Every NHL franchise has a few deals it wishes it could wipe from the books, and Ottawa is no exception. In the Senators’ case, two trades stand out because both sent promising young forwards out the door before they had truly hit their stride - and both players went on to become major offensive pieces elsewhere.
The first one still stings: Pavol Demitra to the St. Louis Blues in November of 1996.
Ottawa moved the 21-year-old for Swedish defenceman Christer Olsson after Demitra had trouble locking down a regular role. The Senators never really gave him enough time to settle in, and that decision came back hard.
Demitra quickly became one of St. Louis’ best scorers.
He had three 30-goal seasons with the Blues and finished with 493 points in 494 games for the club. His NHL career stretched beyond 800 games, with stops in Los Angeles, Minnesota and Vancouver, and he closed it out with 768 points.
Olsson’s time in Ottawa barely registered by comparison. He played 25 games for the Senators, picked up five points, and then returned to Europe. Looking back, it is the kind of trade that only gets uglier with age.
The Martin Havlat deal from 2006 belongs in the same conversation. Ottawa sent Havlat and Bryan Smolinski to Chicago in a three-team trade that also involved San Jose, and the return - Tom Preissing, Josh Hennessy, Michal Barinka, and a second-round pick that became Patrick Wiercioch - never came close to matching the value going out.
Havlat was coming off a season in which he posted 13 points in 10 playoff games and was in line for a new contract. Instead of finding a way to keep him, the Senators moved on.
Preissing was the main piece coming back, and he did help Ottawa during its run to the 2007 Stanley Cup Final. But his stay lasted only one season, and he finished that year with 38 points. Over his NHL career, he played 326 games and scored 126 points.
Havlat kept doing exactly what teams hoped he would do. He put up 161 points in 172 games with the Blackhawks and became a key part of a young team on the rise. After Chicago, he went on to play for the Wild, Sharks, Devils and Blues, and finished with 594 points in 790 career games.
For the Senators, it’s not a hard verdict. Both trades aged badly, and the Havlat one in particular stands out as a costly mistake.
In Other News...
Senators Could Be Headed For Another Expansion Draft Headache
Talk of NHL expansion is starting to bubble again, and Ottawa may already be eyeing the downside. If the league does move ahead with another new franchise in Texas, with Houston seen as the likeliest landing spot, the Senators would be staring at another expansion draft down the road, another reminder that growth around the league can come with a cost for teams trying to build and keep their own roster intact.
Ottawa has lived through this before. The Senators were hit in the 2017 and 2021 expansion drafts, losing Marc Methot and Joey Daccord, and the next round would not come immediately, with the timing expected to land around 2030 if the Texas club debuts in the 2030-31 season. For a team still sorting through its long-term plans, the idea of another protected-list headache is one more variable to keep in mind. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Spence Just Said What Senators Fans Still Feel About Tkachuk
Brady Tkachuks move from Ottawa to Florida in June still hangs over the Senators in the way major departures often do, especially when it involves a player who had become such a central part of the room and the fan base. The trade caught plenty of people off guard and drew immediate criticism, and the club even tried to soften the blow for supporters with a jersey trade-in offer and a discount tied to the deal.
Jordan Spence, who was in the dressing room with Tkachuk, framed the departure the way many around the team still seem to see it, as the kind of loss that changes the feel of a group. Even with the obvious disappointment, there is a forward-looking element to it now, since the Senators have to keep building without one of their most recognizable players while fans are left to sort through the emotional aftermath of a move that was never going to feel ordinary. [Read more 🡒]
Senators First-Round Pick Is Back After A Brutal Injury Ordeal
Logan Henslers path back to the ice has already been a test of patience and toughness. The Senators first-round pick was knocked out of a February game by a brutal left-leg injury, and the damage was severe enough to require surgery and a long stretch away from the rink before he could even begin rebuilding strength and mobility.
Now Hensler is skating again, a meaningful step after a winter and spring defined by recovery. He spent about six weeks non-weight bearing after the procedure and is expected to rejoin the University of Wisconsin hockey team this fall, giving Ottawa a reason to keep an eye on a prospect whose first challenge as a pro hopeful came well before he had a chance to showcase his game. [Read more 🡒]