- Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven left today’s exhibition game against Toronto in the third period with an undisclosed injury after crashing into the boards. Postgame, head coach Travis Green told reporters including Sportsnet’s Alex Adams (Twitter link) that there was no immediate information available about the injury. Kleven was a regular on Ottawa’s third pairing last season, putting up 10 points, 97 blocks, and 105 hits in 79 outings while also getting into all six playoff contests.
Senators Rumors
Senators Cut Eliasson, Vanek, and Wallenius From Training Camp
Ottawa Senators (per team announcement)
Summer Synopsis: Ottawa Senators
With training camps now almost upon us, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective. Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled. Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team has accomplished this offseason. Next up is a look at Ottawa.
After missing the playoffs for seven straight years in the midst of a long-term rebuild, the Senators finally got over the hump last season, making the postseason and finishing only one point behind Florida for the third seed in the Atlantic Division; the Panthers, of course, went on to win the Stanley Cup again last season. GM Steve Staios opted to largely keep his core group intact, believing that continued growth from their top players will allow them to take another step forward in 2025-26.
Draft
1-23 – D Logan Hensler, Wisconsin (Big 10)
3-93 – F Blake Vanek, Stillwater (USHS-MN)
4-97 – G Lucas Beckman, Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)
5-149 – F Dmitri Isayev, Yekaterinburg (MHL)
6-181 – F Bruno Idzan, Lincoln (USHL)
7-213 – G Andrei Trofimov, Magnitogorsk (MHL)
The Senators didn’t make any big splashes at the 2025 draft, outside of trading down slightly in the first round in order to pick up the third-round pick they would send to Los Angeles for Spence. The club didn’t have a second-round pick as a result of the Zetterlund trade with San Jose, but nonetheless managed to put together a draft class that should produce an NHL player or two.
Hensler was widely regarded as a polished defenseman by scouts, one who capably handled the rigors of NCAA hockey as a freshman and grew more comfortable as the season progressed. While most public-facing scouts do not credit Hensler with a standout single tool, he’s widely seen as a likely long-term NHL player. The team at Elite Prospects recently ranked Hensler as the club’s number-two prospect behind 2024 top pick Carter Yakemchuk.
The Senators began the second day of the draft by adding Vanek, a Minnesota high school prospect who is the son of longtime NHLer Thomas Vanek. Vanek offers an intriguing package of physical tools and was ranked 18th in the team’s system.
In the later rounds, Beckman represented a solid bet as the club added one of the QMJHL’s more promising netminders. Isayev is an undersized Russian winger who was point-per-game in the MHL in his draft season, while Idzan dazzled fans of the USHL’s Lincoln Stars with his offensive skill last season. He became the first Croatian selected in the NHL Entry Draft and will play at the University of Wisconsin next season.
Trade Acquisitions
D Jordan Spence (from Los Angeles)
The Senators’ lone trade acquisition from the summer was Spence, a 24-year-old blueliner. Spence is an undersized blueliner who brings real offensive talent in his game, and had two quality, near point-per-game AHL seasons after turning pro in 2021-22. Spence already has 180 NHL games to his name, and is coming off of a season where he scored 28 points in 79 games. The arrival and emergence of 2021 top pick Brandt Clarke in a similar offensively-focused right-shot role appears to have pushed Spence out of Los Angeles, and the Senators look poised to benefit.
At the moment, Spence appears to sit third on the team’s right-shot defensive depth chart, behind established veterans Artyom Zub and Nick Jensen. He’ll have to compete with Nikolas Matinpalo for the team’s third-pairing right-side spot, but Spence is notably more experienced than Matinpalo and should be viewed as the favorite for that role.
If Spence can further establish himself as an NHL regular in Ottawa and perhaps find a way to get minutes on the power play (not the easiest task with Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot on the roster) Spence will likely provide a strong return for the Senators’ investment of a third-round pick.
Beyond adjusting to a new environment, it’s an important year for Spence due to his contract situation. His $1.6MM AAV contract is set to expire this summer, when he’ll in all likelihood receive a qualifying offer and become a restricted free agent. He already has an argument for a decent pay raise over the value of his last deal, but breaking into the 30-point range could strengthen his case even further.
