The Ottawa Senators traded away their captain. Now they’re shopping one of the picks they got in return.
According to TSN’s Bruce Garrioch, the Senators are fielding offers for the No. 9 overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft. That pick came from the blockbuster deal that sent Brady Tkachuk out of town for a package of first-rounders. Ottawa now holds picks at 9, 25 and 32 overall, but the front office isn’t looking to collect prospects. They want help right now.
“It’s a top 10 pick that holds value. My job now is to find out what that value is,” Senators GM Steve Staios told reporters. Garrioch followed up with a post on X saying Staios “isn’t looking to move up in the draft. He’s looking to use that No. 9 pick to get some help because he doesn’t want this group to take a step back.”
That makes sense when you look at where this team has been. The Senators haven’t had much to cheer about since their run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2017. They spent years below .500, missing the playoffs entirely until the 2024-25 season. That year they went 45-30-7 and earned 97 points, then got bounced in the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs. They followed it up with a similar 44-27-11 campaign in 2025-26, good for 99 points, but got swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round.
Two Playoff Appearances, Zero Series Wins
Back-to-back postseason trips are nothing to sneeze at for a franchise that wandered in the wilderness for nearly a decade. But getting swept in the first round both times stings. The Senators now have to decide: do they keep stockpiling draft capital and hope the young guys develop, or do they flip assets for proven players who can help them actually win a round?
The Tkachuk trade itself was a shock. Moving a homegrown captain who plays that style of hockey is not something teams do lightly. But the return — two first-round picks and presumably more — gave Ottawa flexibility. Now Staios is trying to convert some of that flexibility into immediate results.
Nobody outside the organization knows exactly who Staios is targeting. But the rumor mill will heat up fast. A top-10 pick is a significant chip. It could land a decent roster player or even a younger piece with team control. What it won’t do is help them beat the Hurricanes or the Maple Leafs in April unless they turn it into something tangible.
The Senators have a window. They’ve ended the rebuild. The question is whether they’re willing to bet that window opens wider by cashing in draft picks for players who can contribute now. Based on Garrioch’s reporting, they’re at least making calls.
That No. 9 pick is on the block. Staios wants to see what it can get.
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