Complex sentence: He was traded to the Ottawa Senators during the 2001 NHL Entry Draft as part of a blockbuster deal to acquire Alexei Yashin which was believed at the time would vastly improve the Islanders, never a contending team when Chára played there.
Split into simpler sentences: He was traded to the Ottawa Senators during the 2001 NHL Entry Draft as part of a blockbuster deal to acquire Alexei Yashin. At the time, it was believed that the deal would vastly improve the Islanders, who were never a contending team when Chára played there.