeated the Wild 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Stats: 200GP, 43G, 100P
Height/Weight: 6foot2, 211lbs
Acquired: 2011 NHL Entry Draft (6th Overall)
Now here’s a guy, still very young in his career, who has the potential to jump very far up this list.
Zibanejad is a big bodied center who has now shown what he can deliver at the NHL level. Given his current age and production, there’s no reason to think that Zibanejad could put up 50+ points a year over the next decade, while developing into a legitimate top 6 or first line center.
There’s even a chance he could overtake Kyle Turris in the next coming years, which would mean big changes to the Senators’ lineup. Zibanejad is a home-grown product, selected in the top 10 in 2011. He’s had some ups-and-downs (see; 2013 roster cut), but overall he’s shown steady growth.
The Senators have only had a few quality home-grown centerman over the years. Guys like Alexei Yashin, Jason Spezza, and Mike Fisher highlight the list. Mika has the opportunity to jump into that group in just a few seasons as he looks set to have quite the NHL career ahead of him.
For now, Zibanejad is ranked 26th. He’s only played 200 NHL games (still, a lot for a 22-year-old) as he looks ahead to what could be a career season for the young swede.
25. Mark Stone
Apr 11, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Ottawa Senators right wing Mark Stone (61) celebrates his second goal of the game during the third period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. Ottawa won the game 3-1 and clinched a playoff spot. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Stats: 103GP, 30G, 72P
Height/Weight: 6foot3, 200lbs
Acquired: 2010 NHL Entry Draft (6th Round)
Stone, much like Zibanejad has potential to jump way up this list.
And I’m thinking Top 10.
While you can say all you want about Stone’s luck in his rookie campaign, or the fact that all his production was due to a hot streak, there is absolutely nothing about his game that suggests regression. Mark Stone is still one of the NHL’s smartest players, as he has shown night in and night out.
This is a player who led the league in takeaways this year. He did it countless times to the leagues best, including Jarome Iginla and Jakub Voracek—during a critical game, nonetheless.
I think you could even put Stone ahead of a lot more guys on the list, but he’s beat out just due to the length of his career. Stone projects to be a first line threat for quite some time, and I have no doubts about his game. However, he’s played just north of 100 games, not enough to justify a higher placing at this point when talking about “the greatest Ottawa Senators, of all time”
However, I’d look for a few more years like last and you’d have to think hard about not placing Mark Stone inside the top 10 on this list. He’s a hard worker, intelligent player and has some of the best hands in the league.
I can’t rave enough about Mark Stone. His game earns a placing on this list, this early into his career.
More from SenShot
24. Sergei Gonchar
Stats: 186GP, 15G, 91P
Height/Weight: 6foot2, 210lbs
Acquired: Free Agent
Gonchar wasn’t a Senator for very long. Just three seasons and 186 games, to be exact.
That isn’t a lengthy stay, but Gonchar’s ranking on the list has partly to do with how he became an important piece to a Senators team on the verge of contention, and due to his performance elsewhere.
Gonchar is most likely a future hall of famer, and the Senators certainly don’t have many of those. That in it’s own means he deserves a spot on the list.
During his three seasons in Ottawa, there were certainly rough points. Fans weren’t happy with his game when Ottawa had a poor record in 2010-11, but Gonchar still managed to record a respectable 27 points. Year two brought a 37-point performance and a season where Ottawa made the playoffs.
It was year three in Ottawa for Gonchar when his impact was really noticed. During a season with injuries to key players like Erik Karlsson and Jared Cowen, Gonchar stepped up and led the team to a playoff birth. His 27 point performance was good enough for 2nd on the team and for a near 50 point pace.
He finished his time in Ottawa with a playoff clinching goal, sending the Senators to the playoffs in a year they weren’t supposed to make it.
The Gonchar era finished when he signed with Dallas as a free agent. He wasn’t a Senator for long, but his fantastic 12-13 performance mixed with NHL excellence means that Gonchar deserves a good spot on this list.
