The Ottawa Senators had a successful season, advancing to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, the Sens are locked and ready to bounce back. However, there is still work to be done in the NHL offseason.

Michael Amadio, Shane Pinto, and David Perron will all be free agents at some point over the next two seasons, and the Senators must trade them in the 2025 NHL offseason.

The urgency is here because the roster has a lot of unsigned free agents. Furthermore, the Sens have $10.7 million in cap space. Currently, they have 48.7% of their cap space dedicated to nine forwards and 29.4% to their defensemen. They need to restructure some of their contracts. The Senators also want to extend Claude Giroux and must figure out how to do it.

Restructuring contracts is what Ottawa needs to do. While they would love to add scorers to their roster, the best course of action might be to make some trades and get some extra cap space. Then, they could find a way to re-sign Giroux while adding a few more pieces to their roster.

Senators must flip Michael Amadio

This is more about shredding a contract and adding to the cap. Amadio is not a great scorer. No, the former third-round pick has been more about toughness than anything else. Amadio added toughness this past season, recording 108 hits, but he scored just 11 goals and tallied 16 assists.

Amadio won't be a free agent for two more seasons. Ideally, the Sens could keep him around and have him on the third line. But would it be worth it for the lack of scoring? Amadio has never been much of a point scorer, and scoring depth is what the Senators need. Maybe they would choose a different route and trade Amadio for a high-upside player who can score. They might opt for a prospect who has the potential to put pucks in the back of the net.

Amadio is scheduled to make $2.6 million in each of the next two seasons. While that is not a lot in NHL terms, the Senators could still find a trade partner and add to their cap.

Shane Pinto could net something in the offseason

Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto (12) is named the third star following the team win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime in game four of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canadian Tire Centre.
© Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
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Pinto came to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and made a case for himself. However, it's noteworthy to look at the overall material. Pinto has not been super effective and is making $3.7 million per season. The Senators need to decide whether to extend him or trade him for a player who can score more.

The Senators ranked just 18th in goals last season. Overall, Pinto had 21 goals and 16 assists over 70 games. He missed 12 games and likely would have finished around 43 points. That is not good enough for a team that needs scoring. As noted, Pinto is making $3.7 million and will become a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Would the Senators trade him?

Pinto is not a free agent this offseason, as he still has another season under contract. Yet, the organization may have to decide whether to see what the future holds.

The big issue in Ottawa is scoring, and Pinto, a former second-round pick, does not seem capable of scoring over 40 points or staying healthy. Therefore, the Senators must determine if he is part of their future and if they can afford to have a player with injury issues.

The Sens could send David Perron away

Perron was once an outstanding scorer. Now, he has injury issues and is 37 years old. Perron will also be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and is also making $4 million per season. There is a significant financial incentive to determine if the Senators can find a trade partner for Perron's services.

If the Senators trade Perron for a low-cost prospect, they could flip that extra cap space they get and sign a goal-scorer who can produce instantly. Trading him to either obtain a younger player or the cap space for a younger player would help them immensely, especially on the second line with Drake Batherson. Notably, the second line was inconsistent this season and did not contribute enough to support the first line, which featured Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle.

Perron will be a Senators free agent next summer, and will already be gone. Still, the Sens have to consider whether they can afford to take the risk on an aging player who missed significant time this season and seems like his best days are behind him.