Jensen on trade to Senators: ‘It’s been a whirlwind’
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Nick Jensen was not expecting the call on July 1.
On the opening of NHL free agency, Jensen got the call that he had been traded from Washington to Ottawa, along with a 2026 third-round pick, in exchange for fellow defenceman Jakob Chychrun.
Jensen had spent the past five and a half seasons in Washington, and while he admits it’s hard to leave, especially with his wife expecting a baby in September, he is excited for a new opportunity in Ottawa.
“It’s just a big whirlwind but with that comes a lot of excitement after it calms down,” Jensen told TSN Radio 1200 Ottawa on Tuesday. “You get an opportunity to go play for a team I think has a lot of potential to be a competitive team in the year and the playoffs.
“You get to go live in a city that I’ve heard great things about. I never really got to experience [it] because every time we play Ottawa we stay in the Brookstreet Hotel. It’s not actually really near the city of Ottawa, so I [didn’t] get to really see any of it.”
Starting his career in Detroit, the Saint Paul, Minn. native played with the Red Wings until he was traded to Washington in the final year of his contract in February 2019.
A right-shot defenceman, Jensen had one goal and 14 points in 78 games while averaging 19:37 minutes of ice time last season with the Capitals. He also the distinction of assisting on Alexander Ovechkin’s 700th career goal.
He is in the second season of a three-year, $12.15 million contract he signed in February 2023.
At 33, Jensen is the oldest player on the Senators blueline and will likely slot in the top four. With the Senators already employing offensively gifted defencemen in Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson, Jensen is expected to bring a steadying presence to a young team looking to snap a seven-year playoff drought.
“I think over the years I’ve kept a few things pretty consistent with how I play the game, I take a pretty basic approach,” said Jensen. “I believe hard work, work ethic, is probably one of the most important parts of my game along with the competitiveness of it. Those two things are kind of my core pillars that I always lean on.”