SENSNEWS

The NHL offseason is in full swing as we enter the final stretch of July. So far, the Ottawa Senators have had a quiet but successful summer.

Steve Staios and the management team have taken care of business, so let’s check in on their work so far.

This article will be divided into a few sections that will be graded. First off, we will have the signings section. This includes both UFAs and RFAs with the Sens.

Then we will take a look at the lone trade of the offseason so far. This section does not include the trades at the draft that were simply swaps of positioning in the draft. Those moves will be taken into consideration in the next section.

The third area to look at is how the Senators fared in the 2025 NHL Draft. Obviously, there is a lot of ambiguity in ranking the draft, however I feel the Senators did quite well overall.

Finally, we will take a look at what the rest of the summer could hold for the Ottawa Senators. The team has left themselves with some wiggle room which could be used for further additions.

Ottawa Senators Offseason Signings

AHL Signings

To start off the signings, we will quickly take a look at the minor deals signed. These include Belleville players being brought back for another season in the AHL, as well as the new additions on two-way contracts.

Firstly, the Senators have re-signed the following players who spent last season in Belleville: Xavier Bourgault, Hayden Hodgson, and Wyatt Bongiovanni.

New faces that have been brought in on two-way deals include: Lassi Thomson, Olle Lycksell, Arthur Kaliyev, Hunter Shepard, and Jackson Parsons.

These moves have provided Belleville with a strong nucleus going into the 2025–2026 season. The most notable names among those who are new additions include Arthur Kaliyev and Olle Lycksell up front.

Kaliyev has over 200 games played in the NHL as a 24-year-old. He has an absolutely incredible shot and could be a dark horse to crack the NHL lineup with Ottawa.

If not, he will likely be one of the highest-scoring players in the AHL.

Olle Lycksell will also be one of the better players at the AHL level this season. Last year with Lehigh Valley, Lycksell finished over a point per game while also playing 19 games with Philadelphia at the NHL level.

The two goaltenders in Hunter Shepard and Jackson Parsons will provide Belleville with some much-needed goaltending depth.

Now, a trio of Shepard, Søgaard, and Parsons will be competing for AHL minutes. I see Parsons as the most likely to start the year in the ECHL.

NHL Signings

At the NHL level, Ottawa has also been busy re-signing the following players:

Nikolas Matinpalo (2-year, $875K AAV), Tyler Kleven (2-year, $1.6M AAV), Fabian Zetterlund (3-year, $4.275M AAV), Claude Giroux (1-year, $2M AAV*), Leevi Merilainen (1-year, $1.05M AAV), Nick Cousins (1-year, $825K AAV), and Lars Eller (1-year, $1.25M AAV).

The only other contract of note was the Ottawa Senators signing prospect Lucas Ellinas to his ELC.

Lars Eller stands alone as the only external player signed by the Senators at the NHL level for next season. While on the older side, Eller is still a capable fourth-line centre who can play a very responsible defensive game.

Of the re-signings, Steve Staios did an excellent job at getting each player under a fair deal.

The biggest deal of the offseason went to Fabian Zetterlund, and it’s a bet on him getting back to the form he was in while a member of the San Jose Sharks.

Claude Giroux’s deal came with an asterisk because there are several performance bonuses included in the deal. Those are listed below, courtesy of PuckPedia:

“$250K each for 20/30/60 Games, $250K for Playoffs & 50 GP, $500K for Round 1 Win, $250K for Round 2 Win, $500K for Round 3 Win, $500K for winning Stanley Cup. Player must play in 50% of playoff games.”

Leevi Merilainen has also earned a one-way contract that will all but cement him as the Senators’ backup goaltender going into the 2025–2026 season. It’s a well-earned contract for one of Ottawa’s top prospects.

Getting the third defensive pair of Nikolas Matinpalo and Tyler Kleven signed for a combined $2.475M this and next season is an absolute win as well. They played very solid minutes down the stretch and into the playoffs for Ottawa.

