Getting to Know Newest Ottawa Senator Jordan Spence

Breaking news in the world of the Ottawa Senators! They have traded the 67th overall pick in this year’s draft and a 2026 6th round pick to the Los Angeles Kings for defenseman Jordan Spence. The 67th overall pick was acquired by the Senators yesterday, when they moved back two spots in the draft in a deal with the Nashville Predators. That’s some nice asset management by Steve Staios to then turn around and acquire a 24 year old right shot defenseman with that pick. Let’s dive into the details and get to know Jordan Spence!

READ MORE: Senators Select Logan Hensler 23rd Overall

Spence’s Time in LA

Spence was selected by the LA Kings in the fourth round of the 2019 draft. Funny enough, the Senators made the pick directly before LA took Spence, selecting Viktor Lodin. He went on to play one NHL game. Spence has played 180 regular season games and 13 in the playoffs.

He is listed at 5’11”, 180 lbs. Here are his numbers with the Kings over the last two seasons:

• 2023-24: 71 games, 2 goals, 24 points, 14:26 time on ice per game
• 2024-25: 79 games, 4 goals, 28 points, 16:47 time on ice per game

Here are a few other notes to consider from last season: At even strength, Spence mainly played with Jacob Moverare and Vladislav Gavrikov. He registered 80 hits, 77 block shots and 15 takeaways in 79 games. He played 1:04 per game on the power play, and 0:41 per game on the penalty kill.

Over the last two seasons, Spence played 10 playoff games. He scored 1 goal and 1 assist in 11:36 time on ice per game. LA has made a number of moves to their defense over the last few years. They’ve traded the likes of Sean Durzi and Sean Walker, and had Matt Roy leave in free agency. Now it’s Spence being moved, as they continue to try to find the right formula to beat the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs. Drew Doughty continues to be the go-to right shot d-man for the Kings. They also have Brandt Clarke as a promising puck-moving right shot d-man. That seemed to make Spence expendable.

Looking Ahead

Spence will be on the second year of his two year contract that comes with a $1.5 million cap hit. He will be a restricted free agent at the end of the deal. On the right side, the Senators have Zub, Jensen, Matinpalo and now Spence. With Jensen coming off of offseason hip surgery, it’s hard to know exactly what his status will be when the season starts. Whatever happens on that front, there will undoubtedly be an opportunity for Spence to be an every game player with the Senators.

A pairing of Kleven and Spence makes sense. That would give the Senators a bottom pairing with the big, physical Kleven to go with the puck-moving Spence. Spence is known as a strong skater and a good passer. His lack of size is what is seen as a weakness, and he wasn’t trusted to play overly big or tough minutes. The good news is, he’s not coming here to be a number one d-man. With Sanderson and Chabot on the team, Spence won’t be asked to be a hero, all the while still having upside to progress as a young d-man. Steve Staios continues to do a good job in bringing in players that fit a need, as opposed to bringing in players with big name recognition. Now, how about signing Claude Giroux?