2025 was a special year for the Ottawa Senators with making the playoffs for the first time in eight years. When the Toronto Maple Leafs eliminated the Senators in six games in the first round, the off-season began.
The 2025 free agency was a busy one for the Senators with re-signing players and bringing in new players as well. Now, the 2025-26 season is months away from starting full of anticipation.
Although new excitement arrives when a new season begins, it's never too early to look ahead down the road. In particular, future free agents a team will have. For the Senators, they do have a solid amount of free agents when the 2025-26 season concludes.
Sens have eight free agents who will be free agents in 2026 as of now
As of the morning of July 13, 2025, the Senators will have eight players on the roster that will become free agents after the 2025-26 season concludes. The Senators have four unrestricted free agents and four restricted free agents.
Unrestricted free agents:
David Perron
Claude Giroux
Lars Eller
Nick Cousins
Restricted free agents:
Shane Pinto
Arthur Kaliyev
Jordan Spence
Leevi Merilainen
At first glance, the four unrestricted free agents are all important pieces to the 2025-26 season. In particular, Giroux is the biggest one with his production over the past three seasons. Perron will be relied on for his veteran presence and leadership, and Eller and Cousins will both be relied on for fourth line play.
For restricted free agents, Pinto is arguably the biggest one. In the 2024-25 season, Pinto delivered the best season of his career with a 36-point and 21-goal season. After the Senators were eliminated from the 2025 playoffs, Pinto's game grew more representing Team USA at the 2025 IIHF World Championship. Pinto helped Team USA take home the gold medal.
The other biggest restricted free agent is Merilainen. In 12 NHL games in 2024-25, Merilainen was big with winning eight games and finishing with a 1.99 goals against average. Merilainen's play helped the Senators clinch a spot in the 2025 playoffs. At 22 years old, potential for Merilainen is high to be a reliable backup for Linus Ullmark.
Both Spence and Kaliyev are new Senators for the 2025-26 season. Spence was acquired by the Senators in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings, while Kaliyev signed a one-year, two-way contract.
Spence delivered a career year last season with the Kings with recording 28 points and a +23 rating, but Kaliyev only played in 14 games for the New York Rangers last season. Kaliyev did show promise from 2021-2024 with the Kings, and he will be determined to regain his confidence with a fresh start with the Senators.
The 2025-26 season will be a crucial one for all eight players to determine whether or not Ottawa will have desire to re-sign all eight players. The Senators did re-sign Giroux, Merilainen and Cousins to all new contracts this Summer.
Having three players re-sign this Summer can be important for next year when it comes to re-signing players in the future.