It wasn't the most enjoyable Canada Day for Ottawa Senators fans. As free agent frenzy opened up, the Sens' division rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, solidified themselves as playoff contenders going into the 2026-27 season, while the Sens basically enjoyed their day at the cottage.
They made a couple of moves: signing goaltender Samuel Ersson to a two-year, $4.4 million contract and re-signing Nick Cousins to a two-year, $3.18 million deal. But those feel like they pale in comparison to the overhaul the Maple Leafs underwent.
They brought in goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky on a three-year, $21 million deal. They also landed forwards Colton Sissons (two years, $4.45 million), Jack Roslovic (two years, $8 million), Teddy Blueger (two years, $2.5 million), Zack MacEwen (two years at $875,000), and Brandon Duhaime (three years at $2.6 million).
They also landed former Ottawa Senators forward Nick Paul in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning, sending them goaltender Dennis Hildeby and two draft picks for the 31-year-old Mississauga, Ontario, native. Those moves, along with drafting Gavin McKenna last weekend, give the Maple Leafs a much more formidable team than the one they ended the year with.
Leafs under Chayka
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) July 1, 2026
IN: Jim Hiller, Gavin McKenna, Sergei Bobrovsky, Darren Raddysh, Nick Paul, Emil Andrae, Colton Sissons, Jack Roslovic, Teddy Blueger, Brandon Duhaime
OUT: Craig Berube, Joseph Woll, Brandon Carlo, Simon Benoit, Matias Maccelli, Nick Robertson, Dennis Hildeby
Senators need to do some work before the season begins
The Senators feel like they are in the position the Leafs were in last year. They are coming off a playoff appearance but fell short of expectations in the postseason, then traded one of their star players, with Brady Tkachuk playing the role of Mitch Marner in the nation's capital.
The Senators feel like they are now going to be in a transition phase by losing their captain. They finished this past year with the exact same number of points as the year before, and if they weren't able to take a step forward with Tkachuk still on their roster, then logic dictates they likely won't be able to take a giant step forward without him—or a suitable replacement.
The Senators will still be a competitive team, and it's not like the moves they have made this year make the team completely inept. Signing Ersson to be Linus Ullmark's backup is a low-risk, high-reward play. Ullmark has never played more than 50 games in a regular season, and Ersson has played at least 33 games each year over the past three seasons, posting a GAA of 3.14 or lower with the Philadelphia Flyers. Bringing in a fellow Swede to play alongside Ullmark should only help build some chemistry around the crease.
William Eklund, a former first-round pick (No. 7 overall to the San Jose Sharks), has posted 50 point seasons the last two years and looks like a clear fit to join a line with Tim Stützle and Drake Batherson.
There is also still lots of time this offseason to make other moves, but with only roughly $5 million left to play with, there just aren't a ton of game-changing options on the market at that price. But barring any major moves, as it stands right now, the Maple Leafs may have just claimed the Sens' spot in the playoff picture.
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