UFA Signings
F Wyatt Bongiovanni (one year, $775K)*^
F Nick Cousins (one year, $825K)^
F Lars Eller (one year, $1.25MM plus $1MM in bonuses)
F Claude Giroux (one year, $2MM plus $2.75MM in bonuses)
F Hayden Hodgson (two years, $1.55MM)*^
F Arthur Kaliyev (one year, $775K)*
F Olle Lycksell (one year, $775K)*
G Hunter Shepard (one year, $775K)*
*-denotes two-way contract
^-denotes re-signing
The Senators didn’t do any major free agent shopping this past summer – the largest deal they signed was to re-sign veteran Claude Giroux for another campaign. Their most significant UFA addition from outside the organization was Eller, a veteran center signed to a one-year deal. Eller, now 36, has long been one of the NHL’s better third-line centers, though age is beginning to catch up to him. The 2018 Stanley Cup champion saw his offensive production decline from 15 goals, 31 points in 2023-24 to 10 goals, 22 points in 2024-25.
The Senators didn’t sign Eller for his offense, though. What they’re likely seeking is for Eller to serve as a quality fourth-line defensive center. With Tim Stutzle, Dylan Cozens, and Shane Pinto entrenched as the team’s three top centers moving forward, there isn’t a need for Eller to play as big a role in Ottawa as he did in during his peak years with the Washington Capitals. His contract from this past summer reflects that.
The Senators’ other UFA external additions were made more with an eye to depth and their AHL affiliate than anything else.
They picked up Kaliyev after his stint with the New York Rangers failed to generate momentum. He’s a player Senators management is familiar with from his days in the OHL: Senators president of hockey operations Steve Staios was Kaliyev’s GM back during Kaliyev’s successful stint with the then-Hamilton Bulldogs. One has to think this is a big year for the enigmatic 24-year-old winger to prove he has what it takes to be an NHL player.
Lycksell and Bongiovanni are quality AHL scorers, and Lycksell’s $450k AHL salary indicates he’ll likely be relied upon as one of the top offensive weapons in Belleville. Hodgson is a bigger winger with a more physical profile who could end up seeing an NHL recall should the Senators need a player to fill a fourth-line role for a short period. Shepard, a two-time Calder Cup champion, will likely play a big role for the AHL Senators after receiving a $400k AHL salary to sign in Ottawa.
RFA Re-Signings
F Xavier Bourgault (one year, $775K)*
D Cameron Crotty (two years, $1.625MM)*
F Jan Jenik (one year, $775K)*
D Tyler Kleven (two years, $3.2MM)
D Nikolas Matinpalo (two years, $1.75MM)
G Leevi Merilainen (one year, $1.05MM)
D Donovan Sebrango (one year, $775K)*
D Lassi Thomson (one year, $775K; returns from SHL)
D Fabian Zetterlund (three years, $12.825MM)
*-denotes two-way contract
The Senators’ most significant RFA re-signing was undoubtedly that of Zetterlund, their mid-season trade acquisition from the San Jose Sharks. They didn’t elect to sign the Swedish winger to a long-term extension, which is understandable after he struggled to produce in his 20-game run in Ottawa last season.
In San Jose, Zetterlund showed quite a bit of promise, and has now scored at least 40 points in back-to-back years. Zetterlund plays a unique style in that he has a power forward’s game despite being 5’11. Now earning a shade over $4MM, Zetterlund will have to build some chemistry with one of the team’s existing scorers in order to justify the club’s level of investment in him.
Kleven and Matinpalo are the other two major skaters in the club’s RFA cohort, both likely to be on the team’s NHL roster for 2025-26. Kleven is a rangy defensive defenseman likely to resume his role as the team’s third-pairing left-shot blueliner for this upcoming season – and his $1.6MM AAV reflects that role. Matinpalo, 26, impressed last season as he broke into the NHL and even earned a role on Finland’s Four Nations Faceoff team. He got into 41 games last season and the addition of Spence means he’ll have to really compete to earn a regular role on Ottawa’s defense. But at minimum, it looks like he’ll be the club’s seventh defenseman and be first to step in should any injuries strike.
