Pierre Dorion and the Ottawa Senators surprised many fans yesterday when they announced they had traded Zack Smith to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Artem Anisimov. There are multiple angles this trade can be examined under, but the one that has prevailed throughout most of the fanbase is that this trade saves the Senators money over the next two years.
So was this a purely financial move for the Senators? Considering that most people should be able to agree that Artem Anisimov brings more skill to the table than Zack Smith did, maybe there are other reasons the Senators agreed to this trade.