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Top Five ‘What-Ifs’ in Ottawa Senators History

By Joe Hanniman

BUFFALO, NY - FEBRUARY 4: Dominik Hasek #39 of the Ottawa Senators looks on against the Buffalo Sabres on February 4, 2006 at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres won 2-1 in a shootout. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY - FEBRUARY 4: Dominik Hasek #39 of the Ottawa Senators looks on against the Buffalo Sabres on February 4, 2006 at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres won 2-1 in a shootout. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images) /
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OTTAWA, CANADA – MARCH 17: Wade Redden #6 of the Ottawa Senators skates around with his “Tribute to Hockey Moms” Pink stick during warmup before a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 17, 2007 at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Canada. The Senators won 3-2. (Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images)
OTTAWA, CANADA – MARCH 17: Wade Redden #6 of the Ottawa Senators skates around with his “Tribute to Hockey Moms” Pink stick during warmup before a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 17, 2007 at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Canada. The Senators won 3-2. (Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images) /

#4: Keeping Zdeno Chara over Wade Redden

Following the 2005/2006 NHL season, the Ottawa Senators were in a difficult situation regarding their stud defensemen. Both Zdeno Chara and Wade Redden were on expiring contracts and it became increasingly evident that there was only room to sign one of them.

The Senators’ General Manager at the time, John Muckler, decided to keep Wade Redden over Zdeno Chara. At the time, it stung to lose the presence of Zdeno Chara on the blueline, but the sting was mitigated by the Ottawa Senators making a run to the Stanley Cup finals in the 2006/2007 season.

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It wasn’t until the decline of the team in the years following 06/07 and the decline of Redden as a player, that fans started to ask themselves what the team might have looked like if Chara was still anchoring the blueline.

After all, Chara has been a defensive force for the Boston Bruins all the way through this past decade and has just now started to regress heavily. Comparatively, Wade Redden began to regress almost immediately and ended up departing Ottawa via free agency in 2008, just two years after deciding to keep him over Chara. Chara also won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011.

What-if the Ottawa Senators decided to keep Zdeno Chara over Wade Redden?

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