Merilainen, the lone goalie in that grouping, played in 12 NHL games last season and will be Ottawa’s backup behind starter Linus Ullmark for the upcoming season, provided he can fend off a challenge from the big Mads Sogaard.
Bourgault, Crotty, Jenik, Sebrango, and Thomson are each long-shots to make the team’s NHL roster, but were nonetheless re-signed with an eye to AHL Belleville. It’s a big year for Bourgault in particular, as the 22-year-old forward is just one of a small handful of 2021 first-round picks who have yet to appear in an NHL game.
Departures
F Angus Crookshank (signed with New Jersey, two years, $1.55MM)*
F Philippe Daoust (non-tendered but signed AHL deal with Belleville)
D Jeremy Davies (signed with AHL Henderson)
G Anton Forsberg (signed with Los Angeles, two years, $4.5MM)
F Adam Gaudette (signed with San Jose, two years, $4MM)
D Dennis Gilbert (signed with Philadelphia, one year, $875K)
D Travis Hamonic (signed with Detroit, one year, $1MM)
F Matthew Highmore (signed with NY Islanders, one year, $775K)*
F Jamieson Rees (non-tendered but signed AHL deal with Belleville)
F Cole Reinhardt (signed with Vegas, two years, $1.625MM)
F Tristen Robins (signed in Czechia)
D Filip Roos (signed in Sweden)
*-denotes two-way contract
The Senators lost a few NHLers this offseason, but nobody who is likely to leave a big void in the club’s roster. Gaudette scored 19 goals last season and the Senators didn’t bring in anyone with that kind of goal-scoring record, but an improved year from Zetterlund could help cover for the loss of Gaudette. The Senators could very well have been skeptical that Gaudette, who shot 21.1% last season, would be able to repeat his performance, hence their decision not to re-sign him.
In the departure of Anton Forsberg, the Senators lost an experienced NHL backup – but if Merilainen’s 2024-25 performance is something he can build on, the Senators will be fine. Right-handed veteran Hamonic’s spot on the team’s defensive depth chart was filled by the addition of Spence, and while Reinhardt was a useful, scrappy depth winger, he’s not a departure that will make a major difference in the Senators’ fortunes.
Salary Cap Outlook
The Senators enter training camp with a little over $3.5MM in cap space, per PuckPedia. However, the team is operating as a cash-over-cap team, something that owner Michael Andlauer acknowledged would likely mean they won’t spend right to the $95.5MM ceiling. Between that, wanting to keep some flexibility open for injuries, and keeping some money available for the bonuses to Giroux and Eller, the actual amount of that cap room that’s available to be spent right now would appear to be quite limited.
Key Questions
Who Will Be Ottawa’s Backup Goalie?
Although the Senators have one of the NHL’s top veteran netminders in Ullmark, the 32-year-old Swede is not known for an ability to shoulder a heavy workload. Ullmark played in just 44 games in 2024-25, and even in his Vezina Trophy-winning season, he played in just 49 games. In other words – the backup goalie spot in Ottawa is more important than for other teams, because the club’s other netminders are in line to play a greater workload than backups see in other markets. Offseason RFA signing Merilainen looks like the front-runner to be the backup goalie after the departure of Forsberg, but he’ll be pushed by Sogaard, who has 29 games of NHL experience. The dark horse here would be Shepard, a veteran who struggled with the AHL’s Hershey Bears in 2024-25 but was downright elite in 2023-24.
Can the Senators Expect More From Their Stars?
The Senators are led by a talented core group of in-their-prime players, but that’s not to say each player played up to his potential in 2024-25. Franchise center Stutzle led the team in scoring, but he’s finished in the 70’s in terms of point production in back-to-back years. After scoring 90 points in his third NHL campaign, it would be fair to expect a little bit more from the highly talented German. The same can be said for captain Brady Tkachuk. Tkachuk is a highly coveted, unique talent, and so one would be forgiven for not realizing he had only 55 points last season. For the Senators to become the kind of dominant force they have the talent to be, they’ll need him to produce the way he did in 2022-23, when he put up 83 points to go alongside 35 goals. The Senators have a collection of players that, on paper, are more than good enough to claim a divisional playoff spot. But they’ll need a few big names to step up and play up to their potential in order to do so.
