Senators brace for “singles” as free agency starts

Senators brace – Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios says he won’t chase “shiny” free-agent names, even as the team prepares for a market that begins on Wednesday. After paying a steep price for William Eklund and trading for Andre Burakovsky and Sam Ersson last week,

OTTAWA — The Senators’ free agency plan doesn’t sound like a blockbuster. Steve Staios makes it clear he doesn’t believe in chasing the biggest, brightest names just to make noise.

“I’ve said this to you a number of times, I’m not going to go and chase the shiny toy to bring in. Because as you’ve seen, not only here but across the league, it doesn’t work most times,” Staios said.

It’s the logic behind a quiet offseason strategy that left fans wondering why Ottawa didn’t go after higher-profile forwards such as Mason McTavish. JJ Peterka and Pavel Dorofeyev—players who could have pushed the Senators’ top-six groups forward. Instead. Staios landed Andre Burakovsky. despite the fact Burakovsky scored one goal in his last 37 games with Chicago and was likely to be bought out.

Many supporters still feel the bruise from the trade of Brady Tkachuk. and they’re looking for a response in free agency that matches the stakes. Staios insists he’s not planning a rebuild or retool. but he also paid a steep price—Ottawa’s ninth-overall pick—to acquire William Eklund from San Jose. The move makes sense if the goal is to win now. The timing. though. is where the doubt grows: why not use that ninth pick on a top prospect and aim higher over the next one to three years?.

Staios pointed to the ripple effect of Tkachuk’s departure. “You make a very valid point. I’m not quite sure on the impact (of Tkachuk’s departure on the timeline to win),” he said. “I’ve seen that team, that core play. There’s been a change, how it sort of sets in. We’ll see, does it change the timeline, quite possibly.”.

That uncertainty is pushing Ottawa toward one of hockey’s least forgiving places—the “mushy middle” of mediocrity. The Senators are trying to avoid it, and Wednesday’s free agency window is where they can still swing the direction of their 2026-27 story.

Leaving aside Eklund, Staios’ additions last week have not been the kind of shopping spree that makes expectations explode. Ottawa traded for Burakovsky and Sam Ersson. two players many in the league expected would be available because their incumbent teams were likely to move on. Both, last season, landed somewhere between bland and porous.

Staios’ defense is that he’s betting on players in the wrong situation being able to move in the right direction. “I think you’ve seen I’ve acquired players that have been in situations where they weren’t playing very well. and then we brought them in and things moved in the right direction. ” he said.

There’s a clear test waiting inside that argument. When asked about Burakovsky’s production—one goal in his final 37 games with Chicago—Staios didn’t accept the sound bite as the whole story. “How many did he have in his first 30 games?” he asked.

The answer is that Burakovsky had 22 points in his first 30 games last season, including nine goals while playing with Conor Bedard.

That’s the other half of the gamble. Can Burakovsky find a similar lift alongside Tim Stutzle? Possibly—but it’s still a big swing.

If Ottawa chooses the trade route instead of purely free agency. there are suggestions that fit the team’s needs with team control stretching until 2032 and salary ranges landing around $6 million and $7 million AAVs. Owen Tippett and Alexis Lafreniere are cited as potential fits for Ottawa. especially given that the Senators have extra picks to use if they want to win now.

But there is another obstacle on the defensive side. Staios didn’t rule out acquiring a defenceman, yet Ottawa extended Jordan Spence last week, which makes a major blueline move seem less likely.

The Senators’ most obvious issue is still high-level skill up front. Staios has said he brought in Eklund—framed as a playmaking center/forward type—because “We have more shooters than playmakers,” as he put it.

Eklund’s role is why the Senators hope they aren’t just stacking parts. but building something that can score in the places that matter. He’s been described as an elite playmaker, averaging 40 assists the past two seasons. Still, the post-season showed Ottawa scoring only four times in four games—and that stretch came “with Tkachuk.”.

Eklund’s ceiling is also tethered to the team’s end-of-season reality. His career high is 17 goals. Last season, Tkachuk was on pace for 30 despite a down year. Ottawa also has north-south scoring forwards in Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto, Fabian Zetterlund, and Warren Foegele. The unanswered question is who supplies the goals for the 2026-27 Senators if that scoring doesn’t rise when it counts.

The comparison that lingers is Carolina. The Cup champion Hurricanes splurged last summer on the free-agent talent of Nikolaj Ehlers. It’s one reason Ottawa’s remaining cap space—described as $9 million—puts more pressure on the forward group.

Free agency is where a more direct answer could come. If the Senators chase a top addition. Lee stands out as a preferred candidate in the list of players Ottawa should consider. Lee is described as a big. strong body who can score while playing physical. with “some Brady Tkachuk in him” because they have “dropped the gloves in the past.” Lee has scored 20+ goals nine times in his career. spent entirely with the New York Islanders. including a 40-goal season. He had 19 goals last season. The article also raises a practical question: would an American come to Ottawa?.

Arvidsson is another name tied to scoring punch, with a bounce-back season in Boston where he scored 25 goals. He’s listed as a six-time 20+ goal scorer and described as a top-six forward for many years, a move compared to David Perron’s signing a couple seasons ago as a veteran scoring winger.

Marchment is presented as a different kind of solution—snarl and toughness. Marchment can get you 20 goals and is described as a middle-six player, “not a star, but a very good complementary player.”

Still, the feeling stays that none of these options are long-term cures. That’s why the trade route remains in play for upgrading the top six, even though the timing is tougher: after the draft, teams cannot use a pick in the present.

The Senators could try to reshape their forward room in a more aggressive way through offer-sheeting. One specific suggestion is offer-sheeting Mavrik Bourque from Dallas, especially since the Stars have only $9 million in cap space. The proposed price is $4.7 million, with Ottawa giving up a second-round pick. It’s framed as reasonable for a 24-year-old with 20 goals last season.

Even with all the speculation about new faces, Ottawa hasn’t closed the door on old ones. Staios is still interested in bringing back Claude Giroux and Nick Cousins. Giroux is described as likely heading to market by Pierre LeBrun from The Athletic. though the possibility of a reunion in Ottawa isn’t ruled out. Giroux, for what it’s worth, is working out at the Senators’ practice facility. The account portrays him as a reliable NHL player who has taken a step back with age. becoming more of a third-liner.

As for Cousins, the fit is less certain. Unless there is a trade, the question of where he would land on the roster remains open.

Goaltending is the area where Staios has said he leans on internal guidance more than other parts of the team. He credited Senators goalie coach Justin Peters and goaltending coordinator Maciej Szwoch for helping drive the move to get Ersson. “It’s the one area (goaltending) where I probably don’t feel as comfortable and rely on people for it,” Staios said. He also noted, “They like the upside on the goalie.”.

Ottawa’s approach—“hitting singles” instead of swinging for a loud home run—sounds almost built into how Staios has explained everything from free agency to internal development. The Senators may indeed end up making smaller moves on July 1. The real question is whether those singles can turn into something more in 2027. or whether the team is still boxed into a mid-table fight because the goals at the top simply don’t arrive in time.

Ottawa Senators Steve Staios free agency William Eklund Andre Burakovsky Sam Ersson Brady Tkachuk Tim Stutzle Conor Bedard offer sheet Mavrik Bourque Claude Giroux Nick Cousins Lee Arvidsson Marchment