The Ottawa Senators signed Stephen Halliday to a two-year contract extension early Tuesday morning. The deal carries an average annual value of $1.075 million. During the 2025–26 season, Halliday played 30 games, recording four goals and seven assists. His ice time fluctuated significantly, peaking at 13 minutes on some nights while dropping to around five minutes on others. Before his call-up, he had 29 points in 29 games for Belleville and is consistently a threat there.
he challenge Halliday faced was that he played only five games after the Olympic break, as he was otherwise a healthy scratch. Due to league rules, he was ineligible to be sent down after the trade deadline, as he needed to be on an AHL roster prior to the deadline in order to play in the AHL. Having a young prospect sitting in the press box is not an ideal situation for development, so what is next for Halliday?
Next year, he should be challenging for the fourth-line centre role, potentially replacing UFA Lars Eller, although Eller did play well during the playoffs for the Sens. If he still cannot secure that spot, the team could try him on the wing, which is where things could get interesting for Halliday. It is no secret the Senators have been trying to find a winger for Tim Stützle, and Halliday could be an internal option. He has good size and a high hockey IQ; however, the biggest knock on him is his skating. To keep up with Stützle, a player needs to be quick, and that could be an area Halliday works on in the off-season.
There were rumblings earlier in the season that the Senators were taking calls on Halliday, with one rumoured deal involving him being for Ottawa native Mackenzie Weegar. Obviously, nothing came to fruition and rightfully so. Moving on from a player who was able to put up points in a limited role and who is widely considered your best forward prospect in an already bare set of cupboards would be unwise. The Senators have a good young player in Stephen Halliday; they just need to determine where he fits in the lineup because, as Sens fans have seen, the talent is there.
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