How Will Zetterlund Do In His First Full Senators Season?
The Senators’ roster is largely settled, with big names under contract and few existential roster questions. As the above question alluded to – the pieces are largely in place, the main element needed now is execution. The most notable still-unsettled piece of the Senators puzzle is Zetterlund. The Athletic’s Julian McKenzie indicated before training camp that the expectation would be for Zetterlund to begin the year on the team’s first line alongside Stutzle and Tkachuk, which would be a huge opportunity for Zetterlund to potentially set new career highs in production. Whether he’s able to actually do so – and justify the Senators’ investment in him – will be a key storyline to watch in Ottawa this season.
PHR’s Ethan Hetu also contributed to this column.
Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
Jensen Takes Part In Practice
- Senators defenseman Nick Jensen took part in practice today but not the scrimmage game, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). The veteran underwent hip surgery back in May with the belief that he is a little ahead of schedule although his availability for the start of the season next month remains in question. Jensen was a big contributor on Ottawa’s back end in 2024-25, notching 21 points in 71 games while logging over 20 minutes a night.
Snapshots: Ullmark, Buium, Sturm, Grzelcyk
Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark is ready to enter the year with a high bar. He was heavily critical of his performances through the first two days of training camp, describing them as “terrible” to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. Head coach Travis Green wasn’t as harsh, telling Garioch that he thought Ullmark was fine through both days, and only being hard on himself.
While harsh words could be a sign of poor confidence, the Senators have to be encouraged by signs of a high bar from their star netminder. Ullmark posted a career-low .910 save percentage through 44 games last season, his first in Ottawa. That mark still ranked as the seventh-highest in the NHL, but was well below Ullmark’s career-long .917 save percentage. The Senators pay Ullmark a lofty $8.25MM cap hit, beginning this season. That will make finding a path back to elite performance a must for the 32-year-old netminder, and former Vezina Trophy winner.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Top Minnesota Wild prospect Zeev Buium sustained an upper-body injury during the team’s Thursday practice, and missed Friday’s practice as a result, per Sarah McLellan of Star Tribune Sports. Nico Sturm was also absent for a designated maintenance day. McLellan adds that head coach John Hynes wasn’t concerned about Buium’s injury. That’s good news for Buium, who is looking to make the NHL roster in his first NHL training camp. He was a prolific collegiate defensemen – netting 24 goals, 98 points, one conference championship, and one national championship in 83 games and two seasons with the University of Denver. Buium was a main cog in the Pioneeers’ offense, and will now look to use that instinct to impress Minnesota’s coaching staff. Per this update, he’ll get back to doing just that within the next few days.
- Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill shed some more light on the team’s plans for Matt Grzelcyk’s professional try-out. He told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times that Grzelcyk will likely only get a contract if one of the team’s young defensemen doesn’t look NHL-ready out of camp. Chicago will roll out the carpet for Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, and Kevin Korchinski at training camp. All three are high-upside defenders, each boasting their own reasons for excitement next season. But Rinzel hasn’t yet played through an extended run in the NHL, and Korchinski has proven shaky in past opportunities. It’s still hard to bet against either player, but Chicago made sure to hedge their bets with an NHL veteran coming off a 40-point season. Grzelcyk has played through nine NHL seasons and 527 games – and should be stout depth should the Hawks need to let one of their youngsters simmer a little while longer.
Shane Pinto Addresses Extension Negotiations
- Though much of the speculation regarding an extension has been outlined by General Manager Steve Staios, forward Shane Pinto finally spoke about the negotiations with the Ottawa Senators. According to TSN’s Bruce Garrioch, Pinto remained hopeful that a new deal would be reached, but doesn’t care to negotiate during the season, saying, “I don’t want to be a distraction.” The soon-to-be 25-year-old is coming off a quality season, scoring 21 goals and 37 points in 70 games.
