The Ottawa Senators were oh-so-close to being a team of destiny in 2017, taking the Pittsburgh Penguins to seven games in the Eastern Conference Final and eventually losing in heartbreaking fashion in double overtime. The Pens would go on to win the Stanley Cup that postseason, and the Sens have yet to make the playoffs since.
Without a doubt, it's been a trying few years in Canada's capital as the team has struggled to stay competitive. The 2023-24 campaign was no different, with Ottawa finishing under .500 at 37-41-4 and sitting just above the Montreal Canadiens for last place in the Atlantic Division. But general manager Steve Staios and the front office have had themselves a very tidy offseason, making a couple of key moves that should have this team closer to a wildcard spot — or potentially better — in 2024-25.
That includes shoring up the goaltending by acquiring former Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark, adding Nick Jensen to the blue line and signing two veteran forwards (and Stanley Cup champions) in David Perron and Michael Amadio. He also moved on from Jakob Chychrun and Erik Brannstrom, which were tough but necessary moves considering the logjam on the left side of the defense.
Overall, it's been a solid free agent frenzy for Staios and the front office, and along with a full season of Shane Pinto — who was also re-signed this summer — this team is definitely better going into training camp, at least on paper. Let's break down the Senators' summer moves.
Senators added Linus Ullmark to crease, Nick Jensen to blue line
The most glaring problem the Senators had in 2023-24 was between the pipes. Both Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg struggled mightily at times, with the former being particularly poor for long stretches. Staios did excellent work getting rid of Korpisalo's contract; they'll retain just 25 percent of it, and receive a bonafide No. 1 goaltender in return.
Ullmark is just one season removed from winning the Vezina, helping the Boston Bruins put together one of the greatest regular-seasons in NHL history. Although he wasn't as potent last year, he and Jeremy Swayman again were the best tandem in the league, and it wasn't particularly close. Ullmark has one year left on his deal, and will be ultra-motivated to have a fantastic season in Canada.
“It's a very young, but exciting team,” Ullmark said of his new club shortly after the trade. “There's a lot of speed and a lot of skill. And whenever we played them, it always felt like they played a really solid game. Obviously, that was something that they kept doing against everybody during the season, but they really showed how dangerous and how good they can be. And it's all about consistency in my mind. Hopefully, going into this season, with some new coaching staff and all that sort of stuff, we can get the ball rolling and once we do that, that's going to be a very dangerous team going forward.”
Ullmark immediately makes the Sens better in the short-term, and so does Jensen, who came over from the Washington Capitals in the trade that sent Chychrun to the nation's capital (more on that shortly). Ottawa is strapped on the left side, with Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson set to be part of the equation for years to come. That made Chychrun expendable, and Staios did well getting a top-four D-man who can play on the right side in return. Jensen is a strong veteran presence who should form a nice pairing with either of Chabot or Sanderson come October.
David Perron, Michael Amadio give Senators much-needed veteran depth
Ullmark and Jensen were both smart adds through the trade market, but the Senators front office was also busy in free agent frenzy. Staios signed Perron from the Detroit Red Wings; the 36-year-old can still play, adding 17 goals and 47 points last season. He could slot right into the top-six, but more likely will play on the third line with young center Ridly Greig and Amadio, who was brought over from the Vegas Golden Knights.
Amadio probably isn't as skilled as Perron, but he's a lot younger, and is a defensively responsible winger who is fresh off scoring 14 goals and 27 points in limited minutes. He's also a Stanley Cup champion — as is Perron — and that kind of experience will be invaluable to a young forward core that features Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Josh Norris, Drake Batherson and Pinto.
Amadio and Perron will be loud voices in the locker room, and both have proved that they still have some offensive game. Ottawa has no shortage of solid offensive talent, and this top-nine looks much deeper than it did at the end of last season.
Cutting ties with Jakob Chychrun, Erik Brannstrom tough but necessary
Of course, losing a player of Chychrun's caliber is never easy, but it was a necessary move to free up minutes for Sanderson and Chabot. The 26-year-old enjoyed a solid season in Ottawa, scoring 14 goals and 41 points over a full 82-game slate, but he should get better minutes and opportunities on the Capitals' top pairing along with John Carlson.
Brannstrom never really panned out in Ottawa despite being drafted No. 15 overall by the Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Draft. He managed just three goals and 20 points over 76 games last year, and the front office eventually said enough was enough. The 24-year-old's rights were released by the Sens after he wasn't tendered a qualifying offer. After five years in Canada's capital, he joined the Colorado Avalanche on a one-year, $900,000 pact in free agency.
Losing youngster Mathieu Joseph was a tougher pill to swallow after he was shipped to the St. Louis Blues along with a third-round pick. That was a bitter pill to swallow, especially as Ottawa didn't receive anything back. That's probably the only thing holding this organization back from a higher grade, but still, it was an encouraging offseason for Staios and the front office. Now, it's up to a revamped roster to prove that, after seven straight misses, this can be a postseason contender again. Overall, a solid start to Staios' tenure, and there should be a buzz in Ottawa ahead of training camp as this squad looks to finally return to the dance in 2025.
FINAL GRADE: B
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