Matt Puempel
Senators draft pick Matt Puempel would take quite a while to make the NHL, and when he did, he would not stick around for long. Infact, the 2016-17 season would be the first where he would make the opening night NHL roster. Unfortunately for him, he was not able to remain consistent at the NHL level and was placed on waivers on November 20th, 2016, where he would be claimed by the New York Rangers. He would struggle to stay at the NHL level, mainly playing in the AHL. He would be traded to the Detroit Red Wings, and would mainly play with their AHL affiliate. He would be signed to a two-year extension. He went unsigned at the end of that contract and opted to go overseas signing in the SHL. After that one season, he wold go to the DEL signing with the Augsburger Panthers, and is poised to play there again next season.
Tom Pyatt
Being one of Guy Boucher’s favorite players in Tampa Bay, Tom Pyatt would make his way to the Ottawa Senators via free agency. Pyatt also played under Boucher in the AHL. Pyatt would impress as a penalty kill specialist at first, but would sour on fans as time went on and Boucher would clearly play favorite with him, playing him in situations he should not be played. His final NHL season would come in 2018-19 where he played 37 games before being placed on waivers and go unclaimed. Eventually, he would be traded to the Vancouver Canucks alongside Mike McKenna for Anders Nilsson. At the 2019 NHL Draft, his UFA Rights would be traded to the San Jose Sharks, before signing in Europe. He retired from professional hockey in 2020.
Curtis Lazar
Despite always having a smile, things would not go too well for Curtis Lazar during his tenure with the Ottawa Senators. He was drafted 17th overall in the 2013 draft, but would not turn out to be what was expected of him in Ottawa. Despite being an extremely versatile player, he did not find his forever home with the Senators, being traded to the Calgary Flames on the 2017 Trade Deadline after fighting Monno. He would only play in 4 games with the Flames that season. As an RFA, he re-signed for two years in Calgary, before eventually being demoted to the AHL. He signed with the Buffalo Sabres for a one-year contract, and found somewhat of a home in the NHL, signing an extension with the team. Eventually, he was traded to the Boston Bruins with Taylor Hall and finished the season with the Bruins. He would not be re-signed and would sign with the Canucks to a three-year deal on July 13th, 2022. As the 2022-23 season would not go as planned, Lazar would be traded to the New Jersey Devils where he’s playing in the playoffs right now.
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Closing Thoughts
I figured the forwards would be a pretty big read in itself so I thought this would be best broken into a three-part series. I completely forgot a few of the players in this article and it’s always fun to reminisce about good times. One more thing I will say is my goodness I’m surprised the Sens made it as far as they did that season. The Forward core was very bare bones in my opinion. The 2022-23 edition of the Ottawa Senators definitely is better than the 2016-17 team.