[SOURCE LINK]
Senators Notes: Jensen, Pinto, Eller
In mid-May, Ottawa Senators defenseman Nick Jensen went under the knife for hip surgery. Despite the most recent update indicating he was ahead of schedule in his recovery, that assurance now seems uncertain.
Sharing a quote from head coach Travis Green, Claire Hanna of TSN quoted the coach saying, “[I]t’s too early to tell if he’ll start the season.” Still, Green remained optimistic, adding, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s skating with the group in the next week, he’s progressing nicely.”
Fortunately, the Senators added quality depth on the right side of the blue line this offseason in their acquisition of Jordan Spence from the Los Angeles Kings. Still, Ottawa may have to give significant minutes to Nikolas Matinpalo, something he hasn’t demonstrated the ability to handle in his limited NHL career, if Jensen isn’t ready to start the regular season.
Other Ottawa Senators notes:
- The Senators will open camp without an extension in place with forward Shane Pinto. During yesterday’s media availability, TSN’s Bruce Garrioch relayed a note from General Manager Steve Staios saying the two sides have had positive dialogue, and there was no timeline to getting something worked out. Pinto is entering the final year of a two-year, $7.5MM contract with Senators, scoring 21 goals and 37 points in 70 games last year.
- One of Ottawa’s free agent pickups this past summer won’t be able to start training camp on time. According to Garrioch, Lars Eller had a minor abdominal procedure, which will eat into a few day’s of his avilability during camp. Still, there’s no indication that the 36-year-old center will be out long-term due to the injury.
Senators Hoping To Move Alex Formenton
After his inclusion in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial for the past two years, the Ottawa Senators are looking to move on from RFA forward Alex Formenton. During today’s media availability, TSN’s Bruce Garrioch offered a note from Senators General Manager Steve Staios, saying that “both sides agree that it would be best for a fresh start.”
As PuckPedia notes, since Formenton is a qualified RFA, Ottawa can only trade him or wait for him to become eligible for unrestricted free agency. There’s no mechanism for a team to release a qualified RFA, unless the NHL is willing to make an exception for this circumstance. The other four players involved in the trial were not qualified by their respective clubs, making them all UFAs.
Given the high-profile nature of the case, it’s difficult to say whether or not another team would have interest in acquiring Formenton via trade. Carter Hart, who was also involved in the trial, has reportedly garnered interest from several teams since the NHL announced that they’d be free to sign new contracts on October 15th.
Still, even outside of that variable, it’s been several years since Formenton has played professionally in North America. His last season with the Senators was 2021-22, during which he recorded 18 goals and 32 points in 79 games, finishing with a -13 rating.
Since then, he’s been playing with the NL’s HC Ambrì-Piotta, scoring 20 goals and nine assists in 48 games. Formenton appears to have kept his knack for putting pucks in the net, but Ottawa shouldn’t have any expectation of receiving a quality return for their former second-round pick.
What The Senators Can Learn From Past Champions’ Development Model
The Senators qualified for the playoffs last season for the first time since the 2016-17 season. Their young core finally turned the corner and took their first significant step in a rebuild that previously felt like it was skidding off the tracks. They lost to the Maple Leafs in six games, but it has generated a sense of optimism in Canada’s capital. Ottawa has a promising young core led by captain Brady Tkachuk, most of the group is signed to reasonable long-term deals, the new ownership group is stable, and the team is inching closer to securing a new downtown arena. Everything looks promising for the Senators right now, but they are about to face the most challenging phase of their rebuild as they aim to make the next leap and become a Stanley Cup contender. The Senators have made several missteps along the way, and they would do well to learn from franchises that have already achieved what Ottawa is striving for.
There are many lessons the Senators can learn from the teams that achieved success, and the same applies to those that failed in their rebuilds. When it comes to success stories, look no further than the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and their intrastate rival Tampa Bay Lightning, who have accounted for four of the last six champions, as well as the Colorado Avalanche, who won the title in 2022, and the Pittsburgh Penguins, the first team in the salary cap era to win back-to-back Stanley Cups. All of these teams had promising cores before winning titles, and they all faced heartbreaking moments on their way to glory. While their stories share similar elements, each franchise had a different blueprint for building Stanley Cup-caliber rosters, and these are frameworks Ottawa could consider as it aims to take the next step.
