One year after finishing with one of the worst records in NHL history (10-70-4) in the 1992-93 season, the Ottawa Senators had the first overall pick in the 1993 NHL Draft. With that first overall pick, the Senators selected Alexei Yashin.
The Russian forward was heavily relied on by the Senators to get the team out of the fire. By 1997, Yashin helped turn the Senators into a winning team with making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
However, things got ugly after 1999 when Yashin was frustrated with his contract and the Senators suspended him for the entire 1999-00 season. Yashin came back for the 2000-01 season, but then was traded after the season to the New York Islanders. Even with his tenure ending rough, Yashin could still have a case for the Senators Ring of Honour.
Yashin helped turn Senators into a winning team and was a dominant player
Some Sens fans may forever be bitter about Yashin's tenure ending rough after 1999 with his contract dispute, but the fans can't deny just how good Yashin was as a Senator during his seven seasons with the team.
Yashin's 491 points are the fourth most in Senators history. Yashin's 218 goals are the third most in Senators history. Yashin's 273 assists are the fifth most in Senators history. Yashin was also captain of the Senators for one season in 1998-99, which was the best season of his career.
In the 1998-99 season, Yashin delivered big with recording career highs with 44 goals, 50 assists and 94 points. Yashin made the All-Star Game, finished second for the Hart Trophy and helped the Senators win their first division title in franchise history in 1999.
During his tenure, the Senators made the playoffs four times (1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001). One of Yashin's best moments as a Senator came when he scored a playoff overtime goal in Game 3 of the Senators' first round series against Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils in the 1998 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Yashin was a big part of the Senators upsetting the Devils in the series, despite having 24 less points than the Devils in the regular season.
After being traded to the Islanders, Yahsin's career wasn't the same. While Yashin recorded 75 points in his first season as an Islander in 2001-02, he never recorded over 70 points in a season again. Yashin last played in the 2006-07 season.
A hard pill to swallow that some Sens fans may question is if Yashin was on the Senators from 2002-2004, what would've been the chances of winning the Stanley Cup. The Senators fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2002 and 2004, but 2003's seven-game series loss to the Devils in the Eastern Conference Finals may sting as the worst.
Had Yashin been on the 2003 team, chances the Senators could've won the series and/or Stanley Cup Finals may have been higher. The same thing could be said if Yashin was on the 2002 or 2004 team as well.
Despite being traded and being suspended by the team, Yashin's talent and impact on the Senators roster was a clear one. Yashin helped turn Ottawa into a winning team, and he could still have a case for a Ring of Honour spot.