The Ottawa Senators are looking for more heft in their bottom six, and pending unrestricted free agent Oskar Sundqvist checks a lot of boxes for what they want to add.
General manager Steve Staios has made it clear he wants Ottawa to be harder to play against, and Sundqvist fits that mandate. The 32-year-old Swedish center is built for that kind of role at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, and he brings something else the Senators could use: playoff pedigree.
Sundqvist is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, winning with Pittsburgh in 2016 and St. Louis in 2019.
That kind of background matters for a team trying to chase a playoff spot in a stronger Atlantic Division.
Sundqvist’s most recent season came with the St. Louis Blues, where he posted five goals and 17 points in 52 games.
It was not a clean year. He missed time early because of a lower-body injury and later was sidelined by an ankle laceration caused by a skate blade.
Even when healthy, younger players in St. Louis pushed him down the lineup, but his value has never depended on offense anyway.
His game is built around the defensive side. Sundqvist is the sort of utility forward who can handle tough assignments, take heavy defensive-zone starts, and help on the penalty kill. For Ottawa, that would make him a strong candidate for a short-term, affordable deal that stabilizes the fourth line and adds a veteran presence in the room.
That need is even clearer with Lars Eller headed to free agency. The Senators are looking for a dependable, defense-first fourth-line center, and Sundqvist fits that description neatly.
They would not be bringing him in to be a scorer. They would be asking him to win a faceoff in his own end, kill time, and handle the dirty work. That is exactly the kind of job he has done well.
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Senators Could Target Two Leafs Fits Fans Never Expected
Ottawa has already done business with Toronto this offseason, bringing in goalie Samuel Ersson for a 2027 fifth-round pick, and the next question is whether the Senators are willing to keep looking north of the border for help. Even without a qualifying offer in hand, Ersson is expected to sign with Ottawa, which only adds to the sense that the Senators are still mining the Maple Leafs for affordable roster fits as they try to round out the lineup.
Two names keep surfacing in that conversation: Nick Robertson and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Robertsons scoring touch and Ekman-Larssons veteran impact make for a curious pair of targets, especially for a Senators team searching for players who can slide into the right role without forcing a bigger overhaul, and the appeal is obvious enough that it is worth watching how far Ottawa is willing to push this idea. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Suddenly Have A Toronto Scoring Target Worth Debating
After adding William Eklund and Andre Burakovsky this offseason, the Senators still look like a club that could use more help up front, especially if they want their forward group to feel deeper than just the recent splash moves. One name that makes some sense in that conversation is Matias Maccelli, a Toronto winger whose season offered enough production to keep him on the radar as a possible fit for Ottawa.
Maccellis value for the Senators would come less from star power than from versatility, since he can slide into the middle six and give a coach another option to mix into the second or third line. He also brings the kind of puck-moving skill that tends to travel well in a top-nine role, which is exactly why he is the sort of player Ottawa may have to decide whether to chase before the market gets busy. [Read more 🡒]
Senators May Be Eyeing A Division Swing Fans Will Debate
Theres a local angle to the latest Senators trade chatter that is easy to see why it would resonate. Ottawa has reportedly shown interest in Buffalo forward Jack Quinn, the Ottawa native and former 67s player who has built enough of a profile to be viewed as a possible fit higher up in the lineup. He is entering the final year of his contract and is expected to reach restricted free agency next summer, which only adds to the appeal for a team still sorting out its long-term forward mix.
The Sabres, for their part, are said to be open to moving him if the return helps them address another need, and that is where the talks get more interesting for Ottawa. Buffalo may be looking for a prospect such as Logan Hensler, a right-shot defenceman from its 2025 draft class, as it tries to strengthen a thin defensive pipeline. It is the kind of framework that can make sense on paper, even if the real challenge is finding the exact price that works for both sides. [Read more 🡒]