Regarding a comparison between Ottawa’s roster and those four mentioned clubs, there is one main difference. Ottawa has secured its young core of top picks long-term (Tkachuk, Tim Stützle, Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot), just as Pittsburgh, Colorado, Tampa Bay, and Florida have. Some might dismiss this comparison, arguing that Ottawa doesn’t share the same reputation as those teams. However, it wasn’t that long ago that Florida was considered an afterthought, and both Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay faced challenges at the bottom of the standings before they built their teams around top picks.
What Ottawa can examine is how those four teams built their championship squads without relying solely on making top draft picks. Each team clearly demonstrates the importance of selecting the top picks correctly, but beyond that, they each employed a unique strategy to develop their rosters around those key players.
For Tampa Bay, its elite scouting allowed it to draft top players outside of the first round. The Lightning selected Brayden Point in the third round in 2014, Nikita Kucherov in the second round in 2011, and Anthony Cirelli in the third round in 2015. These players supported top picks Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman and helped propel Tampa Bay to three straight Stanley Cup Finals and two championships. Former Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman adopted a tactic from the 1990s Detroit Red Wings teams by delaying the development of their prospects, choosing to let them develop longer in the AHL rather than rushing them to the NHL.
Florida didn’t draft as well as the Lightning but chose instead to rely on trades to build around their top picks, bringing in Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, and Sam Reinhart in major moves that strengthened Aaron Ekblad and Aleksander Barkov. The Tkachuk trade, in particular, was a significant gamble by general manager Bill Zito, and it was not well-received at the time it was made. However, it’s been a crucial move for Florida, and it ended up being the one that truly pushed them over the line. The Panthers also used free agency and waivers to bolster their team, signing Carter Verhaeghe and Sergei Bobrovsky as UFAs and acquiring Gustav Forsling off waivers. The Bobrovsky signing was widely criticized when it happened, but it has again panned out as a gamble worth taking.
The Penguins, much like the Panthers, used a variety of tools to build their championship rosters after years of poor drafting, bad trades, and signings for depth. By the time Jim Rutherford took over the Penguins in 2014, most people felt that Pittsburgh had wasted the primes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and in 2015, another first-round exit made many believe the critics were right. The Penguins only had one championship with their core, and calls from fans were to trade Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang. However, Rutherford chose a different path, bringing in star scoring winger Phil Kessel in a significant trade with the Maple Leafs that could have ended in disaster. However, it didn’t, and Rutherford continued to make moves, adding forwards Nick Bonino and Carl Hagelin, as well as defensemen Trevor Daley and Justin Schultz. These moves, along with some strong late picks from former GM Ray Shero (Bryan Rust and Matt Murray), set the Penguins up for a two-year run of excellence.
All of these stories raise several questions for the Senators. When is the right time to be patient versus aggressive? When should they be ruthless or show loyalty? There is no single way to succeed, but all of Colorado, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, and Florida have identified a clear vision and are committed to it. Tampa Bay was patient and spent a decade building the foundation for an incredible run of success. Colorado was patient as well, choosing to wait for the right moment to make trades that would boost their stars (Devon Toews).
Pittsburgh and Florida, on the other hand, were proactive in their effort to win now. There were no half measures. Rutherford would quickly correct a mistake in roster assessment for the Penguins if he felt it wasn’t a fit. By the end of his tenure, that kind of behaviour became comical, but between 2015 and 2017, it was like lightning in a bottle.
For Florida, Zito and his team have been aggressive yet precise, acquiring players who have struggled elsewhere and fitting them into the Panthers’ lineup where they can succeed. Forsling and Verhague were both traded between several teams before ending up in Florida. Now, they are vital pieces of a potential dynasty.
Ottawa is at a crossroads and must decide on its next step. Should they be patient with their prospects in Belleville, or is that not the best approach given their weak farm system? This could mean trading young players and draft picks to secure immediate help. Does GM Steve Staios have the courage for a bold move? It’s possible, especially since he recently traded Josh Norris for Dylan Cozens at the NHL Trade Deadline, but he needs to be careful not to compromise too much of the team’s identity.
