Ottawa Senators Only Have Paul Left from Spezza Trade

Jason Spezza requested a trade from the Ottawa Senators at the end of the 2014 season, and was sent to the Dallas Stars for Alex Chiasson, Alex Guptill, a 2015 2nd round pick, and Nick Paul.

Chaisson was a restricted free agent this offseason, and the Senators were unable to agree to terms with him on a new deal. As a result, they traded him to the Calgary Flames for Patrick Sieloff.

Guptill was traded by the Senators along with Eric O’Dell, Cole Schneider, and Michael Sdao this past February to the Buffalo Sabres for Jason Akeson, Phil Varone, and Jerome Leduc.

The Senators eventually drafted Gabriel Gagne, but there’s a bit of an asterisk that needs mentioning.

He hasn’t actually been signed yet by the team, so he’s not yet officially on the roster. For the time being, Paul is the only player remaining.

Only Daniel Alfredsson has more career points in a Senators uniform than Spezza, and yet just 2 years after trading Spezza away, only 1 player they got in return remains on the team. That’s Paul.

There’s a lot of pressure on Paul to meaningfully contribute to this team because of that, but there’s a reason he was included in the deal to begin with.

The guy looks like a prototypical power forward, standing at a towering 6’4’’ and weighing a sturdy 230 LBS.

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Not only is he a physical player with defensive skills, but he also has a lot of goal scoring ability on the offensive end.

That’s what separates him from being a physical presence designated as a bottom 6 forward. Paul’s defensive skills are adept, but he has an intriguing offensive repertoire as well.

A major question with him is whether he’s going to assert himself to the extent that he ends up logging a significant amount of games next season as the 4th line left winger.

Unlike a young player like Buddy Robinson at right wing, Paul’s upside is much higher. While Robinson will likely settle into a role as a bruising bottom 6 power forward with limited offensive ability, Paul not only has the size, but the skill set to thrive on offense.

Robinson’s probably at least a season away from making a significant impact on this club. The Senators would like to keep Chris Neil on the 4th line, and if Robinson was in the lineup, it would most likely force Neil to be bumped up to the 3rd line.

If Curtis Lazar is the 3rd line right winger, then Chris Kelly can be the 4th line center. That forces Robinson out, but perhaps the team views him as more of an eventual replacement for Neil, who’s in the final year of his contract and going to turn 38 next June.

With Kelly playing 4th line center, 4th line left wing is seemingly open for competition. Based on raw potential, Paul should have the edge. If it’s based on production from last season, he probably doesn’t.

The main candidates for ice time as a 4th line left winger are probably going to be Paul, Ryan Dzingel, and Matt Puempel.

Paul had 5 points in 24 games last season. Dzingel had 9 points in 30 games last season. Puempel had 3 points in 26 games last season.

Dzingel looks like the favorite as of now to secure that role at the beginning of next season, but there’s still a lot of time for the depth chart to get rearranged.

Based on the context of how Paul arrived in the organization, it serves to reason that at least on a subconscious level, management is pulling for him to get the role.

Next: Ottawa Senators Hope that Chris Kelly Can Stay Healthy

He has the potential to be a great two-way power forward in the NHL, and he’s unfortunately the Senators’ last chance to salvage some talent from the Spezza trade.

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