Senators, Xavier Bourgault Avoid Arbitration
7:30 p.m.: The Senators have confirmed Bourgault’s new contract.
2:30 p.m.: The Ottawa Senators have come to terms on a new contract with one of their forward prospects, avoiding arbitration. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Senators have signed forward Xavier Bourgault to a one-year, $850K contract for the 2026-27 season. Additionally, Bourgault will earn a salary of $265K at the AHL level.
Bourgault, 23, has been part of the Senators organization for the past few years. The L’Islet, Quebec native was originally drafted with the 22nd overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, and traded to the Senators in 2024.
Although he has fallen short of his draft ranking, that’s not to say he shouldn’t have been viewed as a first-round pick at the time. By the 2021 NHL Draft, Bourgault had scored 60 goals and 131 points in 154 games for the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes, and followed up the draft with a 36-goal, 75-point performance in 43 games throughout the 2021-22 campaign.
Unfortunately, Bourgault was unable to showcase his offensive skills with the Oilers organization. In two years with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, Bourgault registered 21 goals and 54 points in 117 games with a +10 rating. Putting himself into change-of-scenery territory, he got exactly that when Edmonton traded him to Ottawa for a fresh start.
In his first year, playing with the AHL’s Belleville Senators, it was much of the same for Bourgault. He finished the 2024-25 campaign with 12 goals and 26 points in 61 games, failing to make any meaningful step forward.
Fortunately for him and the Senators organization, Bourgault finally put together a quality season at the AHL level. Throughout the 2025-26 season, Bourgault registered 25 goals and 57 points in 70 games for AHL Belleville with a -17 rating. Additionally, he got his first NHL call-up, going scoreless in two games with Ottawa.
Bourgault definitely has some maturing to do on the defensive side of the puck, but his 2025-26 performance was a positive step regardless. If he can get off to another quality start for the 2026-27 season, the Senators may be inclined to give him a longer look at the NHL level to add some scoring punch to their bottom-six.
15 Players Elect For Salary Arbitration
The deadline to file for salary arbitration passed at 5 P.M. ET on July 5. 15 players elected to head to arbitartion before then, including the market’s top free agent, Dallas Stars’ winger Jason Robertson. Arbitration hearings will take place between late-July and early-August. Filing for arbitration will restrict players from negotiating contracts with any other team, removing high-value RFAs like Robertson from offer sheet eligibility. Players will have the opportunity to continue negotiating with their current team and could avoid arbitration by reaching a new deal before their hearing occurs. The full list of players who filed for salary arbitration in 2026, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic, is as follows:
F Xavier Bourgault (Ottawa Senators)
F Kirby Dach (Montreal Canadiens)
D Jamie Drysdale (Philadelphia Flyers)
G Jet Greaves (Columbus Blue Jackets)
F Alex Jefferies (New York Islanders)
F Peyton Krebs (Buffalo Sabres)
F Connor McMichael (St. Louis Blues)
F Cole Perfetti (Winnipeg Jets)
F Jason Robertson (Dallas Stars)
F Nicholas Robertson (Pittsburgh Penguins)
G Akira Schmid (Florida Panthers)
D Braden Schneider (New York Rangers)
D Ronan Seeley (Carolina Hurricanes)
F Cole Sillinger (Columbus Blue Jackets)
F Trevor Zegras (Philadelphia Flyers)
Senators Recall Six Players
This afternoon the Ottawa Senators announced that six skaters have been recalled from AHL Belleville. Carter Yakemchuk, Arthur Kaliyev, Tyler Boucher, Xavier Bourgault, Graeme Clarke, and Oskar Pettersson will all join the club.
In the midst of their first round playoff series against Carolina, the group will serve as typical “Black Aces”. Belleville failed to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs, finishing 27th in the league with a 28-35-8 record. As a result, they have nothing to lose in adding depth players who will benefit from getting a closer look with extra practice time before the offseason, and experiencing the day-to-day of the NHL playoff routine.
