Brady Tkachuk has had a front row seat watching his brother, Matthew, lift the Stanley Cup above his head two years in a row now and is undoubtedly ready for that fortune to fall his way. The Ottawa Senators may still be a ways away from that happening, but to what extent?
General manager Steve Staios’ goal for this offseason was to bolster a young group on the rise and hot off the heels of a long-awaited postseason appearance. It can be a challenge, as it is hard to take the step from a team playing with house money to one with legitimate Stanley Cup aspirations. It may not have been the flashiest offseason so far for Staios, but it has definitely been a very solid one.
So in reality, where do the Senators rank in terms of the Atlantic Division and could they potentially give the back-to-back defending champions a run for their money next season?
Moves Made So Far
During the draft and free agency, the Senators said goodbye to a number of regulars in Anton Forsberg, Travis Hamonic, and Adam Gaudette. They replaced them by extending Leevi Merilainen, trading for Jordan Spence, signing Lars Eller, and re-signing Tyler Kleven to a multi-year extension. Staios also spoke about recent deadline acquisitions Dylan Cozens and Fabian Zetterlund being key pieces for next season and beyond.
The Kleven signing was a slight overpay but a bridge deal that gives the Senators an opportunity to get more of a look at a player whose game progressed a great deal throughout last season. Zetterlund was also a bit of an overpay but is another player the Senators have high hopes for. He struggled in his transition to Ottawa but has offensive upside given his past track record.
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Jordan Spence isn’t the most physically-imposing defenceman but is a solid two-way guy who has the potential to develop into a top four defenceman on the right side. He is someone the Senators also have high hopes for but it remains to be seen if he can handle play against a relentless forechecking team like the Panthers.
The Senators currently still have more than $4 million remaining in cap space and do not have to be in a rush to use it either. They can leverage it to their advantage for as long as they want, waiting potentially until the 2026 Trade Deadline to fit an extra player in or take on some salary without sacrificing draft capital.
Acquiring Right-Handed Defenseman Depth
In addition to Spence, Staios seems to be putting a priority on bolstering the depth on the right side of their blue line. He started by bringing back 2019 first-round pick Lassi Thomson from Sweden to a one-year league minimum deal. He also traded down at the draft to pick Logan Hensler out of Wisconsin.
This facet of the roster has been a weak spot in the past for the organization, and Staios is clearly making a concerted effort to address it now. He also may be concerned about the health of Nick Jensen, who is reportedly coming off hip surgery so this may not only have to do with depth. The possibility of an long-term injured reserve stint is entirely possible if things continue to not go well.
Will these moves push the Senators up into the elite tier of teams? Most likely not, but that could change if the current defensive core continues to grow and take steps forward. Only time will tell.
Veteran Presence and Rounding Out the Roster
Maybe the biggest message Staios could have sent to people within the organization and the fan base was working out a deal with Claude Giroux shortly before the opening of free agency. He was able to convince Giroux to stay when he could have easily gotten more money somewhere else on the open market, similar to the buy-in Florida got from their free agents.
With Eller also in the fold, the Senators now have three players who are 36 and older, two of whom are Stanley Cup champions. This can have a huge positive effect on the room which can translate directly to better on-ice play.
The Senators also rounded out the fringes of their roster with some depth additions in the forms of goaltender Hunter Shepard and forwards Olle Lycksell and Arthur Kaliyev. Kaliyev offers a good amount of upside. He’s only 24, signed to a low risk, one-year deal, has a strong shot and is reliable defensively. He can prove to be useful depth in a pinch and can seamlessly fill in on a fourth line.
Have the Senators Done Enough?
Overall, Senators fans should be excited about the future and pleased with the summer Staios has had so far. The team was able to shore up the right side of their defence, acquire some scoring depth down the lineup, retain some key pending unrestricted free agents and did a solid job insulating their promising young core.
It will most likely be enough to reach the postseason once again, but is it enough to knock the Panthers off of their throne? The moves will help for sure, however none of them were for prime-aged impact players who can alter the complexions of games.
The Senators are most likely a couple more years away from being put in the category of legitimate Stanley Cup contenders but that process can be expedited if their core takes a huge step forward and ups their games.
Whoever knocks out the Panthers will need to be at the top of their game to do so, and this Senators team definitely exudes the “why not us?” type of energy. Should one bet on it happening? Probably not. But crazier things have happened.
