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Ottawa Senators Still Have Salary Cap Flexibility

By Ian Smith

Apr 7, 2016; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Cody Ceci (5) celebrates with his goal with teammates in the third period against the Florida Panthers at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators defeated the Panthers 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2016; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Cody Ceci (5) celebrates with his goal with teammates in the third period against the Florida Panthers at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators defeated the Panthers 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Ottawa Senators have had a quiet free agency period. The only semi-major deal they’ve made is acquiring Chris Kelly, and even that didn’t exactly send ripples across the NHL.

They’ve signed numerous players to two-way deals meant to create some depth through the roster in case of injuries, but none of these transactions have made major headlines.

The two biggest free agency questions of this offseason for the Senators still remain largely unanswered. Mike Hoffman has decided to take the team to arbitration for a second straight offseason, so some type of resolution for next season at least will come within the next month.

Cody Ceci is in a completely unpredictable situation with the Senators’ front office. He has no arbitration rights, so any impasse between the two sides regarding contract figures can be prolonged indefinitely.

As of now, the Senators have about $59.4 million committed to contracts for next season. The 2016-2017 cap floor is $54 million, so they aren’t required to spend any more money if they don’t want to.

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The salary cap for the 2016-2017 season is $73 million, meaning that the Senators still have about $13.6 million in available cap space.

This leaves them with enough flexibility to get deals done with Hoffman and Ceci, but it is unclear if they can bring anybody else in as a free agent.

If Hoffman wants a contract around $5 million per year, and Ceci wants one for about $4 million, they still might be able to bring in an extra defenseman or a gritty 3rd-4th line forward and remain well under the cap.

The team has put themselves in a great financial situation of being able to keep Hoffman and Ceci if they see fit, but clearly each side is in dispute over at what price that should come.

Whether the Senators decide to add another player besides Hoffman and Ceci remains to be seen, but they should feel confident in knowing that they can add a reinforcement and maintain the ability to get deals done with Hoffman and Ceci.

Ceci is a more questionable return than Hoffman is right now, and if the Senators can’t agree to a contract with him and decide to trade him, they also have the cap room to take on any excess contractual figures that a Ceci trade could net them.

The Senators aren’t backed into a corner at all in terms of having to acquiesce to a course of action due to a lack of logistical flexibility. If they want Hoffman and Ceci back, they’ll be back.

They can even bring those two back and also be able to afford another free agent acquisition to help make their talented roster even more formidable.

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The outcomes are still unknown, but the Senators should at least feel secure in knowing that they essentially have the freedom to take any route they see fit.

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