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The Ottawa Senators made the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017 this year. Despite their first-round exit at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs, vibes are high in Ottawa. They have a big offseason ahead of them and need to improve their depth to make a deeper run. Last offseason, the Senators traded for Linus Ullmark. What moves can they make this year to take another leap?
The Senators did make one big trade at the deadline, sending Josh Norris and Jacob Bernard-Docker to the Buffalo Sabres. They picked up Dylan Cozens, who won't be going anywhere after a solid playoff performance. Ottawa also got a 2025 second-round pick, which could be part of their plans. The Senators do have to forfeit either their 2025 or 2026 first-round pick in the coming days, due to the Evgenii Dadnov trade drama. That will impact their trading ability this offseason and moving forward.
The Senators are in a position to take a massive leap forward next year, but they need a great offseason to do so. How can they add to their core this offseason?
The Senators will trade Shane Pinto for a franchise legend
Through their entire rebuild, the Senators hit on a lot of draft picks. Pinto was among the first, going to Ottawa with the first pick of the second round in the 2018 draft. At 24 years old, he has been solid, but his gambling suspension may have soured some opinions within the organization. Other teams could be looking to get cheaper and deal a proven playoff veteran. Those are the teams the Senators should be calling about Pinto.
One of those is the New York Islanders, who, under a new general manager, will undoubtedly look to get younger. They have center JG Pageau on an expiring contract and could want to reunite with Pinto, a Long Island native. Also, Pageau is a Senators playoff legend from his four-game goal against the Rangers in 2017.
Pinto has one year left at $3.75 million, so the Islanders would be getting cheaper and younger. The Senators would be adding a solid defensive center to help their penalty kill, which crushed their playoff chances early in their series.
An Ontario native stays in the Capital City
When Claude Giroux hit free agency after the 2022 season, he had his eyes trained on his home province. After 15 years with the Flyers, including nine as the captain, he was traded to the Panthers for a Cup run. When that fell short, he signed with the Senators, returning to Ontario and helping usher the core along. Even at 38 years old, the Senators will bring him back.
Giroux plays an important role for the Senators on and off the ice. He was almost immediately named an alternate captain once joining the team, showing his leadership for a team built almost entirely through the draft. He also scored 35 goals in his first season with the team and added another 15 this year. Even with his production declining, he is a valuable piece that they will want to give one more deep playoff run.
New ownership makes their first big splash
Since owning the Senators, Michael Andlauer has made his fair share of headlines. The ‘soft tampering' allegations thrown at the Rangers at this fall's Owner's Meetings did not start his tenure in the best light. But that is behind them, and the Senators should be in the market for a big free agent this offseason. After pulling off the Pinto-Pageau trade and re-signing Giroux, they would have roughly $10 million in cap space. That is enough to get Panthers center Sam Bennett.
Bennett has a reputation as a dirty player in the league thanks to his big hits and, yes, sometimes dirty plays. But he is also an elite goal scorer from the center position, which is not easy to find. CapWages projects his next contract at $6.6 million, but it is likely to be much higher than that. After consecutive 20-goal seasons, he could get a $10 million contract. The Senators are in a position to give that to him.
The Senators should be adding to their core this offseason and making moves to improve their team. While it's to over-indulge in free agency, they should stop at nothing to give themselves a chance in next year's Stanley Cup Playoffs.
