Atlantic Notes: Tkachuk, Dobson, Der-Arguchintsev
Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk took center stage Wednesday during his end-of-season press conference, using the time to forcefully shut down growing speculation regarding his future with the club. While the rest of the team’s end-of-season press conference was held on Monday after the Carolina Hurricanes swept the Senators, Tkachuk was delayed to celebrate the birth of his daughter, Lyla. During the discussions, Tkachuk wasted little time addressing trade rumors that he labeled a “distraction.”
“I feel like I’ve never shown, never said, none of those things have ever come out of my mouth, and quite honestly, it’s just getting frustrating,” Tkachuk said. “I have been fully committed to this team, to this city.”
General Manager Steve Staios echoed that sentiment earlier in the week, calling the rumors “nonsense.” Tkachuk, 26, is under contract for two more seasons and finished the year with 59 points in 60 games. Despite his regular-season production, he was held scoreless in the opening-round sweep, a result he admitted was a “big shot in the confidence.” He plans to meet with Staios following the U18 World Championships to discuss how to improve the roster for next season.
Additional notes around the Atlantic:
- The Montreal Canadiens received a significant boost during Wednesday’s optional skate as defenseman Noah Dobson returned to the ice. Dobson has been sidelined since April 11 after blocking a shot with his left hand, an injury that forced him to miss the start of the Canadiens’ first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. While he skated individually and has yet to be cleared for full contact, his presence is a major step forward for a Habs blueline that has relied heavily on Mike Matheson and Lane Hutson in his absence.
- Former Maple Leafs prospect Semyon Der-Arguchintsev is reportedly interested in a return to the NHL after a productive stint in the KHL. His agent, Shumi Babaev, confirmed that they have already reached out to the organization to express a desire to rejoin the system. “Semyon is considering the option of returning to Toronto,” Babaev told R.org’s Daria Tuboltseva. “We contacted former general manager Brad Treliving and expressed our desire to return to the club’s system. Now we are waiting for the appointment of a new general manager and to understand his position.” Der-Arguchintsev, 25, recorded 37 points in 59 KHL games this season.
Senators Unlikely To Retain Nick Jensen
The “expectation is” that the Senators will not retain pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Nick Jensen, reports Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen.
Senators GM Steve Staios told the media this week that the club has “not closed the door” on any of their pending unrestricted free agents. But while the team could still retain some of its pending UFA forwards, they reportedly won’t be doing so with Jensen.
If Garrioch’s expectation comes to fruition, and the Senators let Jensen walk, the decision would end the veteran’s two-year stint in the Canadian capital. Jensen’s season ended in March after he underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
The 35-year-old blueliner is a veteran of nearly 700 NHL games and arrived in Ottawa as part of the Jakob Chychrun trade.
The longtime Capitals rearguard helped stabilize the right side of the Senators’ defense, and his arrival in Ottawa coincided with the team’s long-awaited return to the playoffs.
Ottawa had not made the playoffs since its run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2017 before Jensen arrived, but qualified for the postseason in each of the defenseman’s two seasons with the team.
There are a few factors that are contributing to the likelihood Jensen won’t return to Ottawa. Right-shot defenseman Jordan Spence emerged as a quality NHLer this season, scoring 31 points in 73 games while averaging 18:43 time on ice per game, including 1:16 per game on the power play. He’s due a new contract as an RFA and merits real consideration in a top-four role.
Veteran Artem Zub is already entrenched on the right side of Ottawa’s top four, meaning Jensen would likely have to settle for a third-pairing role if he re-signed in Ottawa. AFP Analytics projects Jensen’s next contract to be worth $3.575MM on a one-year deal, which could be too rich for the Senators if they’re signing him to slot in behind Zub and Spence.
Moreover, re-signing Jensen at that rate would box top prospect Carter Yakemchuk out of an opening-night lineup spot. Ottawa likely has every intention of letting the 2024 No. 7 pick legitimately compete for an NHL roster spot, and re-signing Jensen could work against that objective.
If Jensen and the Senators part ways, it might be a development that is mutually beneficial for both the player and club.
