Claude Giroux’s situation in Ottawa has gone from expected to uncertain in a hurry.
What looked like an easy reunion at the start of the offseason now feels very much up in the air with free agency only two days away. Pierre LeBrun reported that Giroux is still taking his time and sorting through his options, and the latest read is that he may indeed test the UFA market while leaving the door open for the Senators.
My sense when it comes to pending UFA Claude Giroux is that he's still weighing all his options right now. Taking a patient approach. Likely headed to the UFA market next week while keeping the door open to Ottawa.
- Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 26, 2026
That would be a notable shift for Ottawa, because Giroux was still highly productive last season. He finished with 14 goals and 35 assists, and he remained exactly the kind of forward coaches trust when the game gets tight: dependable defensively, strong on crucial faceoffs, and steady enough to lean on late in games. He also missed just one game over his four seasons with the Senators, while supplying offense the team has leaned on throughout that stretch.
So what’s driving the uncertainty? After the NHL Draft, Steve Staios said in his press conference that he remains "very interested" in bringing Giroux back.
But Ottawa’s roster picture may be changing around him. The Senators now have a crowd of depth forwards, especially after the recent and somewhat puzzling addition of Andre Burakovsky.
At the same time, the club may still be hunting for an impact forward in its top six.
That makes the cap math matter even more. As previously featured on SenShot, the projection for Giroux’s next contract is a $2 million base salary with another $1 million in performance bonuses.
That would be almost the same structure as last season’s deal, which carried $250,000 bonuses for reaching 20, 40 and 60 games played, plus another $250,000 tied to both the playoffs and 50 games played. If Giroux is pushing for more money, Ottawa does have some room to work with.
But if the Senators are serious about landing a top-six upgrade, every dollar starts to count.
Even with the contract questions, Giroux’s value in Ottawa is hard to miss. He’s 38, but he’s still contributing more than several players already on the roster, and his importance goes beyond the box score.
With Brady Tkachuk gone, the Senators could use Giroux’s leadership more than ever. Ottawa also remains his likely preferred landing spot, since his family is there.
Still, if the Senators decide not to bring him back and Giroux gets a shot to chase a Stanley Cup somewhere else, it would be tough to argue that he hasn’t earned that opportunity.
In Other News...
Senators Could Lose An RFA Forward For Almost Nothing
The Senators may have another roster issue simmering before the next round of contract business even gets fully underway. Elliotte Friedman reported that a restricted free agent forward is looking for a way out of Ottawa because the path to meaningful NHL minutes is not clear, and the club would still hold his rights if he decides to press the issue. For a team trying to manage its forward depth carefully, it is the kind of situation that can turn into a trade conversation quickly, especially when the player in question is still trying to translate strong minor-league production into a more stable NHL role.
There is also the wrinkle of an offer sheet, which would put Ottawa in a different kind of bind depending on how another club structures the deal. The compensation would hinge on the contract value, with the return changing significantly above or below the relevant threshold, so the Senators could be forced to decide whether to match, negotiate a trade, or risk losing the asset for very little. For a front office that already has to balance opportunity, depth and cap planning, it is one more negotiation thread worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Fans Finally Got A Key Prospect Sign They Needed
For a Senators development camp that has plenty of attention on the usual group of young skaters, the sight of Carter Hensler back on the ice carried a different kind of weight. The defense prospect had been sidelined after an injury in January and spent months working through rehab, so simply getting back into drills this week was an encouraging step for a player whose momentum had been interrupted just as he was trying to build it.
Henslers return also adds another layer to a camp that is already giving Ottawa a look at prospects with different kinds of upside, including Kasper Halttunen, who arrives with a scorers resume and a history of helping drive winning teams. For the Senators, the appeal is obvious: development camp is about talent, but it is also about seeing who can get back on the ice, settle in again and start turning promise into something more reliable. [Read more 🡒]