Out of the bunch, Yakemchuk stands out as the most likely to actually get in a game, although still unlikely, barring any major developments. The Sens’ top prospect, chosen seventh overall in 2024, Yakemchuk got into four games this year, bursting onto the scene with a two-point debut. However, the defenseman’s NHL stint in late March ended after a concussion suffered against Florida.
Kaliyev, 24, is also a familiar name, with over 200 games of NHL experience. Once a promising Kings prospect, the 6’2″ sniper hasn’t played with the Senators since October. Still, he’s made the most of his 70 games in the AHL, the most time spent in the minors across his entire career to this point, netting an insane 40 goals and 68 points. He has the distinction of the only 40-goal-scorer in the AHL this year, and the first since 2023-24. Anyone capable of such can be considered an NHL-level player, but Kaliyev’s skating and hockey sense have held him back, unable yet to hold down a bottom six role at the highest level.
Boucher is another prospect who has had his own development issues. Widely known as a 10th overall selection five years ago, the winger has not come close to expectations, but thankfully he put together a best-as-a-pro campaign this year. 26 points in 47 games isn’t ideal for any 23-year-old former top pick, but he leaned more into a grinder role with 68 penalty minutes, the same total as his previous two seasons combined. His contract ends this summer, with restricted free agent status, where Ottawa must determine if his improvement is enough to warrant a future in the organization.
In Bourgault there are many similarities to Boucher, other than that he’s a center. Edmonton’s first round choice in 2021, the Quebec native never played for the Oil due to lackluster AHL production. Dealt to Ottawa, he enjoyed his best professional season with 57 points in 70 games, good for second on the B-Sens, and earning his first two NHL games back in the winter. If the 23-year-old can eventually solidify himself in the league, it’ll likely be limited to full bottom six duty.
Clarke, 24, is not the most recognizable name, but he made three appearances with the Devils, his first organization, during the 2023-24 season. A full-time AHLer since, the winger has bounced around various teams but flipped the script after a March trade, nearly matching his point total across 50 games as a Hershey Bear in just 15 games with Belleville, a nice ending to the campaign. Born in Minnesota, the righty actually grew up in Ottawa, the older brother of Los Angeles’ Brandt Clarke.
Finally, Pettersson has the most limited NHL upside, as he recorded 18 points in 69 games with Belleville, wrapping up his second full season with the team. A third round selection in 2022, the Swede is not among the team’s top 10 prospects, mostly serving as a bottom-sixer. At 6’2″, the righty has the size and strength, but he’ll hope to showcase more play driving ability in his final contract year starting next fall. Just 22, it’s not too late for a step forward.
The Senators are back in action tomorrow night, where they’ll look to snatch a road win from Carolina and even the series before returning home.
Senators Assign Xavier Bourgault To AHL
Xavier Bourgault’s latest stint with Ottawa was short-lived. After being brought up earlier this week, the Senators announced (Twitter link) that the center has been sent back to AHL Belleville. With the move, Ottawa now has one open roster spot.
Bourgault played in one game on this recall, bringing his season count to two although he’s still looking for his first point at the top level. The 23-year-old has been a strong performer in the minors this season though, notching 14 goals and 23 assists in 43 games with Belleville, already surpassing his previous career-high in points at that level. That hasn’t landed him an extended look with Ottawa just yet, however, or even more than sparing minutes as he’s played less than 12 minutes combined in his two NHL appearances.
Bourgault’s demotion is a good sign for center Stephen Halliday. Sidelined for the past few days with an upper-body injury, the 23-year-old was on the fourth line in the morning skate today and it appears that he will return to the lineup against New Jersey. Halliday has 10 points in 21 games with Ottawa this season, an impressive point total considering that he’s only averaging 8:23 per game of playing time.
Senators Recall Xavier Bourgault; Reassign Mads Sogaard
According to a team announcement, the Ottawa Senators have recalled forward Xavier Bourgault from the AHL’s Belleville Senators. Additionally, the team has reassigned netminder Mads Søgaard in a corresponding roster move.
Toward the end of Ottawa’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, depth forward Stephen Halliday left with an undisclosed injury. The Senators haven’t elaborated on Halliday’s injury, but the belief is that it isn’t too severe.
