Senators acquire Jordan Spence from Kings

The Ottawa Senators are reportedly getting close to acquiring defenseman Jordan Spence from the Los Angeles Kings, per TSN’s Bruce Garrioch. The Los Angeles Kings will receive a 2025 third-round pick – 67th-overall – and a 2026 sixth-round pick in return per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The move has been confirmed by the Senators.

In the minutes leading up to the start of draft day two, Ottawa has pulled off yet another lucrative deal. They acquired the third-round pick moved in this deal from the Nashville Predators on Friday, as part of a package with the 23rd-overall pick to move up to Ottawa’s 21st-oveall slot. The Senators went on to select Logan Hensler at 23, landing a heavy-body and poised defender who should fit perfectly ahead of Spence in the Senators’ future lineup. That makes this acquisition of Spence all the sweeter for Ottawa. For the net cost of 21st overall and a sixth-round pick, they’ll land a top prospect in Hensler, and a high-upside puck-mover in Spence.

Spence climbed into a hardy role in the Kings lineup over the last two seasons, on the back of confident play-driving and gradual improvements to his game away from the puck. Last season marked his first full year in the NHL, and he marked it with 24 points, 12 penalty minutes, and a plus-five through 71 games played. Not to be outdone, Spence returned to the NHL full-time this year and improved his stat line to 28 points, 16 penalty minutes, and a plus-23 in 79 appearances. He’s a crafty and quick defender, though one often undercut by his 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame.

That size has kept Spence an unheralded player for much of his hockey career. He was originally drafted by the Kings in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL Draft, following a year where he scored 49 points in 68 games with the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats. He continued on in the QMJHL for the next two seasons, and didn’t reach point-per-game scoring until he managed 40 points in 22 games of the shortened 2020-21 campaign.

It was on the heels of that surge to scoring that Spence opted to turn pro. He played through his rookie AHL season, and fell one game short of his rookie NHL season, in the 2021-22 season. That year was marked by a productive 42 points in 46 AHL games, but just eight points in 24 NHL games. He returned for much of the same in the following year – netting 45 points in 56 AHL games but just one point in six NHL appearances.

Now, Spence seems firmly set as a routine, full-time NHL fixture. That fact made him a tough asset for the Kings to hold onto, with Drew Doughty and Brandt Clarke holding firm roles in the lineup above Spence. The Senators should be able to reward him with much more playing time – with their right-side only blocked off by Artem Zub and Nick Jensen, two options who move the puck far less than Spence. That setup could be the makings of a breakout year for the flashy defender, though just how well his all-three-zones playmaking will hold up at the NHL level is yet to be seen.