As the Ottawa Senators head into an important offseason, finding a reliable veteran center for the bottom six should be near the top of the list.
With Claude Giroux planning to return for another season, general manager Steve Staios still will need to replace Lars Eller, who is not expected back. Which is where Nashville Predators pending free agent Erik Haula fits into that conversation.
Haula is an ideal free agent candidate for the Senators
Haula is coming off a three-year deal that started in New Jersey before he was moved to Nashville last summer. At 35, he’s not a long-term fix, but he’s the kind of player teams lean on when games get tighter and details start to matter more than pace.
There’s nothing overly flashy about his game, but it holds up in a lot of the areas Ottawa still needs help in. He can take draws, kill penalties, and handle defensive-zone minutes without things falling apart. He’s been a consistent faceoff option for most of his career, which is something the Senators have leaned on heavily at times.
That’s really the fit here. Ottawa has made steps forward, but there are still stretches where structure slips, especially when injuries hit or matchups get heavier. Haula helps steady that without needing offensive usage to matter.
It also takes a bit of pressure off the group above him. Shane Pinto has been pushed into more responsibility, and Tim Stützle is still being used all over the lineup. Adding a reliable third-line centre like Haula would let the coaching staff spread things out instead of leaning on the same matchups every night.
From a cap angle, it’s pretty straightforward. Haula is coming off a $3.15 million deal, and at this stage, a short-term contract feels more likely than anything long-term. That’s probably where Ottawa should be looking anyway, short-term help that doesn’t block what’s coming next.
If the Senators are going to take another step, this is the type of move that usually matters more than it looks on paper. Not loud, just useful in all the areas that tend to decide games in the end.
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