The Ottawa Senators will be shifting gears now that the 2026 NHL Draft is quickly fading in the rearview mirror.
The next signpost ahead on the road is NHL free agency. As it stands, the club has a little over $9 million in cap space to play with. That’s all right considering that the organization doesn’t have any glaring holes in the lineup.
The remaining cap space should go towards rounding out the roster. In particular, there’s one crucial spot to address, which is Claude Giroux’s. He’s pretty much locked to return to the club next season, so signing him should be nothing more than a formality.
According to PuckPedia, the Sens have 13 forwards signed already, not counting Giroux and RFA Arthur Kaliyev. Both should sign so the herd will slim down at training camp.
Meanwhile, the Senators will also have to address their blueline depth. PuckPedia shows six defensemen under contract. That situation means that the organization will need to figure out if they’ll re-sign any of Nick Jensen, Dinnis Gilbert, and Lassi Thomson.
Considering that none of the aforementioned blueliners should command a massive contract, the $9 million or so should be just enough to take care of the pending bills.
Senators will need to decide what to do about their goalies
As it stands, the only goaltender under NHL contract for next season is Linus Ullmark. This past season’s backup, James Reimer, is a UFA. It’s unclear whether the organization would like to bring him back as insurance.
Then, there’s the recently acquired Samuel Ersson. The 26-year-old is an RFA with a $1.6 million qualifying offer (QO). There’s a good chance the Senators will extend the QO and see if a one-year deal is enough to alleviate a potential issue.
It’s worth pointing out that Ersson is one year away from unrestricted free agency. So, it’s a possibility that the two sides figure a one-year deal is enough to see if they’re a good fit and then figure things out next summer.
There’s also the matter of another RFA goalie, Leevi Merilainen. He’s got a $1.05 million QO and still a few years away from UFA status. As such, it will be tricky for the Sens to determine if they want to keep him or not.
Even if the Sens signed him to another one-year deal, he would have to clear waivers to head down to the AHL. That’s a bit of a risky proposition, as a goalie-starved organization might want to pluck him from the waiver wire.
If that happens, well, the Sens might just take the cap relief and call it a day. However, the likelihood is that Merilainen clears. But that’s a discussion for another day.
While the Senators’ news cycle should slow down a bit, there is still plenty on the docket. That’s why fans shouldn’t turn away because there could be lots more action hitting the news wire.
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