A bit revisionist history. Redden and Chara were absolutely close. It was pretty much split on who people thought was better. Many were concerned that Chara was too slow for the new NHL to really become a franchise defenseman, especially after the playoffs. Redden was seen as the best pucking moving defenseman at the time. The decision to keep Redden over Chara wasn't really scrutinize at the time, as the case would be if they were giving up "Boston Chara." Redden for cheaper was probably the deciding factor, and that was because Spezza and Heatley needed new contracts soon and were seen as more important. Of course Alfredsson was their captain and probably considered the most important player. It's not exactly a slight to Chara at the time, as each one of those players had either put up 100 points or were on pace to before injury.
Rumours here and there, but at the end of the day the Senators had the opportunity to keep Chara if they wanted to, that much can't really be denied. And they didn't, he just wasn't the franchise player on that team.
Tavares is different in that regard. However, I think it's quite apparent I view Tavares in much higher regard than many others on this site. He's a clearcut franchise player.
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