The Ottawa Senators are looking to improve for the 2026-27 season. The first step of the plan was drastic, as the Senators traded Brady Tkachuk for draft picks.
Now, it seems that one of the draft picks from the trade is going to be used in a future trade, according to Bruce Garrioch of TSN.
“It's a top 10 pick that holds value. My job now is to find out what that value is,” says Senators GM Steve Staios.
The Senators now have the ninth, 25th, and 32nd pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The first two picks came from the trade for Tkachuk. The Senators are looking to improve now, and draft picks do not do that.
“Staios isn't looking to move up in the draft. He's looking to use that No. 9 pick to get some help because he doesn't want this group to take a step back,” Garrioch posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The Senators made the playoffs in the 2016-17 season, making it to the Eastern Conference Final. From there, they struggled. They would not finish above .500 or make the playoffs again until the 2024-25 season. They went 45-30-7 that year, going for 97 points and losing in the first round to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Sens had a very similar season in 2025-26. It was a 44-27-11 finish, with 99 points. The team still lost in the first round of the playoffs. This time it was the Carolina Hurricanes in a sweep.
Now, the Senators look to build on back-to-back playoffs, and the trade of the Senators' number nine pick may be a major part of that.
