Talk of NHL expansion is once again making the rounds around the league. The prevailing chatter suggests that the next team to join hockey’s top league will be in Texas. And if that’s the case, the Ottawa Senators will have to deal with another expansion draft.
Oh yeah, another complex situation in which the organization will have to figure out which players to keep and which ones to expose to the new franchise, either in Austin or Houston, Texas.
My money is on the team landing in Houston. It’s the sixth-largest TV market in the United States. Plus, the NHL is so adamant about expanding in the Southern United States.
As a sidebar, there’s talk about an NHL franchise returning to Quebec City. However, there hasn’t been much progress there as there isn’t an ownership group willing to commit to a long-term plan.
That aside, the team landing in Texas will likely have no direct impact on the Senators beyond the expansion draft. And that’s plenty enough.
In 2017, the Senators dealt with the expansion draft ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights joining the league. That year, the Sens went with a 7-3-1 structure. The organization protected seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goalie.
The outcome saw the Senators lose Marc Methot, one of the best defensive defensemen of his time. Ottawa tried hard to avoid losing Methot. Unfortunately, the Sens couldn’t protect him as Dion Phaneuf and his no-trade clause forced Ottawa to protect him instead of Methot.
The Golden Knights didn’t keep the 6’5” blueliner. Vegas traded Methot to the Dallas Stars, where he ended up after playing two seasons there.
Senators once again faced tough going in 2021 expansion draft
The last time the NHL went through an expansion draft was in 2021, ahead of the Seattle Kraken’s inaugural season.
Again, the Senators went with a 7-3-1 structure. This time, there were no players with no-trade clauses to gum up the works. And so, the Senators lost goalie Joey Daccord in the draft. The loss was particularly tough as Daccord has gone on to be a solid netminder in Seattle.
Daccord had two fantastic seasons in Seattle, earning him a five-year extension worth $25 million. However, last season, the first year of his new extension, was a rough one for Daccord. That’s why the loss doesn’t sting as much as it once did.
With that in mind, when would the next expansion draft occur? The likeliest target at this point would be 2030. According to the latest information, the NHL would be looking for the new Texas-based team to hit the ice for the 2030-31 season.
As such, the next expansion draft could be about three years away. That should be enough time for the Senators to figure out which players they’ll want to keep in place. Most importantly, the Sens will have time to figure out how to prevent the loss of crucial players they may be unable to protect.
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