Forgotten Penguins Players: Alexandre Daigle

Ahead of the 1993 NHL Draft, top prospect Alexandre Daigle scored 137 points in 53 games with the Victoriaville Tigers in the QMJHL.

As the consensus number-one pick, the Ottawa Senators called his name on June 26, 1993. Daigle was selected ahead of future Hall of Famer Chris Pronger (second) and Paul Kariya (fourth).

Daigle scored 20 goals as a rookie and finished the 84-game campaign with 51 points but was minus-45 on a Senators team with a 14-61-9 record, the worst in the NHL.

Despite finishing second in team scoring, Daigle didn’t receive any votes for the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year. That year, Martin Brodeur took the honors with 60.74% of the vote.

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Unfortunately, Daigle never adjusted to life in the NHL. During his five seasons in Ottawa, he scored only 74 goals and 172 points in 301 games.

Even though the Senators were not a strong team, Daigle finished his tenure with a minus-137 rating, almost equaling his point production statistics.

In January 1998, Ottawa sent Daigle to the Philadelphia Flyers for a second-round pick, Pat Falloon, and Vaclav Prospal.

Although his plus/minus rating improved with the Flyers, his production was down, so in 1999, Daigle was traded three times.

First, Philadelphia sent him to the Edmonton Oilers for Andrei Kovalenko. On the same day, the Oilers flipped him to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Alexander Selivanov.

Daigle played 32 games with the Lightning, collecting 12 points and being minus-12. In Philadelphia, he scored 12 goals and 31 points in 68 contests.

Before the 1999-2000 season started, Tampa Bay dealt Daigle to the New York Rangers for cash. He played 58 games on Broadway, netting only eight goals and 26 points before disappearing from the NHL for two seasons.

Related: Forgotten Penguins Players: Ted Nolan

After being away from the game, Daigle attempted a comeback in 2002-03, landing a contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Even though he was almost a point-per-game player in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton thanks to 38 points in 40 games, his production in the NHL was only seven points in 33 games.

After the 2003-04 season, Daigle signed with the Minnesota Wild and played his last two seasons of NHL hockey with the club.

During his first campaign, he was an alternate captain, a first in his career. He tied a career-high with 51 points and scored 20 goals for the third time.

After the NHL lockout, Daigle returned to the Wild and scored 28 points in 46 games in his final season in 2005-06.

He then returned to Switzerland, where he played with HC Davos, HC Fribourg-Gotteron, and the SCL Tigers, retiring after the 2009-10 season.

As one of the highest-regarded draft picks of the early 1990s, Daigle never lived up to his potential in the NHL. Over his 10-year career, he scored only 129 goals with 327 points and 616 games.

Despite a decorated junior career, Daigle never played in an NHL All-Star Game or received a vote for an award. His professional achievements include two NLA titles and a Spengler Cup in 2007, all achieved in Europe.

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Even though Daigle played 33 games with the Penguins, more than the most forgotten players, his stint with the club was not memorable.

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