OTTAWA — Well, aren’t we all going to remember the 2025-26 Senators season for a long time!
And now, as the drama fades (maybe?), we are onto the fun hypothetical part of the hockey season where we do mock trades, explore free agent boards and imagine what comes next for our favourite hockey team.
Today, I’ll be answering Sens fans’ questions.
First of all, will Ottawa finally be healthy on the blueline? But to answer the question, health permitting, the Senators are likely to run it back with Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, Artem Zub, Jordan Spence, Tyler Kleven, Nikolas Matinpalo and Carter Yakemchuk.
Yakemchuk may float between the AHL and NHL at times next season, but expect him to be a bigger part of the team. I could see the Senators trying to acquire another defenceman by deadline time if they are a contender.
Free agency has slim pickings between the pipes. I could see the Senators looking to Stuart Skinner for a tandem-type role with Linus Ullmark since Skinner has tons of playoff experience. What I’m sure of is that, unlike last year, it won’t be Leevi Merilainen as the backup to start the season.
Fabian Zetterlund is a luxury the Senators can afford, but should they pay for that luxury? He’s a solid NHLer, but if he’s not scoring, he isn’t impacting the game. I could see a world where general manager Steve Staios moves off from Zetterlund to clear cap space for a bigger move, but otherwise keeps him as a solid depth player. At this point, it’s clear he hasn’t panned out and isn’t a clear-cut top-six scoring winger.
I believe if Drake Batherson gets a contract offer he feels is fair, he’d like to extend. The Senators probably need to hit around $8-9 million to sign him. My prediction 8x$8.5.
I’ll try to answer both. I think because of the Senators’ lack of assets, the way to get better is to trade quantity and solid position players for better, higher-quality versions. I wouldn’t trade Spence right now, unless it was in a blockbuster trade for an elite scorer.
Last off-season was quiet; I expect much more movement this summer than last. The Senators want to compete right now, and have big decisions on Zub, Batherson and Spence to make while acquiring a backup goaltender. However, I’m unsure the Senators can pull off a blockbuster with their limited assets. If they do make a big swing, expect really good players off their roster to be involved because that’s the best value they have in their organization right now.
Staios always says he tries to explore all the possible avenues. Nevertheless, college is set to be the new stomping ground for acquiring talent, with the new rules for CHL players being able to go to college. However, scouting in the KHL was how the Senators got Artem Zub, so European and Russian pro scouting matters.
It’ll be up to Giroux. If he wants to continue to play, he will, and it will be in Ottawa. If Giroux does retire, it adds another massive role to fill in the Senators’ forward group.
I’d be shocked if either plays games next season.
I wouldn’t trade him now, let’s be clear. Chabot has flaws but is an excellent player, especially in a second-pairing role in Ottawa. I think you’re right about the type of contract. The only issue is that Chabot will be 31 when he’s a free agent. Do you want to sign him until he’s 38? What about 5x$9?
If I’m Staios, I’m roaming around to see if I can acquire an elite shooter and, for that matter, an elite forward. They don’t have anyone on their roster who’s scored 40 goals. It’s what kept them winless against Carolina, their lack of a finisher. As he said, “it’d be nice” to add a bona fide scorer. The problem is, how do you do that? The Senators’ only real trade chips are Yakemchuk and potentially one of their centres, not Tim Stutzle, so either Dylan Cozens or Shane Pinto. If it’s a bidding war, it’ll be hard to win. I keep thinking about the Norris-for-Cozens swap and whether Staios tries to make a hockey trade of sorts to bolster his forward group.
I’m not sure the Senators can win a bidding war. Trying to buy low may be prudent for Staios, although I’m unsure if any of those players you mentioned would make sense in Ottawa and if the Senators could acquire them with their limited assets.
I always say pain is an over-explored emotion for Sens fans. However, I do believe that between now and 2031, while the team has Stutzle and Sanderson signed to bargain contracts, the team will be a competitive playoff-calibre team. The next half-decade should be better than the last for Senators fans.
Stephen Halliday was mentioned by Staios at the end of the season. In the last two drafts, the Senators have selected a right-shot defenceman in the first round. Never say never, and you should always draft the best player available, but I’d imagine the 32nd overall pick this summer will be a forward for the Senators because the forward prospects in Ottawa are thin.
Yakemchuk is the Senators’ best trade piece, but Ottawa’s depth on the right side of the defence is lacking in the long-term. I think Yakemchuk will play some in the AHL next season, but much less than this season. The Senators only trade Yakemchuk in a blockbuster for an elite talent.
Yes, he should be. Halliday deserves a shot: underrated skill and playmaking for a team that needs it.
A little-noticed issue is the Senators’ lack of size on defence. The rise of Yakemchuk will help, and Kleven plays with ferocity. The Senators do need some more physicality and bulk on the backend to make up for Chabot and Spence, who aren’t imposing.
4x$5 million. He wants to stay, and Spence was exceptional down the stretch and into the playoffs. He proved he can defend well enough, and he is an elite puck mover.
Backup, cause it’s so much easier to do.
Let’s see if he’s back with the organization, though he has deep ties to Staios from their time in Hamilton. To me, Kaliyev is a tweener, too good for the AHL but unsure if his boots can keep up to the NHL level.
Staios said something interesting recently. “We’re not going to bat 1.000, but there’s lessons learned this year, for sure.”
I believe selling low on Jakob Chychrun, acquiring Zetterlund, and, at some moments, acquiring Ullmark before his excellent playoffs and some of Ottawa’s draft choices looked to be misses. He admitted he hasn’t batted 1.000. At the same time, in under three years, the team went from a pretender to a playoff team that could become a contender soon if things fall right. He’s shown himself to be a solid executive in three seasons, but you’re only as good as your last decision.
These questions on Brady Tkachuk seem to summarize the discourse around the Senators’ captain. Everything from “he’s gone,” to “stop talking about him leaving,” to what the Senators need to do to keep him. I still firmly believe that until we know where Tkachuk wants to play for the 2028-29 season, the first season after his contract expires, then the chatter will continue. Sens fans might not like it, but it’s the truth. I’m not worried about the Senators having the funds to keep Tkachuk.
If Tkachuk chooses to re-sign, Michael Andlauer’s Brinks truck will be loaded and ready. With where the Senators are at, I’m not sure there are many teams that will be more competitive than the Senators in 2028-29. The best pitch for Staios is putting together an elite team around Tkachuk. If he chooses to stay, his legacy in Ottawa will be as the second most important player in franchise history behind Daniel Alfredsson.