Ottawa also needs to improve the depth of its lineup. Their bottom six haven’t been strong for a while, and there’s a lesson to learn from the teams that win titles. Florida’s bottom six is built for speed and toughness. Tampa Bay would find depth that’s tailored for the playoffs, while the Penguins’ teams rolled four lines with speed that could dominate teams through an aggressive forecheck on every shift.
While the Senators need to improve their team depth, they must be careful with their spending in free agency, as many of their recent signings have not worked out. The David Perron signing last summer wasn’t successful (two years, $8MM), nor was the Joonas Korpisalo signing the previous summer. The Senators haven’t had much success with UFAs and need to be cautious with their secondary deals, as they will eventually need to sign Shane Pinto and avoid limiting their flexibility, which could quickly close their window to contend.
Ultimately, Ottawa doesn’t need to follow any single path listed above. The Senators can combine elements from each team’s approach and adapt them to their own journey. They can emulate Tampa Bay’s patience in development, while reflecting Pittsburgh’s commitment to their core identity and pursuing bold, fearless trades like the Panthers. There are many routes the Senators could take as they aim to progress, but the key will be committing to a clear strategy rather than just relying on talent to develop and improve naturally over time.
Photo by Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Afternoon Notes: Trenton, Bruins, Senators, Flames
The Utah Grizzlies will relocate to Trenton, New Jersey for the 2026-27 season, with an announcement set for tomorrow, per hockey insider Frank Seravalli. If true, the Grizzlies will be set to move right after celebrating their 20th season in Utah. In doing so, they will bring ECHL hockey back to Trenton for the first time since 2013. The city previously hosted the Trenton Titans – briefly the Trenton Devils – for 24 years beginning in 1999. The club was red-hot at the turn of the century, reaching the Kelly Cup Finals in 2001 and taking the Cup home in 2005. They featured some incredible hockey names in their history. Stanley Cup winner and Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy presided over Trenton’s inaugural season, and current Utah Mammoth general manager Bill Armstrong coached the team from 2002 to 2004.
The Utah Grizzlies are currently affiliated with the Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Eagles, the latter an ironic twist given the Eagles’ rivalry with the Grizzlies when they were a part of the ECHL. This move would break that tension, and return pro hockey to an upgraded CURE Insurance Arena.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Sticking in the ECHL, the Boston Bruins have announced a three-year extension of their affiliation with the Maine Mariners. The affiliation began in 2021, and marked the first NHL partnership in Maine’s brief history. It was a continuation of a long history of work between the two teams. The Mariners served as Boston’s AHL affiliate from 1987 to 1992, before being relocated to form the Providence Bruins. The ECHL Mariners haven’t found their stride under Boston just yet – losing in the first round of the postseason three times, then missing the postseason last year. They’ll face a very interesting turnaround next season, after losing former player and head coach/general manager Terrence Wallin this summer. Maine hired Rick Kowalsky – aptly, a member of the Kelly Cup-winning Trenton Devils in 2005 – to fill the vacancy. Kowalsky has previously spent four years an ECHL head coach, 10 years as an AHL head coach, and six years as an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils.
- Shifting to looming NHL training camps – the Ottawa Senators are expected to bring multiple professional try-outs to the start of their camp, general manager Steve Staios told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. Ottawa could use a bit of padding to their depth at all three positions, setting them up nicely to bring in some of the top remaining free agents. The likeliest paths to the lineup will be on the fourth-line wing, where Michael Amadio and Nick Cousins currently reside on the depth chart. Some options for UFA candidates could include 36-year-old wing Max Pacioretty, 30-year-old centerman Tyler Motte, or 31-year-old defenseman Matt Grzelcyk.
- While Ottawa pursues the PTO market, the Calgary Flames are expected to stay away, per Ryan Pike of Flames Nation. While the Senators will look to vindicate a push to the playoffs last season, Calgary is likely much more geared towards keeping spots open for their emerging youngsters. Players like Rory Kerins, Dryden Hunt, William Stromgren, and Aydar Suniev could all make valiant pushes for bottom-six minutes next season.