The Ottawa Senators broke a seven-year playoff drought in 2024-25. While they would be eliminated in the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs, it was still a solid improvement of a season for the franchise. Now, GM Steve Staios is looking to keep improving the roster. The team was not expected to make many moves in the offseason, but instead, stay the course and let their young team develop. Still, they had one major need, and the team addressed that in the perfect move this summer.
While the team was linked to Brock Boeser potentially coming in to provide another scoring option, he chose to stay with the Vancouver Canucks. The squad still has a solid foundation led by the combination of Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk. Scoring was an issue in the playoffs overall. They scored 16 goals in six games with the Leafs. The biggest issue was on defense, though. While they did shut out Toronto on the road in Game 5, they gave up 17 goals over the other five games. Regardless, this is a team built to compete for the long haul, but they needed to add to that core.
The Senators are full of young talent
Productive youth is the name of the game for Staios and the Senators. The projected top line of the team is the epitome of this notion. It is led by Tkachuk, who is coming off a down year. He played in just 72 games in 2024-25 and dealt with injuries throughout the end of the campaign. He chipped in 29 goals while adding 26 assists, good for 55 total points. That was his fourth straight season over 50 points, and nearly a fourth straight of 30 or more goals.
He is joined by Stutzle. The German led the club in assists and points in the 2024-25 campaign, finding the back of the net 24 times and adding 55 helpers. It was his third straight year with 70 or more points. The line is expected to be rounded out by Fabian Zetterlund, who had 41 points between his time in Ottawa and with the San Jose Sharks. He is also the old man of the group, turning 26 before the season begins.
This trend of productive youth continues further down the line as well. Drake Batherson was second on the team in points in 2024-25 and is just 27 years old. Meanwhile, Dylan Cozens had 47 points in his most recent season, amassing 16 of those points via five goals and 11 assists in 21 games with the Senators. He will turn 25 this season.
The youth movement goes beyond just the forwards. Jake Sanderson just completed his third season with the team and also just turned 23 years old. He has scored 30 or more points from the blue line in each season, capping it with a 57-point showing in 2024-25. Further, he has been a stellar defender on the left side of the blue line. Still, the youth movement did not extend to the right side of the defense until this past summer.
Adding Jordan Spence was the perfect move for Ottawa
The Senators traded for Jordan Spence from the Los Angeles Kings. He was the 95th pick in the 2019 draft by the Kings. He would break into the NHL in 2021-22, playing 24 games, scoring twice, and adding six assists. The Australian-born defenseman has spent the majority of his time from 2023-24 through 2024-25 at the NHL level, playing in 150 games, lighting the lamp six times, and adding 46 helpers. There are a few things that make this to perfect move. To begin with, he is a right-side defender. That role is currently held down by the 34-year-old Nick Jensen and the soon-to-be 30-year-old Artem Zub. Neither of them is a major offensive threat from the blue line, but they have shown to be solid, but not elite defenders.
In 2024-25, Jensen amassed 21 points, while Zub had 13. Spence has surpassed both of those numbers in each of his two full NHL seasons. Secondly, Spence provides a level of physicality. He has compiled 147 hits in two full campaigns, including 80 in 2024-25. Jensen had just 54 in that season, while Zub had 57.
Finally, there is the age factor. Spence will turn 25 during the season and is a restricted free agent at the end of the year. Meanwhile, Zub will be 30 years old and has two years left on his deal. Jensen will be 35 before the season, and is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. With this being a franchise built on the production of growing young stars, Spence fits the mold perfectly. He fills a major need for the team while fitting the overall scheme, making him the perfect offseason move for Staios and the front office.
