The Ottawa Senators’ 2023 training camp is wrapping up and there were a handful of names on the camp invitation list who were Senators’ first-round draft picks. Given that some of the best players to grace the ice in Bytown are first-rounders, (see Erik Karlsson and Brady Tkachuk to name just two) I thought it would be interesting to take a trip down memory lane to see what has become of Ottawa’s first-round picks since the salary cap era began in 2005.
The most recent picks are young and some are still looking to crack the Senators’ lineup. Several veterans who were first-round picks years ago still play in the NHL.
A few of Ottawa’s first-round picks raise painful questions about what might have been had they stayed with the team. Others are a testament to the skill and foresight of Senators’ general managers (GM) in making draft choices over the years. Even so, Ottawa fans still shake their heads at some picks, wondering what management was thinking in making the choices they did.
Related: The Senators Have Never Been Good at Building Through the Draft
The Senators have made 21 first-round picks in the past 18 years. Whether they had a brief stint in Bytown or became fan favorites, here is where they are today along with a few lessons learned about drafting.
Brian Lee (9th Overall 2005)
Current Status: Retired
NHL games: 209 / Senators games: 167
Brian Lee was regarded as one of the NHL’s top defensive prospects when the Senators drafted him but never lived up to expectations, bouncing back and forth between the Senators’ farm team in Binghamton and the big club.
With some first-round picks, pride goeth before the fall and so it was with Lee whose agent said that Lee was “shocked and surprised that he was not among the Senators’ top-six defencemen” after he was once again assigned to Binghamton following the 2009 training camp. He noted that Erik Karlsson and Matt Carkner remained.
He was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 27, 2012. A knee injury pushed him into retirement in 2014 with just five goals and 31 assists over his career.
Nick Foligno (28th Overall 2006)
Current Status: Chicago Blackhawks under a one-year $4 million contract for 2023-24
NHL games: 1,155 / Senators games: 351
The dual Canadian-American left winger notched 61 goals and 87 assists over five seasons with the Senators from 2007 – 2012. He was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets on July…
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