Furthermore, since the team activated Linus Ullmark from the non-roster list on the same day, there was little need for three netminders on the roster. For the Senators’ sake, they’ll hope to get better results from the tandem of Ullmark and veteran James Reimer.
Bourgault, 23, has spent much of the season with AHL Belleville. He’s had an inspired season, placing second on the team in scoring with 14 goals and 37 points in 43 games. He made his NHL debut this past December, going scoreless in 6:43 of action against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Meanwhile, Søgaard will look to get his performance back on track in the AHL. He’s only two years removed from providing a .916 SV% in 32 games with AHL Belleville, but has been wholly disappointing since. He’s managed a 4-8-4 record in 18 games this season with a .889 SV%. If he wants a realistic chance to make Ottawa’s opening night roster next season, he must rediscover his game by the end of the 2025-26 campaign.
Senators Reassign Xavier Bourgault And Dennis Gilbert
Dec. 29th: After Ottawa’s loss to the Maple Leafs, the team quietly moved Bourgault and Gilbert back to AHL Belleville, according to the AHL transactions log. Neither player participated in last night’s contest against the Utica Comets, so they won’t be eligible for an additional recall until after the new year.
Dec. 27th: The Senators have made a pair of roster moves coming out of the holiday break to give them some extra depth. The team announced that they’ve recalled forward Xavier Bourgault and defenseman Dennis Gilbert from AHL Belleville. To make room for them on the roster, center Lars Eller was moved to injured reserve.
This is the first regular season recall of Bourgault’s career (though he has been brought up as a Black Ace in the playoffs before). The 23-year-old was a first-round pick by Edmonton back in 2021, going 22nd overall but has played exclusively in the AHL since turning pro in 2022. Ottawa acquired him back in the 2024 offseason.
Bourgault has been quite productive with Belleville to earn this promotion. In 32 games this season, he has nine goals and 18 assists, including ten helpers in his last nine outings. As a result, he has already surpassed his output from last season when he had 26 points in 61 contests. He’s expected to make his NHL debut against Toronto tonight with the team announcing (Twitter link) that Bourgault is expected to slot in on the fourth line.
Gilbert, meanwhile, gets his second recall after being acquired from Philadelphia earlier this season. He got into one game on that first stint, his only taste of action at the top level in 2025-26 though he was injured for most of the season. Between Belleville and AHL Lehigh Valley, the 30-year-old has six assists in 13 games.
Atlantic Notes: Hutson, Jensen, Senators, Greer
With new contracts handed out in recent days to Luke Hughes and Jackson LaCombe, some attention has shifted to Canadiens blueliner Lane Hutson. While he still has one year left on his entry-level contract, the belief is that there is mutual interest in getting something done before the season begins. In a recent appearance on Daily Faceoff’s The Sheet (video link), David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period suggested that the blueliner appears to be willing to leave a bit of money on the table, similar to what several of his teammates did in an effort to give themselves a chance to continue to add down the road. However, that discount might be capped at a few hundred thousand per season on a long-term pact. With both Hughes and LaCombe checking in at $9MM, it stands to reason that Hutson could very well land close to that number on his next deal as well, whether that comes now, in-season, or next summer.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Senators defenseman Nick Jensen told reporters including Sportsnet’s Alex Adams (Twitter link) that he will suit up in Saturday’s preseason finale against Montreal. The 35-year-old underwent offseason hip surgery and at the time, it looked unlikely that he’d be back for the start of the regular season. However, his recovery has been ahead of schedule and now he’ll get a chance to get a game in to see if he’ll be ready for opening night. Jensen played a big role for Ottawa last season, averaging over 20 minutes a game while chipping in with 21 points in 71 outings, many of which were played through injury.
- Still with the Senators, after recalling eight players back on Tuesday who had already been cut, the team announced (Twitter link) that all eight – Tyler Boucher, Hunter Shepard, Jorian Donovan, Oskar Pettersson, Xavier Bourgault, Tomas Hamara, Keean Washkurak, and Scott Harrington, have been sent back to AHL Belleville.
