The Ottawa Senators are looking to take the next step forward after making the playoffs the last two seasons.
Ottawa snapped an eight-year playoff drought in 2024-25 and returned to the postseason last year, claiming the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Both forays into the playoffs resulted in a first-round loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively, with the general mood around the organization feeling as though they were on the right path.
The major bump in the road for the Senators was the future of their captain Brady Tkachuk, who continued to have rumours run rampant about his desire to remain with the club long-term.
Tkachuk, 26, recorded 22 goals and 59 points last season but was limited to only 60 games after he sustained a thumb injury early in the season. He entered the off-season with two years left on his seven-year, $57.5 million contract but rumours persisted about where he might want to play after his contract finished.
The 6-foot-4 winger did his best to quell those rumours during his end-of-season availability, chastising the speculation by pointing out that he had never directly suggested that he wanted to leave.
“I wasn’t here for everybody’s meetings the other day, so I haven’t had the chance to talk to [general manager] Steve [Staios], but I feel like I’ve answered this hundreds of times,” Tkachuk said on April 29. “I feel like I’ve never said, or shown none of those things, and quite honestly it’s frustrating, it’s become a distraction.
“I have been fully committed to this team and this city, and it’s become frustrating to deal with. I’ve never said [I want to leave], [the] team has never said it, I’ve always believed in this team, I’ve always believed in playing for this city and the city’s always been good for me.”
Less than two months later, news broke that the Senators agreed to trade Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers, where he could play with his brother Matthew.
After the trade, general manager Steve Staios indicated to the media that Tkachuk asked for a trade when he was able to sit down with him and discuss what the future held in the first few weeks of the off-season.
Tkachuk held a no-movement clause, which Staios said he used to direct himself to Florida alongside his brother.
“It was clearly pointed at one team in the end. I feel comfortable with the return, given the circumstances,” Staios told reporters on June 22. “If you think people don’t want to play in Ottawa, that’s not the case. This is a unique situation if you see where he was traded.”
In return for Tkachuk, the Senators received the No. 9 and 25 selections in the 2026 NHL Draft, a top-10 protected first-round pick in the 2029 draft, and a 2027 second-round draft pick.
Despite the loss of their captain, Staios maintained he had no intention of taking a step back, but had to make some moves to replace Tkachuk’s production.
Staios flipped the No. 9 overall selection to the San Jose Sharks two days after the trade in exchange for 23-year-old winger William Eklund and prospects Kasper Halttunen and Brandon Svoboda.
In the hours leading up to the draft, the Senators also acquired two-time Stanley Cup champion Andre Burakovsky from the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2027 sixth-round draft pick and goaltender Samuel Ersson from the Maple Leafs for a 2027 fifth-round pick.
Eklund was drafted seventh overall by the Sharks in 2021 and registered 15 goals and 53 points in 78 games last season — his third in the NHL.
Burakovsky, 31, registered 11 goals and 33 points in 75 games in Chicago last season and is entering the final season of a five-year, $27.5 million contract that carries a cap hit of $5.5 million.
In free agency, Ottawa took care of their own house by re-signing veteran leader Claude Giroux to a one-year, $2 million contract that carries $3 million worth of incentives.
Forward Nick Cousins re-signed to a two-year, $3.17 million deal to stay in Ottawa and the Sens extended restricted free agent defenceman Jordan Spence to a four-year, $20 million contract.
They also solidified the goaltending position behind starter Linus Ullmark by retaining backup netminder Leevi Merilainen on a one-year, $1.1 million contract and signed Ersson to a two-year, $4.4 million extension.
“We feel good about the work that we’ve done,” Staios told TSN1200 on July 22. “We feel like we have internally the ability for players to move up our roster. We were eighth in the NHL in goals for last year [but] do we have a pure sniper?... We’d love to add that.”
Ottawa Senators Off-Season Signings
- Jordan Spence: Four Years, $20M - $5M AAV
- Samuel Ersson: Two Years, $4.4M - $2.2M AAV
- Nick Cousins: Two Years, $3.17M - $1.59M AAV
- Stephen Halliday: Two Years, $2.15M - $1.07M AAV
- Claude Giroux: One Year, $2M
- Sammy Blais: Two Years, $1.85M - $925K AAV
- Leevi Merilainen: One Year, $1.1M
- Philip Tomasino: One Year, $900K
- Samuel Bolduc: One Year, $850K
- Dijibril Toure: One Year, $850K
- Philippe Daoust: One Year, $850K
- Ryan Suzuki: One Year, $850K
- Christian Kyrou: One Year, $850K
- Xavier Bourgault: One Year, $850K
- Tyler Boucher: One Year, $850K
Ottawa Senators Off-Season Trades
- Traded Brady Tkachuk to Florida Panthers for No. 9 and 25 picks in 2026 NHL Draft, top-10 protected first-round pick in 2029 NHL Draft, and second-round pick in 2027 NHL Draft.
- Acquired William Eklund, Kasper Halttunen, and Brandon Svoboda from San Jose Sharks for No. 9 pick in 2026 NHL Draft
- Acquired Samuel Ersson from Toronto Maple Leafs for fifth-round pick in 2027 NHL Draft
- Acquired Andre Burakovsky from Chicago Blackhawks for sixth-round pick in 2027 NHL Draft
