After being swept in the first round by the Carolina Hurricanes, the Ottawa Senators should be looking to make some additions this offseason. There are a few areas of the roster that could use some help, and one that stands out is the bottom six down the middle.
When looking through this summer's pending unrestricted free agents, Utah Mammoth center Kevin Stenlund stands out as an interesting option for Ottawa.
Stenlund is an ideal free agency target for Ottawa
Stenlund isn't going to be the player who grabs headlines, but he would give the Senators a dependable, defence-first center with plenty of size. At 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, he brings a physical element that Ottawa could use more of. The Senators need to be harder to play against in their own zone next season, and adding a player like Stenlund would certainly help in that area.
If Ottawa signed him, he could slot in on the fourth line but still move up the lineup when needed. His defensive game and strong work in the faceoff circle would also make him an easy choice for the penalty kill.
His age adds another layer to the appeal. Stenlund is only 29, so there should still be plenty of good hockey ahead of him. Because of that, he feels like the kind of player you could comfortably give a multi-year deal to without taking on a ton of risk. There's also the experience factor, as he was part of the Florida Panthers team that won the Stanley Cup.
Of course, there is no guarantee he actually reaches free agency. Stenlund has been a trusted piece of Utah's forward group over the last two seasons, so the Mammoth could very well look to keep him around. But if he gets to July 1 without a new deal, Ottawa should be interested. The Senators need more reliability down the middle, and Stenlund checks a lot of boxes.
In 80 games with the Mammoth this season, Stenlund recorded four goals, 18 points, and a 54.2% faceoff percentage while averaging nearly three minutes of short-handed ice time per game.
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