From Jensen’s perspective, he gets to exit a place where he saw his role decline sharply year-over-year. In his last season in Washington, Jensen was the team’s leading penalty-killer, averaging 2:46 time on ice per game on that unit. Jensen was a first-option penalty killer for nearly a half-decade with the Capitals. He largely maintained that status in his first campaign with the Senators, playing nearly two minutes per night on the penalty kill and 20:13 per game overall.
In 2025-26, Jensen saw that role diminish considerably. In 61 games, he spent just 0:48 per contest killing penalties. His overall time on ice per game declined over three minutes, to 17:00. He was Ottawa’s No. 4 defenseman in 2024-25, a role he also held in his time in Washington. This year, he was the team’s No. 6 defenseman.
While Jensen’s age likely has something to do with this decline in role – he’s not quite the same player he once was – Jensen’s perspective is likely to be that he still has more to give than he was called on to provide with the Senators.
That is likely a driving factor contributing to his projected departure from Ottawa, combined with the aforementioned financial and lineup considerations.
Photos courtesy of Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Greig's Hearing Date Set For Monday
- The Department of Player Safety announced (Twitter link) that the disciplinary hearing for Senators forward Ridly Greig will be held on Monday. The incident happened in the final game of their first-round series against Carolina for throwing a sucker punch at Sean Walker. With this being a phone hearing, any supplemental discipline would be capped at five games with Greig serving the suspension next season with Ottawa’s playoff run already over.
Samuel Bolduc To Pursue KHL Contract
A pending Senators Group Six free agent is looking to get a head start on the open market. Winners Agency announced on its Telegram page that they are now representing Samuel Bolduc and are looking at finding the defenseman a contract in the KHL next season.
The 25-year-old was acquired by Ottawa after the trade deadline from the Kings in exchange for forward Jan Jenik. However, because of the timing of the swap, he wasn’t eligible to be recalled despite a lengthy list of injuries on the back end. Instead, he had an increasing role with AHL Belleville and was productive for them, tallying 10 points in 12 games after putting up 21 in 56 with AHL Ontario prior to the swap.
This was the first time in four seasons that Bolduc didn’t see any NHL action. He has played in 52 games at the top level over parts of three years, all with the Islanders. Over that span, he managed four goals and four assists along with 56 blocks and 70 hits in 13:25 per night of playing time. Bolduc was non-tendered last summer to avoid arbitration eligibility and inked a one-year, two-way deal with Los Angeles soon after.
Bolduc will qualify for veteran status in the AHL next season thanks to crossing the 320-game mark between the NHL and AHL. Lineup spots for those players are capped at six, making it much more difficult to secure a contract despite a solid career thus far. Knowing this, it appears Bolduc will look to lock down a deal overseas and avoid running the risk of not being able to secure a two-way deal in NHL free agency.
Latest On Brady Tkachuk, Claude Giroux
The Ottawa Senators’ quick elimination from the playoffs at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes has prompted speculation about the future of captain Brady Tkachuk. Senators GM Steve Staios was asked about Tkachuk’s future in his end-of-season media availability today, and he made it clear the franchise has no interest in trading away – or even having a conversation about trading away – their star forward. When asked about whether he’d sit down with the player to discuss Tkachuk’s future, he said “there’s nothing that we have talked about or thought about where that conversation should happen.”
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen noted that Tkachuk, who has a full no-move clause on his contract, has “full control” over his future. Although Tkachuk is just two seasons away from being able to leave Ottawa as an unrestricted free agent, it’s somewhat difficult to imagine the Senators winning any trade involving him. The Calgary Flames’ decision to deal Tkachuk’s older brother, Matthew Tkachuk, serves as a cautionary tale. The deal immediately vaulted the Panthers to legitimate Stanley Cup contention while plunging the Flames into what would eventually become a true rebuild. The younger Tkachuk isn’t the same caliber of player as his brother, but he’s still, as Travis Green said, a winger that all 31 other NHL teams “would love to have.” But the no-move clause on Tkachuk’s contract means he could hand-pick a trade destination, and dramatically reduce the kind of return the Senators might receive. That’s a factor that has burned teams in the past trading players with no-move clauses. For that reason, and many more, Staios made it clear today that unless something changes, his hockey operations department has no interest in even entertaining trade discussions revolving around Tkachuk.
Poll: Will Brady Tkachuk Be On The Senators Next Season?
