2 Major Acquisitions Linked to Ottawa Senators This Offseason

The Ottawa Senators fared well in their first playoff series in eight years this spring, taking the heavily-favoured Toronto Maple Leafs to six games before bowing out.

But general manager Steve Staios has plans to make some additions this summer to take the team to another level, and according to Julian McKenzie in The Athletic, two major acquisitions should be on the Sens' radar.

Adding some significant scoring is a big need, and Staios knows it. As McKenzie notes, Ottawa finished second-worst in the NHL— 31st—in scoring at five-on-five. In addition, they were no better than a tie for 19th in overall offence.

Could Nikolaj Ehlers be a free agent target for Senators?

And while the top unrestricted free agent Mitch Marner is likely out of their price range, the insider suggests a more realistic target is UFA Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets.

Ehlers, who just completed his eighth 20+ goal season with the Jets in his 10 year career there, is in line to command a contract in the six-year, $8 million AAV range, as per AFP Analytics' newest projections.

Because of his impending free agency, Ehlers has been the subject of trade rumors for some time. Last summer, a report from insider David Pagnotta suggested that "according to a well-placed source close to the Jets, Ehlers is not interested in signing a contract extension with the club," and would welcome a move.

Could Senators pry Rasmus Andersson from the Flames?

On defense, Ottawa was linked to a big target in the Calgary Flames' Rasmus Andersson, who is eligible for an extension this summer with just one year left on his contract. If the Flames can't strike a deal, a trade could be in order.

"If the Flames wanted to move on from the Swede, it might be worth it for the Sens to take a flier on an all-situations right-shot defenceman who looks to enter his prime at age 28," writes McKenzie.

He logged 24 minutes of ice time per night, and blocked a career-high 196 shots this season. His offensive output isn't quite what it used to be, down to 31 points this season after a high of 50 three years ago and he also suffered through a minus-38 rating.

We'll see if the Senators make a pitch for Andersson, or try for one of the other potential UFA defenseman on the market, like an Aaron Ekblad, Ryan Lindgren or Vladislav Gavrikov.

“With the group we have returning, there’s some areas that I’m going to look at,” Staios said. “But as we’ve talked about before, the market will sort of dictate on if you can add those types of players or improve in that area."