- The league announced that the Department of Player Safety has fined Panthers winger A.J. Greer $2,213.54, the maximum allowable in the CBA, for a roughing incident on Tampa Bay’s Brandon Hagel. Thursday’s affair between the two sides was particularly chippy with the two teams combining for 186 penalty minutes, a dozen of which went to Greer on the play.
Transaction Notes: Oilers, Ducks, Senators
As the preseason winds down and rosters take form, several teams have recalled players, having already cleared waivers, who are set to fill out NHL rosters before (most likely) being reassigned to their respective AHL clubs.
The Edmonton Oilers announced today that they recalled forwards Viljami Marjala, James Hamblin, and Connor Clattenburg from AHL Bakersfield in advance of tonight’s preseason tilt in Seattle.
Hamblin, an undrafted Edmonton native, proudly has 41 games under his belt for the Oil, but is expected to return to Bakersfield and continue to lead the Condors, in his sixth season with the team.
Other transactional notes from today:
- The Anaheim Ducks recalled Nathan Gaucher, Yegor Sidorov, and Calle Clang from AHL San Diego, per their announcement this afternoon. Gaucher, Anaheim’s first round choice in 2022 (22nd overall) headlines the group, likely looking to finally break out in the AHL this season, boasting an impressive frame at 6’3”. Clang, a goaltender, is likely back due to starter Lukáš Dostál’s injury.
- The Ottawa Senators updated today that they recalled a handful of players: Tyler Boucher, Hunter Shepard, Jorian Donovan, Oskar Pettersson, Xavier Bourgault, Tomas Hamara, Keean Washkurak, and Scott Harrington. Boucher and Bourgault are well known as former first round picks in 2021, who both face uphill battles to reach the NHL at this point in their careers. Harrington, a 32-year-old defenseman with 255 NHL games under his belt, recently joined the Belleville Senators on a PTO, having started camp on a tryout with Nashville, before being released.
Although none of the players are expected to remain with their NHL clubs by season’s start, it stands a chance for them to make an impression, and for fans to get to see some former notable prospects skate at the highest level.
Senators Place Xavier Bourgault, Four Others On Waivers
Today is the first day of standard waivers for the 2025-26 campaign, meaning teams can now begin the process of cutting non-waiver-exempt players from their training camp rosters. The Senators are the first to do so, announcing they’re placing five players on the wire, including 2021 first-rounder Xavier Bourgault. Forwards Wyatt Bongiovanni and Garrett Pilon, defenseman Cameron Crotty, and goaltender Hunter Shepard are the other names that teams can submit claims for 24 hours after waivers officially open at 1:00 pm Central. They’ll all be assigned to AHL Belleville if they clear.
The moves were part of a wide-spanning roster cut the Sens made today ahead of their two neutral-site exhibition games in Quebec City. Those early cuts have the Sens’ camp roster down to just 31 players, by far the lowest roster count in the league, with well over a week until opening night rosters are due.
Bourgault hitting the wire is notable but not particularly surprising. It’s his first year without a waiver exemption, but the 22-year-old forward hasn’t demonstrated much development at all since turning pro three years ago. In fact, Bourgault’s AHL point pace has largely regressed over time, and as a result, he’s yet to make his NHL debut, never mind securing a call-up.
The Oilers made him the 22nd overall pick of the 2021 draft after the 5’11” Quebecer had 40 points in just 29 games for QMJHL Shawinigan in his COVID-shortened draft year. He remained highly productive the following year with 75 points in 43 appearances, winning a QMJHL title in the process, before turning pro “early” in 2022-23 thanks to his October birthdate. His transition to pro hockey was measured, although he still managed a respectable 13-21–34 scoring line in 62 appearances with AHL Bakersfield. His production cratered the following year, though, limited to 20 points in 55 games and losing consistency in the lineup. That led the Oilers to cut bait with him last offseason, trading him to the Sens for winger Roby Jarventie.
