The 2021-22 Ottawa Senators season followed the same story as the last few seasons. Start the season with high hopes, have a slump in November and then resurface at the end of the season when it may be too late to come back.
By the trade deadline that season, it became clear that the Ottawa Senators were on track to miss the playoffs for the fifth time in as many seasons. Fortunately, they had pieces they could replace. One bright spot for the team was center Nick Ball, who was on his way to a career year as a deep field player.
A day before the trade deadline, general manager Pierre Dorion pulled the trigger on a trade that would send Paul to the Tampa Bay Lightning. In return, the Senators would receive forward Mathieu Joseph and a fourth-round pick.
Just over a year later, how have the pieces worked out in this trade for each team?
Nick Paul effect
Nick Paul, who was a fourth-round pick for Dallas in 2013, arrived for the first time with the Senators a year later along with Alex Chiasson, Alexander Guptil, and a second-round pick as part of a deal that sent Jason Spezza and Ludwig Carlson the other. road. After several seasons split between the American Hockey League (AHL) and the National Hockey League, Paul secured his spot with the big club in 2019.
By the time he called on general manager Julien Brisbois to trade the 28-year-old Paul, he knew what he was getting. At 6-foot-3 and just over 220 pounds, Paul is a welcome addition to any team looking for a little more depth. He had accumulated 18 points in his first 58 games of the season while playing in the bottom six points of an underperforming Senators team. However, Brisbois certainly wasn’t expecting his newly acquired player to raise his game the way he does.
Paul collected five goals and four assists in the playoffs for Tampa Bay, including the two that would eliminate the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game Seven of the first round. Even when he’s not playing for Senators’ cheerleaders, Paul is making their dreams come true.
That quarterback performance earned Paul a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $3.15 million (AAV). Paul started 2022-23 strong, but his finish reversed his side’s finish in the second half of the season. However, that didn’t stop him from hitting a career high of 32 points and setting a new high in goals in a season with 17 goals for the Lightning.
While Tampa Bay was eliminated this season, they are still expected to compete in the years to come. Paul will be a part of that equation as he continues to add depth.
New Beginnings by Matthew Joseph
Joseph, who was a fourth-round pick for Tampa Bay in 2014, was always a part of their system before he was traded to the Senators.
After finishing his junior years with the St. John Sea Dogs, he had an impressive 53-point rookie season in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch, which showcased his skills and potential. This performance secured him a spot on the roster in his rookie year, as he skated in 70 games and finished with 13 goals and as many assists in a team-record-setting season.
While Joseph showed promise, the next few seasons saw him bounce in and out of the lineup due to inconsistencies in his game. While he won the Cup with the Lightning in the 2020-21 season, his playing time and numbers have been decreasing, eventually making him a trading chip.
Unlike BriseBois, Joseph’s role and potential were not defined when general manager Pierre Dorion accepted the deal. The fast winger showed promising attacking skills. But maybe he didn’t get the chances he would have if he played for other teams.
In the 11 games Joseph played after being acquired by the Senators, Dorion could see the skill on display. The Laval native put up four goals and eight assists during that span, with his first career hat-trick against the Detroit Red Wings in a 5-2 victory. This performance earned Joseph a four-year, $2.950 million contract extension.
Joseph’s final season fell short of expectations. He finished with three goals and 15 assists in 56 games to match. Not only was he affected by injuries, but he was also affected A healthy scratch for grounds outside of the ice in a match against his younger brother Pierre Olivier when 50 family members flew in to attend. While this year has been difficult, the 26-year-old is expected to return next season.
The final consensus
A year into this trade, it’s still hard to pinpoint a clear winner. Both players have very similar points-per-game stats in their playing careers, with Joseph at 0.35 and Paul at 0.34. The two players also started strongly with their new teams, but saw their production dip towards the end of this season.
Tampa Bay met his needs by acquiring a depth player, while Ottawa, who was nowhere near chasing the playoffs that year, fulfilled their needs by taking advantage of an underperforming player with an upside. Although not an obvious loser, Paul’s results with the Lightning helped them more than Joseph did in Ottawa. But for all trades, only time will tell who wins.