Ottawa Senators Should Consider Trading David Legwand

The Ottawa Senators are one of the youngest teams in the NHL, wth an average age around 26 years old. There is one longtime veteran on the roster that the Senators should consider moving, that being David Legwand. Legwand is approaching the end of his career, and with only a couple good years left in him, it’s time for the Senators to move on and fully commit to their youth movement. 

One thing Legwand brings to the Senators is experience and leadership. He is in his 16th NHL season and can really help young guys like Curtis Lazar adjust to the NHL. Team captain Erik Karlsson isn’t as old as most NHL captains, and has plenty to learn from Legwand. However, with other veterans like Chris Neil or Chris Phillips on the roster, Karlsson will have plenty of support if Legwand were to be traded. While moving Legwand will remove some leadership in the locker room, there are other guys capable of helping Karlsson along in his first season as captain.

Legwand’s production has gone down since his 63 point season in 2006-07, and with only six points in 21 games this year, he’s not going to return to his prime anytime soon. Ottawa has a number of other guys already capable of producing for them, but the key in moving Legwand is that it will open the door for younger players. With Legwand playing anywhere from 15-20 minutes a night, rookies on the team will gain more ice-time and have more opportunity to learn.  This allows them to progress a little bit faster, which will help the Senators in the long run.

Legwand has never won a Stanley Cup, and like so many other veterans in his position, perhaps he himself wants to move to a contender to win a championship. He is currently two games shy of 1,000 in his career and a team like the New York Islanders could use his veteran presence on offense.

The Senators have done surprisingly well so far this season, and moving Legwand will allow the team to fully commit to their younger players and speed up their progression, benefiting the team for seasons ahead.

Shaun Lavery is a Calgary Flames writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, or add him to your network on Google.