Senators’ Biggest Needs Ahead of Free Agency

Even though there have already been 18 trades since the completion of the Stanley Cup Final, the NHL offseason is officially underway, beginning tonight with the 2026 NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo, followed by free agency five days later. 

The Ottawa Senators have been one of many clubs active in the trade market already. With their hands tied, they shipped their captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers last weekend, but were able to get the ninth-overall and 25th-overall picks back for the trouble. They then used the ninth-overall pick to bring in William Eklund from the San Jose Sharks, a young talent they desperately needed to fill the void on left wing.

This is only the beginning of what is expected to be a busy offseason for the Senators, and while the asset management of the Tkachuk dilemma was phenomenal by president and general manager Steve Staios, he still has his work cut out for him beyond tonight. Not only will he be working the phones at the draft, but it is expected he will do the same at free agency, mainly to upgrade three specific needs.

Two-to-Three Scoring Wingers

Just about everyone around the Senators organization will agree they need more scoring help solely based on their playoff performance against the Carolina Hurricanes, scoring only five goals in the four-game sweep. However, this need spans far further back. 

Only two forwards recorded 60-plus points this season: Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson. Tkachuk and Dylan Cozens were close with 59, but then the totals tail off to Claude Giroux’s 49. The season prior was very similar, with Stutzle and Batherson finishing as Ottawa’s top two scorers with 79 and 68 points, followed by two 50-point forwards and five with 30 or fewer. 

The Senators have been praised for carrying solid depth on both sides of the puck under Staios and head coach Travis Green. While 30-point bottom-six forwards go a long way in filling out team depth, the top-six spots need to be looked at heavily if Ottawa hopes to keep up with the offensive firepower in the Atlantic Division next season. 

But if the Senators are going to upgrade up front, they need to be looking at wingers only. They already have Stutzle, Cozens, and Shane Pinto as their top-three centres, and they drive their lines with their own playing styles – Stutzle with his playmaking and scoring, followed by Cozens’ physicality and the two-way play of Pinto. 

They got a head start in adding Eklund, who still has the potential to be a top-line gun, but the Sens will have to target more with Tkachuk now out of the picture. Other targets in free agency aren’t the most elite, but could fit right into the middle-six. Anthony Mantha or Michael Bunting to add grit to the second line of Cozens and Ridly Greig? Ilya Mikheyev for speed on the third line?

What about in the trade market? Jason Robertson was the obvious guess to trade for, but he likely would not sign long-term in Ottawa. Staios could also go for the names that fit better in their middle-six, like Brian Rust or Rickard Rakell from the Pittsburgh Penguins – two forwards with two-to-three years of speed left that can give you 20-25 goals a season. Up front is where the Sens have a ton of options to play with, but it is all about where in the lineup they fit.

Top-Four Defensive Defenceman

Having well-rounded, puck-moving defencemen has been the Senators’ main strength for the past two seasons. Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot stand out as the two-way defenders in the first two pairings, but Artem Zub has been Sanderson’s partner for the better part of three full seasons. The two have been phenomenal in this frame, averaging an expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60) of 2.5 or higher when playing together.

While that is great, what about a partner for Chabot? Ottawa has tried to give him that well-rounded defender to play with for the last several seasons, but from Jakob Chychrun to Nick Jensen, they could never get going on the defensive side, especially with the injuries to Jensen this season. Between those two, they managed an expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) above 2.35 with Chabot.

Jordan Spence did well with Chabot this season, averaging an xGF/60 of 3.46, but Spence plays a similar brand of hockey to both him and Sanderson. As well, Carter Yakemchuk is knocking on the door, so the Sens would have four defencemen supplying offence, with Zub and Tyler Kleven as their two regular defensive minds. Though Nikolas Matinpalo is also in play, Ottawa needs a proven secondary option to pair with Chabot – preferably someone to play the right side – and complete all three pairings with one offensive and one defensive mind. 

Spence’s name has come up in trade discussions lately, so perhaps he is swapped for said defence-first guy (from ‘Ottawa Senators checking the trade market for RFA blueliner Jordan Spence,’ Ottawa Citizen, June 15, 2026). Zach Whitecloud of the Calgary Flames has been linked to the club recently, as well as Rasmus Ristolainen of the Philadelphia Flyers.

In free agency, Mario Ferraro is easily the best option to look at for all teams looking to stabilize their blue lines. He’s left-handed, yes, but he is capable of playing both sides, flexibility that could open even more options for Green. Ferraro would also be the most affordable option with the big fish like John Carlson, Jacob Trouba, and Rasmus Andersson expected to demand big money.

Reliable Secondary Goaltender

The area that has plagued Ottawa the most in the club’s reemergence is between the pipes. From Matt Murray to Joonas Korpisalo to Linus Ullmark, the Senators have never seemed to get a save when they needed it most for the past four seasons.

Now, thanks to a strong second half from Ullmark – including a .932 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.03 goals-against average (GAA) in this year’s playoffs – he may have stabilized the starting position for now, and rightfully so. However, if he goes back to struggling next season, the Sens will need a legitimate backup behind him to stabilize things. 

Leevi Merilainen and James Reimer were the two options behind Ullmark this season, and each had a sub-.880 SV%. While Merilainen, the club’s third-round selection in 2020, still has room to grow, goaltenders always take longer, and Ottawa can’t wait for results, especially in a position where they have had mostly disappointing results.

The only way to stabilize the net is an upgrade from Reimer, who is also an unrestricted free agent. What Ottawa has to consider is that the top starters like Sergei Bobrovsky and Frederik Andersen might be looking to get paid more than Ullmark’s $8.25 million. Outside of them, there are 11 backup options Staios could look at, but they all have lingering questions. 

A reunion with the aforementioned Murray? He put up a .922 SV% and a 2.11 GAA with the Seattle Kraken, but in just five starts. Connor Ingram could work, but he had his inconsistencies on another team looking for goalie answers in the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner, whom the Sens have been linked to the most, looked better since the move to Pittsburgh, but he’s failed to launch in a Canadian market before. 

The Senators can’t have any more dilemmas – mainly in the net or with scoring – if they want to keep up in the ruthless Eastern Conference next season. After trading the club’s captain, Staios said he has “no intention of this group taking a step back” when describing his vision of the Senators’ roster. While there’s no telling how aggressive he will be, if there’s any time to bolster the roster, it’s now.