One free agent the Ottawa Senators will have to decide whether to re-sign or not this Summer is 28-year-old forward Adam Gaudette.
Gaudette played in 50 games for the Senators in the 2021-22 season. After playing just two games for the St. Louis Blues in the 2023-24 season, Gaudette joined the Senators for the second time in his hockey career before the 2024-25 season on a one-year, $775,00 contract.
Gaudette became an unexpected x-factor for the Senators as his 19 goals in 2024-25 set a new career-high for a single season. With a high secondary scoring season, Gaudette could be a sneaky free agent target for teams this Summer. For one team, Gaudette could be looked at as an "ideal off-season" target.
Gaudette is an "ideal off-season" target for Rangers
The Athletic's Arthur Staple recently wrote an article titled "What would an ideal Rangers offseason look like? And a nightmare one"?
In Staple's article, he listed how Gaudette is an "ideal off-season" target for the New York Rangers this Summer. Staple predicted Gaudette would sign a three-year contract at $2.8 million per year to be a Ranger.
Having Gaudette at $2.8 million per year for three years might be too high for a player who finished the 2024-25 season with 26 points. While Gaudette did finish with 19 goals, his 2025 play was a struggle. After scoring 13 goals from October-December, Gaudette scored six goals in all of 2025.
Two of the six goals Gaudette scored in 2025 came in the Senators' final regular season game on April 17 against the Carolina Hurricanes in a game that realistically meant nothing.
In April, Gaudette was predicted by Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli to sign a one-year, $1.3 million contract. With fitting in well in one year under head coach Travis Green, Gaudette could consider re-signing in Ottawa.
However, if the Rangers are willing to pay way more money for Gaudette, letting Gaudette walk would have to be considered. The Senators have other free agents on the team that are due for new contracts.
From Claude Giroux, to Leevi Merilainen, to Tyler Kleven, to Fabian Zetterlund, to Nick Cousins, to Travis Hamonic, to Anton Forsberg, to Matthew Highmore and to even Dennis Gilbert.
With missing the playoffs in 2025 after winning the President's Trophy in 2024, the Rangers could be desperate in attempt to sign secondary scoring with a player like Gaudette. With desperation to return to the playoffs, it could lead to an overpay for the Rangers.
Gaudette has already been linked to the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier this month by The Hockey News' Michael DeRosa. Gaudette's name will continue to be mentioned for teams to get secondary scoring this Summer.
If the Senators do lose Gaudette this Summer, bottom-six scoring would be lost in the lineup, but not overpaying for Gaudette to stay is just as important.