Coyotes trade Derek Stepan to Senators for second-rounder

Derek Stepan is heading to Ottawa. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Coyotes trade Derek Stepan to Senators for second-round pick

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 12/27/20

Derek Stepan is set to play for the third team of his NHL career.

The Arizona Coyotes traded the veteran center to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, the team announced.

"On behalf of the entire Coyotes organization, I would like to thank Derek for everything he did for the Coyotes the past three seasons," Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong said in a statement Saturday night. "Derek is the consummate professional and a class act. We wish him and his family all the best in the future."

OFFICIAL: We have acquired a second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Derek Stepan.

Details:https://t.co/PJVdXMYsjT
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) December 27, 2020

In three seasons with the Coyotes, Stepan notched 119 points (39 goals, 80 assists) in 224 games. The 30-year-old spent the first seven seasons of his career with the New York Rangers, who traded him to Arizona in 2017 along with Antti Raanta.

In total, Stepan has 479 points (167 goals, 312 assists) in 739 regular-season games.

He'll join a young Senators squad looking to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign. With a new all-Canadian division during the 2020-21 season, it's unlikely Ottawa earns a top-four spot to earn a playoff berth.

More must-reads: