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.