The Senators have just snatched 2 players away from the Maple Leafs.

Sens get add two former Leafs.

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HockeyFeed
Published 4 years ago
The Senators have just snatched 2 players away from the Maple Leafs.
Daniel Lea/CSM/Zuma

It seems that the Ottawa Senators have just bolstered their roster with players from enemy ranks.

There has already been a ton of news this morning that has linked the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs but it seems like the Senators wanted to drop one more piece of news. For those of you who missed our earlier reports and do not know what I am referencing, you can read about the 6 player trade between these two franchises this morning here, and the stunning decision from former Senators forward Jason Spezza here.

Now however TSN National Hockey League insider Bob McKenzie is reporting that the Ottawa Senators have just snatched away 2 of Toronto's players from last season in the form of forward Tyler Ennis, who is coming off of a very good year as a Leaf, and veteran defenseman Ron Hainsey. It is unclear how much the presence of DJ Smith as head coach of the Senators may have played a role in the decision from both players, but McKenzie has certainly hinted at the fact that Smith was a factor, and that Smith will lean heavily on both players come next season.

"Hainsey will be a mentor/stabilizer for a young Ottawa blueline," wrote McKenzie on Monday morning. "He already has a relationship with head coach DJ Smith, who ran the defense in Toronto last season. Hainsey and Ennis will assume a huge leadership role on a young Ottawa team where Smith is intent on establishing a new culture."

If I am being perfectly honest here I do not think that the loss of Ron Hainsey will be too tough for fans of the Maple Leafs to take, even if he is joining arguably the most reviled team among the Maple Leafs fan base. In fact with how much head coach Mike Babcock leaned on him at times Hainsey was often the target of criticism from the Leafs fan base, so there may be many who are happy to see him go to the Sens organization. Ennis however will be another story with the veteran winger fitting in nicely last season, in spite of not producing a great deal of offense. There were reports that the Leafs would have liked to keep Ennis, but the money probably simply did not make sense given Toronto's cap situation.



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