The Ottawa Senators are one of the better offensive teams in the NHL in 2025-26 — but that isn't going to stop general manager Steve Staios from trying to make the roster even more potent ahead of the trade deadline.
The Sens are scoring 3.09 goals per game, which is 13th league-wide. Getting Brady Tkachuk back in the lineup has certainly helped; the captain has recorded 10 points in 10 games since returning to the ice.
As The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta reported on Friday, Staios and the front office have been keeping tabs on a couple of top-six forwards throughout the season — and the quest to acquire one has intensified as of late.
“Staios was very aggressive first bit of the season and then things dialled down a little bit. He’s back to being aggressive now; he wants to add to this lineup, and I believe he’s looking for a mid-six type guy, second/third line type player, more in the second line that can provide some additional offence for this group,” the hockey insider said on the latest episode of The Sheet with Jeff Marek.
“It was something he was kind of poking around in the first month or two of the season. The last few weeks died down, as I mentioned, but the word is that he’s been poking around again trying to see if you can bring somebody into that mid-six roll. If it’s a second line calibre player, that’s obviously the preference.”
The Senators probably have five bonafide top-six forwards right now in Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Fabian Zetterlund, Dylan Cozens and Drake Batherson. Although both David Perron and Claude Giroux could play on one of the top two lines, they would be in a better position if the two vets moved down to the third line with Ridly Greig — or Shane Pinto when he's healthy.
Senators have cap space to make a move
After returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, and taking the Toronto Maple Leafs to six games, the Senators are looking to improve on that showing in 2025-26.
It's been an up-and-down season overall, but Ottawa has struggled as of late, dropping six of eight games before righting the ship in the form of back-to-back wins earlier this week. As of Saturday, they're just four points out of a playoff spot in a crowded Eastern Conference.
And the front offices possesses around $3.7 million in salary cap space, per Puck Pedia, which gives Staios some flexibility ahead of March's NHL Trade Deadline.
While Pagnotta reports that a trade isn't imminent — and the holiday roster freeze is in effect until December 28 — they could come out swinging in the New Year.
“I haven’t gotten the sense that they’re close on anything, unless something changed in the last couple hours here, but this may be just laying some aggressive foundational work for something to happen once the calendar flips to January,” Pagnotta said.
The Senators are back in action against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks at the Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday afternoon.