After being eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in Round One of the Stanley Cup playoffs, speculation has already begun regarding Brady Tkachuk‘s future with the Ottawa Senators. Tkachuk is one year away from being eligible for an extension, and the Senators may look to capitalize before it’s too late.
Tkachuk, 26, is a known commodity at this point. Outside of this season, he has remained healthy over his entire career, despite playing a notorious crash-and-bang style of hockey. He’s become a consistent top-six scorer over the last five years, to boot, registering 153 goals and 338 points in 374 games, averaging 18:26 of ice time.
Additionally, as mentioned, he does what many top-six wingers fail to do: embrace the physicality of the game. Averaging 3.36 hits per game since debuting in the 2018-19 season, Tkachuk has never shied away from the fight, always looking for a way to give his team an edge wherever he can.
Still, like many of his teammates, Tkachuk was a ghost against the Hurricanes. It was a much different performance than last postseason, when Tkachuk tallied four goals and seven points in six games against the Toronto Maple Leafs, totalling 30 hits. This spring, he went scoreless in the series sweep with a -4 rating, finishing with 13 hits.
Although it was a second consecutive year that Ottawa made the postseason, many feel that the team took a step back, and with good reason. Due to inconsistent goaltending, the Senators finished one win short of last season and did not demonstrate much, if any, competitiveness in the playoffs.
That’s not to say it’s Tkachuk’s fault, but he is billed as the heart and soul of the team, which the organization showed very little of against Carolina. Furthermore, if he is unhappy in Canada’s capital and has his heart set on returning to the United States, it would make some sense for the Senators to trade him this offseason in an attempt to shake up the locker room and avoid losing him for nothing in a few years.
Regardless, it’s not something Ottawa necessarily needs to think about right now. Tkachuk is signed through the 2027-28 season, and it’s hard to imagine Tkachuk’s trade stock radically changing, especially if he’s willing to negotiate an extension with any interested club. He also has a full no-movement clause in his contract, which began this season, so the terms will be dictated by him, anyway.
Now it’s time for you to take the crystal ball. Will the Senators move on from Tkachuk this offseason to jump-start the team, or will they pursue other changes, like a coaching hire or other roster-related moves in the meantime before deciding on Tkachuk’s future after next season? Vote below!
Will Brady Tkachuk Be On The Senators Next Season?
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No 61% (759)
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Yes 39% (492)
Total votes: 1,251
Draft Pick Conditions Met In Foegele Trade
- The Rangers weren’t the only team affected by the Kings’ loss today. According to PuckPedia, since it is now confirmed that Los Angeles will finish lower than the Dallas Stars in the standings, the Senators will receive Dallas’ 2026 third-round pick in the Warren Foegele trade.
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Morning Notes: Tkachuk, Kero, Schnarr
The offseason has begun earlier than just about everyone in the Ottawa Senators organization had hoped, with the team swept out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last night. With Ottawa’s loss, focus has shifted to the future of the organization – and more specifically, the future of the team’s captain and franchise face: Brady Tkachuk. Sportsnet’s Alex Adams wrote that “next season could even be a last dance of sorts for this core” of Senators players. More specifically, Tkachuk’s “future and the chatter around him will hang over the team until he’s signed to an extension, is traded or walks away from the nation’s capital.”
The 26-year-old is now just two years away from unrestricted free agency, putting a definitive time frame on the Senators’ hopes of competing for a Stanley Cup. As much as Tkachuk struggled to make his mark against Carolina, he remains one of Ottawa’s most important players and a uniquely coveted asset across the league. The team isn’t able to sign Tkachuk to an extension just yet, but once that window opens, every day that passes without his signature will likely only heighten the speculation that he could see his future elsewhere, the way his brother, Matthew Tkachuk, did before being traded from the Calgary Flames to the Florida Panthers. That’s obviously an outcome the Senators will be desperate to avoid, and their planning for this offseason is likely to reflect a level of aggression designed to quickly strengthen the team to show Tkachuk Ottawa is a place where he can win a Stanley Cup.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Former Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks forward Tanner Kero will depart the DEL’s Kölner Haie and become a free agent, according to a team announcement. The 134-game NHL veteran has spent the last two seasons playing in Europe, spending 2024-25 with the SHL’s HV71 and this past year with Cologne. He has been solid at each stop, scoring 22 points in 52 games in the SHL and 29 points in 41 games in Germany. He helped Cologne finish in first place in the DEL’s regular season standings but the club fell to Berlin in six games in the league semifinals.
