The Ottawa Senators are still hunting for a real top-six winger, and Chris Kreider suddenly looks like the kind of name that can actually move the needle.
Kreider is headed for unrestricted free agency after being placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of contract termination. That opens the door for any team to sign him, and Ottawa has a clear opening if he’s interested.
His price tag won’t be tiny. To make up for what he left behind, Kreider is expected to be looking for at least $4 million on his next deal, and that’s a number that feels reasonable given what he just produced.
This breakup with the Anaheim Ducks wasn’t about Kreider falling off a cliff or dragging a bad contract around. It was about cap space. With Leo Carlsson signed for $18 million and Cutter Gauthier headed toward north of $15 million, the Ducks needed to create room.
Kreider’s one season there was productive: 22 goals, 50 points, and seven more points in the playoffs. He’s not likely to get back to his 50-goal peak from 2021-22, but there’s nothing in his recent work that suggests last season was a fluke. At 35, he still looks like a player who can give a new team real offense in 2026-27.
That’s exactly why Ottawa should be paying attention. Heading into training camp, the Senators have only two established top-six wingers in William Eklund and Drake Batherson. After that, the picture gets murkier.
They do have depth. Claude Giroux, Michael Amadio, and Warren Foegele bring defensive value and enough offense to stay relevant.
Ridly Greig and Fabian Zetterlund are younger scoring options, and Andre Burakovsky is another veteran name in the mix. But depth is not the same thing as true high-end wing production.
That’s the issue. Beyond Batherson and Eklund, who on this roster is a safe bet to give you 50 points?
Giroux has still produced, but his point totals have dropped each season in Ottawa, and he’s now 38. Foegele has the speed and skill to play with a center like Tim Stutzle, though he’s been better in a bottom-six role.
Greig and Zetterlund fit that same general conversation. Burakovsky was a worthwhile gamble, but after inconsistent play over the last four seasons, his days as a 50-point player may already be behind him.
Sure, one of those players could break out. Zetterlund could click again with Eklund.
Greig could take a big step. Anything can happen over a season.
Even so, Ottawa still needs two wingers in those spots, and Kreider fits the bill cleanly. He has never been anything less than a top-six winger, and even in a situation he didn’t choose, he still put up a strong year. He also looks like a natural fit beside Dylan Cozens on the second line.
The question is whether Kreider would want Ottawa.
For American players especially, Canadian teams can be a harder sell. Taxes are higher, the weather is colder, and there’s the family move across the border to consider. That part is out of the Senators’ hands.
Still, Ottawa has a real case to make. The role is there.
The team has made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons despite sub-par goaltending. Kreider wouldn’t be walking into a situation where everything has to be on his shoulders.
Brady Tkachuk’s departure left two holes, one in production and one in physicality. General manager Steve Staios addressed the scoring side by adding Eklund, and Kreider plays a similar style to Tkachuk. He could help cover that physical edge without being asked to replace Tkachuk’s point-per-game workload.
If Ottawa gets the kind of goaltending it had late last season, the winger group is the clearest remaining question. And if the Senators roll into the season with Batherson, Eklund, Kreider, and Zetterlund or Greig in their top six, that question starts to disappear.
The fit is there, the Senators have just over $4 million in cap space and some flexibility to move money, and Kreider is looking to compete. That’s enough to make this one worth chasing.
In Other News...
Senators Fans Finally Get An Early Look At Intriguing New Prospects
Jaxon Cover is getting an early chance to show Senators fans why the organization was intrigued enough to take him 32nd overall in the 2026 NHL Draft. The London Knights prospect is scheduled to play in upcoming games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, giving Ottawa a first live look at a player whose upside has already drawn praise from general manager Mark Hunter despite his relative inexperience on ice.
Cover is only part of a broader stretch that has added a little extra buzz around the Senators prospect pipeline. Ottawa also signed forward Bakke Olsen to a one-year entry-level contract, and the club brought in Halttunen from the San Jose Sharks in a trade, leaving the next round of games with a bit more meaning than your usual early-season exhibition look. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Camp Suddenly Centers On One Huge Post Tkachuk Decision
Brady Tkachuks departure in June left a clear leadership hole for the Senators, and as training camp approaches, the conversation around Ottawa has shifted from what the roster lost to who will help steer it now. The club dealt Tkachuk to Florida for four draft picks, then tried to soften the blow by bringing in William Eklund from San Jose, all while keeping the larger goal intact: staying in the mix for a playoff spot despite the shakeup.
What makes camp so interesting is that Ottawa still has not named a new captain, which turns an ordinary early-season formality into one of the teams biggest storylines. The Senators have several natural directions they could go as they sort through their leadership structure, and the choice will say a lot about how the organization wants to define itself in the post-Tkachuk era. For a team trying to move forward without losing its edge, that decision carries more weight than a title alone. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Suddenly Have A Real Shot At A Proven Top-Six Winger
Chris Kreider has suddenly become the kind of name Ottawa has to at least consider. After Anaheim put the veteran winger on unconditional waivers, the door opened on a player with a long track record as a top-six option, and the Senators are one of the clubs with enough cap room and roster flexibility to take a real look. For a team still trying to round out its forward group, a winger with size, experience and a history of producing in a scoring role is not the sort of opportunity that comes along very often.
The fit is easy to imagine in Ottawa because Kreiders game would give the Senators a different look up front, especially in a lineup that could use more proven depth on the wings. He has had stretches of strong play and, despite some recent unevenness, still profiles as the kind of veteran who can complement existing skill. The remaining question is whether Ottawa decides the on-paper fit is worth making the necessary space, because once a player like Kreider hits the market this quickly, the next move can come just as fast. [Read more 🡒]