NHL Trade Preview: Ottawa Senators Will Be 'Buyers' in 2025-26

The Ottawa Senators are expecting themselves to take another step forward in their development this season, and anything less than a comfortable playoff spot will be a fail.

The Senators are made up of young talent coming into their prime all at the same time, led by a veteran Vezina winning goaltender in Linus Ullmark, who found his game towards the end of his first season in Ottawa. The Sens are hopeful Ullmark gets off to a strong start in year two, and leads them to the promised land.

Up front, the team is led by Brady Tkachuk, who is the heart and soul of the franchise. After trade rumors started once again after last season, Tkachuk's dad Keith took it into his own hands to quiet the noise, and made it very clear as day, Brady isn't going anywhere, anytime soon.

GM Steve Staios is going to be very aggressive this season on the trade market. The Senators enter 25-26 with just under $4 million in cap space. Staios has no 2026 first-round pick, however owns a second-rounder, and three third-rounders. 

As far as trade candidates go off the Senators roster, Shane Pinto stands out. He's been rumored to be involved in a potential deal for Rasmus Andersson of the Calgary Flames back in June, but Andersson used his six-team no-trade clause to nix the deal. There's certainly a chance Pinto is in play for a right-handed defenceman with term on their contract. Unless Jordan Spence comes out strong this season, the Sens will shift their focus to adding a top-six winger, and will use some of their prospect pool to go all in.

Keep an eye on the Sens, Staios showed last season with acquiring Dylan Cozens that he won't be shy when it comes to aggressiveness on the the trade market.

Photo credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images