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.