Bourgault similarly failed to impress with Belleville last season. He finished eighth on the team in scoring with a 12-14–26 line in 61 appearances. While it was enough to earn him a qualifying offer and a subsequent two-way deal in July after his entry-level contract ran out, it was never going to be enough to put him in serious contention for an NHL roster spot, barring a hugely impressive training camp performance. As a result, he’s at risk of being lost for nothing on the wire if a team decides to take a swing on his draft pedigree.
As for the other names, Bongiovanni is standard waiver wire fodder for this time of year. The 26-year-old pivot is a respectable AHL scorer, notching a career-best 22 goals and 33 points in 54 showings with the B-Sens last year, but doesn’t have any NHL experience to his name. He’ll likely only see his first NHL recall this season if injuries take out an overwhelming amount of Ottawa’s forward core.
Pilon, 27, fills a similar niche with more pro experience. The 6’0″ pivot is entering his third season in the Sens organization and served as Belleville’s captain last year, posting 48 points in 68 games. A 2016 third-round pick by the Capitals, he scored one goal in three NHL games across the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns with them but hasn’t appeared at the top level since. He’ll clear the wire with no issue and resume his role as the on-ice leader of Ottawa’s top development affiliate.
Crotty and Shepard are both new faces to the organization, signing two-way deals this summer to serve as experienced call-up options. They might draw some consideration as a result, but by waiving them this early in camp, the Sens have a better chance of passing them through before preseason injuries truly begin to pile up. Crotty made one appearance each for the Coyotes and Wild in each of the past two campaigns, but nearly all of the 26-year-old’s pro experience has come in the minors. The 6’3″ shutdown righty served as the captain for Minnesota’s AHL club last year and had 10 assists with a -7 rating in 64 appearances.
Shepard will serve as the Sens’ No. 4 goalie on the depth chart behind Linus Ullmark, Leevi Merilainen, and Mads Søgaard. That’s a step down from his last few seasons in Washington, where he was the AHL starter and No. 3 option organizationally. But after being named the AHL’s top goaltender in the 2023-24 campaign, his numbers took a nosedive last year with a .891 SV%, 2.80 GAA, and a 23-11-4 record in 39 appearances for the Hershey Bears. Goalie-needy teams will likely look elsewhere for depth as a result.
Senators Re-Sign Xavier Bourgault
The Senators have reached an agreement with one of their remaining restricted free agents as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that they’ve signed forward Xavier Bourgault to a one-year, two-way deal. The contract will pay Bourgault $775K in the NHL and $90K in the minors.
The 22-year-old was a first-round pick by Edmonton back in 2021, going 22nd overall after showing some offensive promise with QMJHL Shawinigan. In his final three seasons with the Cataractes, Bourgault potted 89 goals and 97 assists in 135 games, providing some enthusiasm that he could be a cost-controlled contributor for an Oilers roster that certainly could use that.
However, Bourgault wasn’t able to produce anywhere near those numbers with AHL Bakersfield. After a respectable rookie season in 2022-23 that saw him record 34 points in 62 games, his output dipped the following year to just eight goals and 12 assists in 55 outings. That was enough for GM Stan Bowman to decide to make a change, dealing Bourgault to Ottawa that summer along with prospect Jake Chiasson for winger Roby Jarventie and a fourth-round pick.
Bourgault spent last season with AHL Belleville and was able to rebound a bit, notching 12 goals and 14 assists in 61 games. While that wasn’t enough to match or surpass his rookie-season output, it was enough to earn him a qualifying offer last month. Bourgault didn’t take it, instead foregoing a bit of a higher potential NHL salary in exchange for a slight raise in his AHL pay.
Bourgault will be waiver-eligible for the first time next season. While a player with his type of numbers generally wouldn’t be a candidate to be claimed, his draft pedigree might be enough for a team or two to at least ponder giving him a look, assuming he doesn’t break camp with Ottawa in training camp which is the likeliest scenario. Assuming he makes it back to Belleville, he’ll look to position himself to get his first regular season recall.
With Bourgault’s signing, Ottawa now has three remaining restricted free agents to re-sign this summer: forward Jan Jenik and defensemen Donovan Sebrango and Max Guenette.