A towering new name entered the NHL Draft conversation this past weekend, and it didn’t take long for Ottawa Senators fans to make the connection.
When the San Jose Sharks took Alexander Karmanov in the seventh round with the 201st pick at the 2026 NHL Draft, the comparisons started almost immediately. Karmanov is listed at 7-foot-1 and 280 pounds, and he’s from Moldova.
That makes him three inches taller and 30 pounds heavier than Zdeno Chara, the former Senators captain who still looms large in Ottawa memory. Chara, the Slovakia native, was 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds.
Whether Karmanov ever gets to the NHL, and whether he would resemble Chara if he does, is something nobody can answer yet. But the buzz around his size offered a natural excuse to look back at how Chara ended up in Ottawa in the first place.
To do that, you have to go back to the summer of 2001.
The Islanders had just finished last in their division and were looking to shake things up at the 2001 NHL Draft. Holding the second overall pick, they decided they wanted an established NHL forward instead of using the selection on a prospect. That choice led them to strike a deal with the Senators on June 23, 2001.
Ottawa sent Chara, Bill Muckalt, and the second overall pick in the 2001 NHL Draft, which became Jason Spezza, to the Islanders. In return, New York got Alexei Yashin.
Yashin spent five seasons with the Islanders and became one of the team’s top players, appearing in 346 games and producing 119 goals and 171 assists for 290 points.
Chara’s run in Ottawa lasted four seasons before he moved on to the Boston Bruins. With the Senators, he played 299 games and posted 51 goals and 95 assists for 146 points.
Twenty-five years later, the deal looks like a clear win for Ottawa. The Senators came away with Chara and Spezza, two of the best players in franchise history.
In Other News...
Senators Could Lose An RFA Forward For Almost Nothing
The Senators may have another roster issue simmering before the next round of contract business even gets fully underway. Elliotte Friedman reported that a restricted free agent forward is looking for a way out of Ottawa because the path to meaningful NHL minutes is not clear, and the club would still hold his rights if he decides to press the issue. For a team trying to manage its forward depth carefully, it is the kind of situation that can turn into a trade conversation quickly, especially when the player in question is still trying to translate strong minor-league production into a more stable NHL role.
There is also the wrinkle of an offer sheet, which would put Ottawa in a different kind of bind depending on how another club structures the deal. The compensation would hinge on the contract value, with the return changing significantly above or below the relevant threshold, so the Senators could be forced to decide whether to match, negotiate a trade, or risk losing the asset for very little. For a front office that already has to balance opportunity, depth and cap planning, it is one more negotiation thread worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Claude Giroux Suddenly Puts Ottawa In A Position Fans Feared
Claude Girouxs future in Ottawa has quietly become one of the more delicate roster questions of the summer. After four seasons with the Senators, he has given them the kind of reliable two-way presence they value, producing at both ends of the ice while fitting into a lineup that still leans on veteran poise. The problem is that what the Senators want from Giroux and what they can realistically fit into the roster are not quite the same thing right now.
Pierre LeBruns report only sharpened the uncertainty around a player Ottawa would clearly like to keep. The Senators remain interested in bringing him back, but depth on the forward group and salary-cap pressure are pushing the conversation into difficult territory. For a team that has already spent years trying to build the right supporting cast, Girouxs situation is a reminder that sometimes the hardest decisions are the ones involving the players who have helped stabilize the room. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Fans Finally Got A Key Prospect Sign They Needed
For a Senators development camp that has plenty of attention on the usual group of young skaters, the sight of Carter Hensler back on the ice carried a different kind of weight. The defense prospect had been sidelined after an injury in January and spent months working through rehab, so simply getting back into drills this week was an encouraging step for a player whose momentum had been interrupted just as he was trying to build it.
Henslers return also adds another layer to a camp that is already giving Ottawa a look at prospects with different kinds of upside, including Kasper Halttunen, who arrives with a scorers resume and a history of helping drive winning teams. For the Senators, the appeal is obvious: development camp is about talent, but it is also about seeing who can get back on the ice, settle in again and start turning promise into something more reliable. [Read more 🡒]