The Ottawa Senators made a splash by acquiring William Eklund from the Sharks, but that move alone doesn’t plug every hole on this roster. Not even close.
Let’s start with what we know. The Senators sent Brady Tkachuk to Florida earlier this offseason for a pile of picks. One of those picks, the ninth overall, went to San Jose to bring in Eklund. The Sharks used that pick on defenseman Keaton Verhoeff. Ottawa then grabbed Jonas Lagerberg Hoen at 25th overall and took Jaxon Cover with the 32nd pick. Eklund is a nice piece, but replacing a guy like Tkachuk with one player is a tall order.
The Senators were linked to Anaheim’s Mason McTavish before the draft, but he ended up in St. Louis. Pavel Dorofeyev was rumored to be available, but he’s now a Ranger. Free agency opens this week, and Ottawa still has clear needs.
They need another top-six forward
Right now, Eklund, Tim Stutzle, and Fabian Zetterlund form a solid top line. But the second line of Ridly Greig, Dylan Cozens, and Drake Batherson? That’s not enough firepower to hang in the Eastern Conference. The Sens did trade for Andre Burakovsky, but he’s likely ticketed for the third or fourth line.
Jason Robertson is a restricted free agent. Trevor Zegras too. Both could be available. Anders Lee is an unrestricted free agent, but Ottawa’s cap situation is tight. That leaves Jake DeBrusk as a realistic target.
DeBrusk is under contract with Vancouver through 2030-31 at $5.5 million per year, and the Canucks are shopping him. He’s hit 40-plus points in each of the last five seasons, with at least 19 goals every year. In two seasons with Vancouver, he scored 51 goals and added 39 assists. He’d help the power play too. The Sens should be on the phone.
Ullmark needs a real backup
Linus Ullmark is the starter and he was strong in the playoffs despite going 0-4, posting a 2.03 goals-against average and .932 save percentage. But Carolina showed that one goalie isn’t enough in a long series.
Last season, Leevi Merilainen and James Reimer backed up Ullmark. Reimer is 38 and an unrestricted free agent. He’s probably gone. Merilainen is a restricted free agent and struggled badly, going 8-10-1 with a 3.51 goals-against average and .860 save percentage. The Sens just traded for Samuel Ersson from Toronto, and he was one of the league’s worst goalies last season. Ersson went 14-11-5 with a 3.12 goals-against average and .870 save percentage. His goals-saved above expected was minus-16.5, fifth-worst in the NHL. Only Merilainen was worse among Ottawa’s options.
The best bet is to go after UFA Connor Ingram. He went 16-10-3 with the Oilers, posting a 2.60 goals-against average and .899 save percentage. He’s not a star, but he’d be a solid complement to Ullmark. His cap hit should be around $3 million. That’s reasonable.
The blue line could use another body
Ottawa just signed Jordan Spence to a four-year extension, which locks down one right-side spot. But Carter Yakemchuk, the 2024 seventh overall pick, is currently penciled in as the other right-side defenseman. He’s 20 years old and not ready for a top role yet.
Mario Ferraro makes sense here. He was an alternate captain for San Jose last season and could help replace the leadership lost when Tkachuk was traded. He can play both sides but is better on the right, which would let Thomas Chabot stay on the left where he’s more comfortable. The Senators had the 29th-ranked penalty kill last season, and Ferraro is a solid penalty killer. He brings a physical game and won’t cost a ton. That’s a fit.
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