- 2017 Arizona Coyotes third-round pick Nate Schnarr has also decided to depart Cologne and become a free agent after just one year in Germany. The 184-game AHL veteran has spent the last three years playing in Europe, his first two as a top scorer in Finland’s Liiga and this past year as a point-per-game scorer in Germany. He’s proven to be a capable top-six scoring forward in two of Europe’s better leagues, and is likely to receive considerable interest from clubs across the continent this summer.
East Notes: Desrosiers, LeBreton Flats, Senators
According to Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, the New York Islanders have fired assistant coach Benoit Desrosiers. Desrosiers was hired by the Islanders, along with Patrick Roy, partway through the 2023-24 season.
As Rosner noted, Desrosiers was particularly focused on New York’s play in the faceoff dot. The Islanders weren’t a bad faceoff team when Desrosiers was hired, but he was able to make them one of the best in the league. The Islanders were the best team in the faceoff dot in all situations during the 2024-25 season with a 54.9% success rate, and finished fifth this year with a 52.65% rate.
For his next role, it’s anyone’s guess. Given that he followed Roy from the QMJHL’s Québec Remparts to New York, it would make sense that Desrosiers will go wherever Roy does. Unfortunately, it’s not altogether clear if Roy will pursue a different opportunity this summer or remain with the Islanders as a scout. If he does, Desrosiers may seek a role with the Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, or Tampa Bay Lightning, each of which finished at the bottom of the league in faceoff percentage.
Additional notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Later this year, the Ottawa Senators are expected to finalize the purchase of land in LeBreton Flats from the National Capital Commission to eventually build a new arena. In an update from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, Commissioner Gary Bettman believes that the deal will be finalized, saying, “As recently as when I walked in here today, things are continuing on a positive track. I’m hoping that is an express track, as opposed to a long one.” Although the Senators are likely to purchase the property, it may take several years to build a new arena due to the numerous regulations that need to be met.
- Sticking with the Senators, Bettman also commented on his decision to return Ottawa’s first-round pick to them for the upcoming draft. The Senators had originally lost the selection due to not including Evgenii Dadonov’s no-trade protection when they traded him to the Vegas Golden Knights. In reversing his decision, Bettman said, “I thought it was important, particularly for other clubs, how seriously we take the processes of how you must comply with a trade. I was comfortable that some adjustment might be fair based on the due diligence and everything leading up to the transaction, without completely eliminating it. I thought it was fair under all the circumstances.”
Senators’ Jake Sanderson Out With Concussion
As the Ottawa Senators cling to their season in Game 3 of Round One against the Carolina Hurricanes, the team may have lost its top defenseman for the foreseeable future. In a report from Sportsnet, Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson left the game with an injury.
The morning after Sanderson’s exit, it was revealed that the star defenseman has sustained a concussion per TSN’s Bruce Garrioch. Head coach Travis Green told Garrioch that Sanderson is, “not doing well” and will be out for Game 4.
In a breakdown from Kevin Bieksa on Sportsnet, Sanderson seemed to have been injured from taking a hit to the head from Carolina Hurricane Taylor Hall.
In any case, Sanderson’s absence will be detrimental to the Senators’ chances for Game 4. As Bieksa noted, he is the team’s best defenseman, and his absence puts Ottawa in a nearly inescapable hole. Although they did return Tyler Kleven tonight, the team is already without Artem Zub and Nick Jensen.
Like the rest of the team, Sanderson was quiet in Game 1, but showed up in a big way in Game 2. He recorded an assist on both of Ottawa’s goals and has averaged over 35 minutes thanks to a nearly five-period contest on Monday.
Sanderson’s role as the team’s top defenseman is unquestioned. He led the team in scoring among defensemen, registering 14 goals and 54 points in 67 games with a +16 rating. Additionally, he led the team in ATOI by a significant margin with 24:50. The next was Thomas Chabot, who averaged 22:35 throughout the 2025-26 campaign.