Nick Cousins also returns to the organization, where he played effectively as a fourth-line player. If he can repeat his performance from this past season, this too is a fair deal for both sides.

Taking all of this into consideration, the Ottawa Senators have earned a B+ Grade for their signings this offseason.

The deals all around are quite fair, and getting Giroux done for just $2M is a team-friendly deal.

Considering there were not any major deals this offseason, the Senators couldn’t earn an A. They would need to have a big, team-friendly deal to get that grade.

Ottawa Senators Trade Market

On the trading front, the Senators made just a single move. That, of course, was acquiring defenceman Jordan Spence from the LA Kings in exchange for a 3rd and a 6th-round draft pick.

Spence finished last season with 4 goals and 24 assists for 28 points in 79 games with the Kings. As a 24-year-old defenceman, he also put up excellent defensive results with the Kings, albeit in sheltered minutes.

For the Sens, this was a great insurance bet for the scenario that Nick Jensen is unable to start the season. To get Spence, who should be a premium asset, for just two draft picks was very tidy work.

For this reason, I am going to give Steve Staios a solid A Grade for this lone trade.

Obviously, the sample is small, but Spence is a very underrated addition to this team. Considering his position and age, it’s surprising he wasn’t valued as a first-round pick-type asset.

Ottawa Senators 2025 NHL Draft

The 2025 NHL Draft also felt like a successful weekend for the Ottawa Senators. Six new faces joined the Ottawa Senators’ organization, headlined by first-round pick Logan Hensler.

To get Logan Hensler at the 23rd overall position was good value for the Senators. He was someone projected to go higher in the draft, likely in the 15–20 range.

As a right-shot defenceman who is an excellent skater, he projects as a top-four defender one day.

Outside of the first round, the Senators also did well value-wise. Most players they selected were reasonable bets given their position in the draft.

Two goaltenders were acquired with Lucas Beckman and Andrei Trofimov. Beckman, in particular, looks to have some good potential after being excellent in the QMJHL this past season.

Additionally, the Senators took some swings on high-skill, high-upside players—something they have traditionally avoided doing in previous drafts.

There is perhaps no greater example of this than Dmitri Isayev, the 5’9”, 148 lb high-skill Russian player.

Bruno Idzan also put up good results as an overager in the USHL this past season. He too is a boom-or-bust pick, where, if it all works out, it could have him turn into an NHL body one day.

Blake Vanek was the only other selection made by the Senators, and he is a project player that has some good skills.

Son of Thomas Vanek, Blake Vanek is also a big-bodied power forward who gets the majority of his points from around the net. The big project with him will be working on his skating.

Overall, this feels like one of the better value drafts for the Senators in recent years. For that reason, I will give them a straight B Grade for how they performed over the draft weekend.

Tying Up Loose Ends

Although the Senators have had a good offseason, there are still some things to address with the team.

First off will be re-signing RFAs Donovan Sebrango, Jan Jeník, and Max Guennette. It’s not a guarantee that all three of these players will return, but all three would still be valuable pieces in Belleville.

Additionally, Shane Pinto is eligible for a contract extension with the team. He has one year left at a cap hit of $3.75M and is due for a raise on his next deal.

Jordan Spence and Nick Jensen each have one year left on their contracts as well. However, I don’t expect an extension for either until the season begins or perhaps at the end of the 2025–2026 season.

The Senators, as of today, have $4.294M in cap space. We will see if they decide to use it or enter the season with the available room. The team could still use a top-six winger to complete the forward core.

Overall Offseason Grade

All things considered, I would give the Senators a B Grade this offseason.

The team has done a good job of taking care of business, and taking a swing on Jordan Spence seems well worth the minimal risk.

To turn this into a B+ or an A, I would like to see the Senators acquire a top-six winger. Easier said than done, but that would turn this offseason into a massive success.