The Ottawa Senators have a busy offseason ahead of them. Based on 2025-26, they seem to have identified needing external improvement. If for example, you consider the Toronto Maple Leafs out-skilled the Sens in round one of their Eastern Conference 2025 Stanley Cup Playoff series. Now, the Leafs find themselves in the exact same situation as a result of the Florida Panthers playoff pedigree. It just truly goes to show how complete of a team you need to be to take that proverbial next step. Ottawa did a great job of taking a huge first step in 2024-25 by making the playoffs. Moreover, it seems general manager Steve Staios has a tall task in front of him to improve team speed, skill, and also playoff acumen in the offseason.
Starting With the Free Agents the Ottawa Senators Will Re-Sign
The first issue seems to be sign Claude Giroux. It seems he’s landing on a two-year, $4 million-per-year deal, or thereabouts, at this point. Get it done and move on.
A pair of restricted free agents for the Ottawa Senators, Tyler Kleven and Leevi Merilainen, need contracts. Again, you’d think that makes for easy decision-making for Staios and staff. An educated guess would be around $3 million total next year for those two. Now, we can’t forget the internal debate on what to do for a backup goalie for starter Linus Ullmark. However, for the purpose of our discussion, let’s assume Merilainen, along with Mads Sogaard, provide a solid tandem of backups for Ullmark.
If Ottawa wants to continually improve their roster this offseason, there does seem like there’s a component of a trade in the works. The Joshua Norris and Dylan Cozens swap was such a big needle-tipper, in terms of completeness for the lineup. As we referenced, the Sens lineup still needs to add some speed and skill to it. Not to mention toughness. Definitely not an easy combination. Furthermore, these attributes would not only allow Ottawa to match up well with the Torontos, but also take that next step. You know, the next, next step.
Expanding the Sens List of Necessity Re-Signs
While we continue our list of re-signs, Fabian Zetterlund we feel makes the list. Again, there are some questions on dollars. However, you’ve got to think around $3 million. This is a guy who’s scored 24 and 19 goals, respectively, in the last two seasons. Although, one aspect that complicates things is that in his 20 games as a Sen to wrap up the season, only two goals.
The train of thought we are going with is that despite the lack of production, he is a good fit in Ottawa. The benefit for Staios and company is that the cold spell ultimately saves them a few dollars and cents on their end. A one-year deal makes the most sense, you know, he might need to be bumped up. Think of it as a bridge deal of sorts.
Okay, at this time, let’s recalculate total salary cap availability. Based on the Sens current cap allocation, they have $77.93 million assigned to 14 of 23 roster spots. According to puckpedia, that leaves $17.5 million in cap space to play around with this summer. So far, we have around $10 million over four roster spots. Therefore, the Sens are already getting crunched into the cap. They would have $7.5 million for the final five spots. Nick Cousins might be another name, or someone of equivalent capability and cost, for argument sake.
Exploring All Free Agents Available This Summer for the Ottawa Senators
Again, this is where the trade root becomes so intriguing. At anytime, we could factor in a trade component, that makes the cap situation change somewhat. You know, it just sort of feels like the Sens management has that target in mind, and they might just go ahead and make a trade. Alternatively, they could very well explore the offer-sheet root. There’s just some very intriguing RFAs out there. It’s so enticing, not just for the Sens but all teams, it’s going to happen.
We like a name that has been floating around. JJ Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres. It just seems like, and we might add fellow German, Tim Stutzle would really benefit from someone with likely a bit of chemistry. This would add the traits of speed and skill to the lineup. Stutzle can be a very difficult player to play with, unless you have high-end finishing. Naturally, it lends to the argument that that is why Brady Tkachuk succeeds with him. That’s why Giroux succeeds with him.
So, this was meant to set the tone for the moves the Sens will make. This will lead us to other discussions, specifically unrestricted free agent targets from around the NHL. The class is pretty exclusive this time around, that is why exploring all angles is absolutely crucial to ensure your team comes out on top of the summer free-agent frenzy. Stay tuned for all the info this summer here at Last Word.
Main Photo Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
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