7. Trading away a young Mika Zibanejad
The Senators drafted Mika Zibanejad with the sixth overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. When the Senators drafted Zibanejad, the Senators had hoped they hit the jackpot.
Zibanejad only played in nine game and recorded one assist in the 2011-12 season, but got more playing time in the lockout 48-game season the following year.
In 42 games, Zibanejad recorded 20 points and was a good role player to help the Senators reach the 2013 playoffs. While the Senators were eliminated by the Penguins in the second round, Zibanejad was destined to grow his potential.
Over the next two seasons, Zibanejad's point total was higher in each season. In the 2015-16 season, Zibanejad recorded career-highs with 21 goals, 30 assists and 51 points. Despite improving every season in Ottawa, the Senators saw enough of Zibanejad.
Before the 2016-17 season, the Senators traded Zibanejad and a 2018 second-round draft pick to the Rangers in exchange for Derick Brassard and a 2018 seventh-round pick. Brassard had two better seasons than Zibanejad over the past two seasons, so some felt it was an upgrade.
The first season appeared to favor the Senators as the Senators eliminated the Rangers in the second round of the 2017 playoffs, but the trade has swung heavily in the Rangers direction ever since.
The Senators have yet to make the playoffs and Zibanejad's career has skyrocketed in New York. Zibanejad has recorded three 70-point seasons, one 80-point season and a career-high 93-point season in the 2022-23 season. Zibanejad has also recorded two 50-assist seasons and one 40-goal season.
The Rangers made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022 and 2024 with Zibanejad being a key member of the team, and the Senators haven't made the playoffs since 2017. The Senators trading away Zibanejad will always be one of the biggest "what ifs" for the franchise. Zibanejad was a player that the Senators traded away too early and it would comeback and backfire on the organization down the road.