23. Chris Kelly
Nov 15, 2013; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins center Chris Kelly (23) during warmup prior to game against Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
Stats: 465GP, 75G, 176P
Height/Weight: 6foot0, 198lbs
Acquired: 1999 NHL Entry Draft (3rd Round)
Chris Kelly is the ultimate example of how patience and development pays off.
When Kelly was drafted in the 3rd round, he fell a bit for a player coming out of a strong organization while posting strong numbers. A graduate of the London Knights, Kelly also spent seasons in Binghamton and Grand Rapids (previous affiliation) before making the NHL.
He would end up making the big club and playing nearly 500 games for the team. This, before being dealt as a pending free agent for a 2nd round pick (Shane Prince).
Kelly’s path reminds me a lot to that of current Senator, Zack Smith as comparisons can be drawn between the two.
While he wasn’t more than a 3rd line center, Kelly is in the top 15 of games played in a Senators uniform as he was an important depth piece all the way through the mid-to-late 2000’s.
Next: Choo Choo, All Aboard The A-Train
More from SenShot
22. Anton Volchenkov
Nicknamed “the A-train”, Volchenkov was a fan favourite during his stay in Ottawa. An original draft choice of the club, Volchenkov would stay in Ottawa for 7 seasons, until his stay concluded when he signed as a free agent with New Jersey.
Volchenkov was never an offensive weapon, but rather a steady, big, and not afraid to hit piece that was incredibly important during Ottawa’s contention years.
He highlighted a group of defenders that included Wade Redden, Zdeno Chara, Andrej Meszaros and Chris Phillips in 2005 as that crop was clearly among the league’s best. The PP specialists were there for Volchenkov and he was able to tone down his game, focussing on the games physical aspects. Clearly something he did it well.
He brought a fear into the eyes of forwards as they walked over the Senators’ blue-line, frequently delivering some of the NHL’s biggest hits. Seriously, check out the video above (just make sure to turn off the terrible audio track)
He did that over 400+ games in Ottawa and is remembered for being a steady defender throughout his time as a Senator.
Since his departure, he hasn’t been in as steady a group and hasn’t been as successful. Perhaps it was his contract (4,250,000 AAV) playing against him, as Volchenkov was a compliance buyout in 2013 and is now a UFA.
21. Antoine Vermette
Stats: 359GP, 80G, 167P
Height/Weight: 6foot1, 198lbs
Acquired: 2000 NHL Entry Draft (2nd Round)
While Bryan Murray called moving Antoine Vermette an extremely hard move to make, you can still trace Vermette back to a current, young asset in the Senators organization. That asset is top ranked prospect Colin White.
Originally, the Vermette deal was mainly looked upon as a loss as the main piece in return was Pascal Leclaire; obviously a complete bust. However, with the 2nd round pick received in the deal, the Senators took another goaltender in Robin Lehner.
Of course, Lehner was then moved this off-season and in exchange brought back a 2015 1st rounder and the chance to select Colin White. Vermette was always known as a responsible player, and prospect Colin White seems to hold many of the same aspects.
Is White the second coming of Vermette for the Senators? There’s a possibility that their games match up well.
And if that’s the case, you could understand the Senators being happy. During Vermette’s years in Ottawa, he was a consistent performer and a two-way center capable of putting up 20 goals and around 50 points.
His best season came while in Columbus, as he was centered with Rick Nash and registered 65 points.
Vermette was a steady Senator and remains a steady NHLer. He’s set to return to Arizona this upcoming year after winning a cup and as his career winds down. Vermette’s 350+ games as a Senator earns him a pretty favourable ranking on this list.
__
There we are up to number 21, we are getting closer to the top 10.
Stay tuned as the rest will be rolled out over the coming days.
Of course, if you missed parts one or two. Make sure to give them a read here and here.
Next: The 50 Greatest Ottawa Senators Of All-Time: #50 - #41