The Ottawa Senators got some good news Friday as they signed the veteran two-way centre David Legwand.
Former Red Wing’s two-year, $6M deal ends Lecavalier speculation
A week that started with the Ottawa Senators trading away a 12year NHL veteran centre who was originally a second overall draft selection ended with the Senators acquiring a 15-year NHL veteran centre who was originally a second overall draft selection.
That doesn’t mean Senators fans should expect David Legwand — who signed a two-year, $6 million US contract as a free agent Friday — to deliver the same offence as the departed Jason Spezza.
Legwand, is, however, a versatile two-way centre who is comfortable playing in a variety of roles and should take some pressure off Kyle Turris and Mika Zibanejad, who had inherited the No. 1 and No. 2 centre spots once Spezza was dealt to the Dallas Stars.
It’s a piece of a good news for a Senators fan base which was left wondering about the hole in the middle of the lineup.
The Senators likely aren’t done yet making summer changes, either, as general manager Bryan Murray continues to work towards making a significant trade, which could involve dealing away a veteran defenceman.
For now, though, Murray is content with the addition of Legwand, which also puts to rest all the talk that Philadelphia Flyers veteran Vincent Lecavalier could be traded here.
“David is a good veteran centre, a guy who skates pretty well and gets up and down the ice,” Murray said in an audio statement released by the Senators Friday afternoon. “He’s an experienced guy who can fit in either at the top or bottom of the lineup. He has been a captain and a leader, so we know we’re getting a good person.”
When Legwand was drafted by the Nashville Predators in 1998, he was touted as a future scoring star in the NHL, a player who might eventually lead the Predators to the Stanley Cup.
While he never reached elite offensive status — his high-water numbers came in 2006-07 when he scored 27 goals and 36 assists in 78 games — he was a steady performer through 15 years in Tennessee.
His long tenure in Nashville ended when the Predators traded him to the Detroit Red Wings at the trade deadline last March.
He scored a combined 14 goals and 37 assists in 83 games with Nashville and Detroit last season.
He has scored 214 goals and 363 assists in 977 career games.
While it has been a busy week for the Senators with the Spezza trade and the Legwand signing, Murray likely isn’t done yet.
The Senators general manager says he continues to work on a trade, likely involving the departure of one of the team’s existing NHL defencemen.
When the disappointing 201314 season ended, Murray said he wanted to add a “harder” forward, a player who has yet to be brought in.
“Discussions about a trade having been going on for a period of time now,” Murray said, suggesting there has been a back and forth on exactly what prospects could be involved in the package.