When people think about the longest tenured Ottawa Senators player minds quickly go to players like Daniel Alfredsson, Chris Neil, and Chris Phillips. However, with Neil retiring after last season it meant a true changing of the guard in Ottawa. Now the longest tenured Ottawa Senator is Zack Smith.
If you were to ask the average fan who the longest tenured player on the Ottawa Senators is I’m willing to bet most people wouldn’t say Zack Smith. They would probably guess Karlsson or Anderson, but they’d be wrong. Smith and Karlsson were drafted in the same year but it was Smith to make the NHL first, playing one game in the 2008-2009 season.
A Consistent Role Player
Throughout his career Smith has been the epitome of what and Ottawa Senators player is seen to be, a character player. He’s not a superstar and never will be, but he’s willing to do what’s needed to get things done. He has a chip on his shoulder and an edge to him. He’s a player that will stand up for his teammates and play a less glamorous role to help the team. However, despite that he is capable of chipping in offensively. He had a 25 goal season just two years ago and has scored more than 30 points in both of the last two seasons. Now he has played more than 500 games with the Sens and will likely finish the season as one of the 20 highest scorers in Ottawa Senators history.
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Many Games To Come
Zack Smith isn’t a superstar and never will be, but he’s been someone that the Ottawa Senators have always had as a stable player and he’ll remain that way for years to come.