The Ottawa Senators have already packed plenty into this offseason, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the work is done.
With the NHL’s flurry of offer sheets and arbitration business mostly behind it, the bigger question now is whether GM Steve Staios has another move tucked away for later in the summer. Around the league, teams in the Atlantic Division have been busy upgrading, and Ottawa has been part of that push. Still, the Senators don’t look like a roster that’s finished.
If there’s another addition coming, the most obvious places to look are up front and on the blue line. Ottawa could still use another middle-six center and a top-six winger, even with Claude Giroux deciding to return to the Nation’s Capital. On defense, the Senators could use another right-shot option and some added size to deepen the group.
Then there’s the crease, where the biggest uncertainty may live. Ottawa acquired and signed Samuel Ersson, but he remains a question mark for now. The Senators don’t really know what they have until he gets into games, which is why the goaltending depth chart could still use another layer of insurance.
For the moment, though, a move doesn’t feel imminent. The market has thinned out, the UFAs who were going to sign have mostly already landed, and the rest of the remaining UFAs and RFAs are expected to sort themselves out over the coming weeks. None of that group looks like a major swing piece.
Unless something surprising breaks - such as the Dallas Stars officially giving up on Jason Robertson, or Staios deciding to make a bold offer sheet move - the next real opportunity may come later in the summer. A team could get closer to training camp and decide it needs to act, or contract talks could drag on long enough to create a window.
There’s also the usual summer uncertainty that can open doors without much warning: players taking time to think, agents reassessing value, and negotiations stretching out in ways that weren’t obvious a week earlier. For now, Ottawa’s offseason may be quieting down, but the possibility of another Senators move is still very much alive.
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Wild Quietly Secured Important Right Side Blue Line Depth
Ottawas offseason roster churn has already started to ripple beyond the NHL level, and one of the more notable names in that mix is Arthur Kaliyev. After putting together a big AHL season with Belleville, the winger still found himself on the outside of Ottawas plans when the club chose not to tender a qualifying offer, leaving his future tied to the broader market rather than the Senators depth chart.
That uncertainty has only grown as interest has surfaced from multiple KHL clubs, a reminder that Ottawas decision could send a productive scorer overseas instead of back into its organization. For a team looking to keep its pipeline stocked and its options flexible, Kaliyevs next move is one more small but meaningful offseason thread to watch. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Power Play Could Be Headed For A Risky New Direction
The Senators made one of their most important summer moves by keeping Claude Giroux in the fold on a one-year contract, a deal that gives Ottawa a familiar veteran presence while it continues to build around its younger core. Girouxs return fits the organizations broader approach of balancing development with reliability, and it keeps a steady two-way player in a room that still leans on experience in key moments.
The contract itself reflects that balance, with a modest base salary and the chance to earn more through performance bonuses. Ottawa wanted to preserve Girouxs leadership and on-ice stability without losing flexibility, and the timing of the agreement suggests both sides were motivated to get it done quickly once talks gained momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Next Captain Choice Will Say Everything About This New Era
With Brady Tkachuk and Daniel Alfredsson no longer in the picture, Ottawa is once again staring at one of those franchise-defining decisions that can say as much about the room as the roster. The Senators have a few obvious paths, and each one points in a different direction for a team trying to define its next era. Thomas Chabot brings tenure and a long view of what the organization has been through, while Claude Giroux offers the kind of steady presence that can help bridge a transition without forcing the issue too soon.
Then there are the younger possibilities, Tim Sttzle and Jake Sanderson, who represent the question Ottawa has to answer before the season begins: should the captain be the most established voice, or the player most likely to carry the team forward? The club could even choose to leave the role empty, as it did after trading Erik Karlsson, which would only underline how much this choice reflects the Senators priorities right now. [Read more 🡒]