Top 10 Ottawa Senators players of all time

With the Ottawa Senators looking to build back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, we take a look at the top 10 players in the franchise’s history

10. Alexei Yashin

Getting our list of the top 10 Ottawa Senators players of all time started is likely one of the more controversial in their storied history.

That’s because Alexei Yashin was a #2 overall pick that entered the NHL with great expectations. While he excelled in his rookie season with 30 goals and 79 points, he never did go on to truly live up to the hype.

Regardless, he made two NHL All-Star teams and over his seven years with the Sens and averaged just over 70 points per season.

9. Mike Fisher

Next up on our list is Mike Fisher who may be more popular than great, but he was still a consistently good performer throughout his career.

He’s now even more known for being married to country music star Carrie Underwood, but before that Fisher had a solid NHL career.

He’s often linked to the Nashville Predators, but his career started with 11 seasons in Ottawa.

Fisher had a five-year span where he had over 20 goals in four of them and was one of the best centers to not be on the top line.

8. Ron Tugnutt

The first goaltender in our collection of the top 10 Ottawa Senators players of all time is Ron Tugnutt.

He was a bit of a journeyman, playing for several different teams, but his four seasons in Ottawa are our focus.

In those years, Tugnutt accumulated the third-most wins and shutouts in franchise history. He also led the Sens to the playoffs in 1997 and was named to the All-Star team in 1999.

7. Marian Hossa

Back to the skater front, one of the best forwards in franchise history was no doubt Marian Hossa.

Many fans best remember him for leading Ottawa to its furthest Stanley Cup Playoff journey, which was the Eastern Conference Finals in 2003.

That same year he made the All-Star team, which he also did in 2001. Across his seven years with the Sens, Hossa averaged over 26 goals per season.

6. Dany Heatley

If the goal and point stats we’ve listed so far sounds impressive, then Dany Heatley will certainly make your jaw drop.

The left winger joined Ottawa for four seasons after playing for the Atlanta Thrashers and wasted no time making his mark.

In each of his first two seasons with the Sens, Heatley recorded 50 goals and over 100 points. Even his third season with the team saw him score another 41 goals. If only he'd had wanted to stay in Ottawa.

5. Jason Spezza

Yet another #2 overall pick for the Sens is Jason Spezza. Such frequent high draft picks are not usually a good sign, but Ottawa has been trying to turn things around as of late.

Regardless, Spezza proved his worth throughout the first half of his career.

While he’s known as a Toronto Maple Leaf now, he spent 11 years in Ottawa, where he accumulated the second-most goals (251) and points 436 in franchise history.

4. Craig Anderson

Getting back to the goaltender side of things is Craig Anderson.

Unfortunately, his play as of late in his over-40 years may not leave a great taste in many fans’ mouths, but his time with the Sens was much different.

Anderson has the most games played by a goalie in franchise history with 435, most wins with 202 and second-most shutouts with 28.

He’s the only other goaltender on this list of the top 10 Ottawa Senators players of all time, displaying just how important he was to the franchise.

3. Brady Tkachuk

Perhaps a bit of recency bias lies with our next skater, but Brady Tkachuk has already proven to be one of the best Sens in franchise history throughout his first five seasons in the NHL.

His brother, Matthew, of the Florida Panthers, got plenty of attention this past postseason, but Brady can be just as prolific.

He’s a volume shot-taker that is currently coming off back-to-back 30-goal seasons and will likely be the reason teammate and assist man Tim Stutzle eventually cracks this top 10.

2. Erik Karlsson

Another skater who is still active and recently grabbed headlines is Erik Karlsson.

He just won his third Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman and although now a member of the San Jose Sharks, Karlsson certainly made his mark in Ottawa.

The D-man has the third-most points and assists in team history and won the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year as a Senator. His first two Norris Trophies were also in Ottawa, so he’s brought the franchise several pieces of hardware.

1. Daniel Alfredsson

Is it even a surprise to see Daniel Alfredsson atop this list? There isn’t much that hasn’t been said about the forward, but he leads the franchise in virtually everything.

Points (1,108), goals (426), assists (682) and power play goals (131) are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what he did for Ottawa fans.

Alfredsson was the captain for the Sens for 14 years, which is why he’s in their ring of honor and was finally inducted to the NHL Hall of Fame in 2022.