Welcome to Last Word on Hockey’s 2022 summer series, exploring the best and worst free agent signings for each NHL team of the post-lockout, salary cap era. With this past offseason seeing some big splashes (and potential gambles) like Johnny Gaudreau, Claude Giroux, John Klingberg, and others, it’s time to take a look at how teams have boosted and stunted their progress in recent history. Today, we look at the history of Ottawa Senators free agent signings.
Ottawa Senators Free Agent Hits and Misses
Best Signing: Clarke MacArthur
The Ottawa Senators might have the smallest amount of free agent signings for a team that has been around for 30 years now. According to CapFriendly, they have only signed 39 players under the age of 35 to contracts that have an AAV of $2 million or higher. The majority of those are re-signings of their own players. Instead, the team has always done the bulk of their building through trading and re-signing players and drafting/developing their own guys.
Still, there are a few highlights since the salary cap came into play. One of those is none other than Clarke MacArthur. MacArthur signed a two-year deal in free agency for $3.25 million a year back in 2o13. In his first year with the Sens, MacArthur was a bright spot for an overall disappointing season. Ottawa was coming off of a playoff round victory in 2012-13 but failed to reach the postseason in 2013-14. However, MacArthur posted 24 goals and 31 assists for 55 points in 79 games. It was such a good fit that he signed an extension one year before his contract was up for five years at $4.65 million per.
He followed it up with a less spectacular season, putting up 36 points in 62 games. However, he was battling a concussion throughout the season, which caused him to miss a large amount of time in February and March. He would return for the playoffs and score two goals in six games.
Injuries Pile Up
Unfortunately, that concussion wouldn’t be the last for MacArthur. He only played four games in both 2015-16 and 2016-17, missing both years because of multiple concussions. Including one that occurred in a training camp. However, what makes MacArthur our choice for the best signing is what happened during the 2017 playoff run. MacArthur was cleared to play and made his return. He would score nine points in 19 games during that run. None bigger than this series winner.
Overall, MacArthur was an effective top-six guy for the Senators. Stealing him away from the Toronto Maple Leafs was only the icing on the cake. It is a classic case of “what if?” when it comes to his health. If it wasn’t for the concussions, there is no doubt MacArthur would have been a valuable asset for the Senators for years to come. His skill and hands made him elusive in the offensive zone and he could fit anywhere in the lineup. A true utility piece, it is a shame we didn’t get to see more of MacArthur in a Sens uniform.
Best Signings: Honourable Mentions
There are two honourable mentions for Ottawa Senator free agent signings. The first would be Dominik Hasek. Another case of injuries ruining what should have been a great thing, the ending with Hasek is why he is bumped down to two here. Regardless, his 2005-06 season remains one of the best single-season performances by a Senators goaltender. With a .925 save percentage and a 2.09 goals against average, that team was destined for more. If Hasek would have played more than 43 games with Ottawa, he would have been a shoo-in for number one. There is a good argument he still is their best signing.
The other best signing? Claude Giroux. Yes, this might technically be cheating since Giroux hasn’t even played a game for the Senators. However, the significance of his signing is crucial. Not only is he the best player they have signed in free agency since Hasek, but the timing of it affects so much too. The Sens are looking to turn the page of a rebuild. But it’s not just any rebuild. Sens fans have been through a lot over the past few seasons.
Including constant battles with their own owner, who even threatened to move the team during their outdoor game. Now? A new era of Sens hockey is here. And what better way to show you’re ready to spend money and compete than sign one of the biggest names on the free agent market? Even if Giroux’s point totals aren’t elite, the significance of his signing makes him a top option anyways.
Worst Signing: Alexei Kovalev
Much like the best signing, the worst signing almost comes by default. For most teams, Alexei Kovalev wouldn’t be the worst signing. Honestly, on some teams, he may not even be top three. But it goes to show how much not spending on free agency can save a team.
Coming off close to a decade of being a contender, the Sens were entering a mini rebuild. Their roster that made a cup run in 2007 was starting to look different. The Sens still had a solid team, but not quite the level they had been at in the early ’00s. Kovalev signed a two-year deal for $5 million per season in 2009-10. In the first year, he had 18 goals and 31 assists for 49 points in 77 games. Certainly not a bad stat line, but a trend in this article, injuries popped up. The then 37-year-old tore a ligament in his knee in one of their final games of the season. He would miss the postseason where Ottawa was dispatched in just six games.
The following season, Kovalev put up 27 points in 54 games. This lack of production wasn’t good enough for an already struggling Senators team. He was flipped to the Pittsburgh Penguins for just a conditional 7th-round pick. Often described as one of the most talented players on any given night, Kovalev would have equally the same nights where he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but the rink. That kind of attitude can’t happen with a young team Ottawa would shift to by 2012.
Overall, the Kovalev signing was disappointing. $5 million was a good amount of money back then. To get just 76 points of production out of him for $10 million, especially in 131 games, just wasn’t enough. Some may argue it was unfair to expect a guy in his late 30s to produce much more. However, another common issue was that when he wasn’t scoring, he wasn’t adding much of anything. At the end of the day, this is a contract the management team would likely have avoided if given a second chance.
Worst Signing: Honourable Mention
There is one honourable mention that also took some consideration with Kovalev. That would be Sergei Gonchar. Oddly enough, memories of Gonchar on the Sens aren’t all that negative. But when you look back on it, for how much he was paid his on-ice results just weren’t great. Gonchar signed for $5.5 million a season on a three-year deal in 2010.
For $5.5 million, his results just weren’t very good. His point totals were fine, but looking back on things now, almost every analytic showed that the Sens weren’t much better with him on the ice.
A few reasons Gonchar is only an honourable mention and not the main candidate here are that he did get to see some playoff success with Ottawa. He was a part of both the 2o12 team that went to Game 7 in round one and the Pesky Sens round win in 2013. Again, for a lot of teams, the way this contract turned out likely wouldn’t even be considered a top bad deal. However, with such slim pickings, one of the few big-money signings Ottawa made didn’t work out quite as well as the others.
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