Senators Have 2 Targets, But Won't Go 'Big Game Hunting'—Insider

The Ottawa Senators find themselves solidly in the mix in the Atlantic Division, at 12-8-4, in third place, just a point behind second-place Montreal heading into play on Saturday. They see this as their contention window having opened wide, and they're going to do everything in their power to strengthen their squad.

Appearing on TSN's intermission panel Friday night, insider Darren Dreger said the Sens have a couple of targeted spots in mind to improve, but they won't be breaking the bank, so to speak, to do so:

Just watched @DarrenDreger’s intermission segment with @tsnjamesduthie.

He mentioned Steve Staios wanting a forward and defenceman. But he doesn’t get the sense that he’s a “big game hunter.”

And it sounds like Carter Yakemchuk is off the table.

“Not going to happen,”
— Julian McKenzie (@jkamckenzie) November 28, 2025

As noted by Julian McKenzie, Dreger said a forward and a defenseman are top on GM Steve Staios's wish list, but the insider said he doesn't see the Senators going "big game hunting." Top prospects are seemingly off the table.

Would they trade their top prospect Carter Yakemchuk in any deal? “Not going to happen,” said Dreger.

Yakemchuk, the rugged 6'3", 220-pound offensive d-man who was the 7th-overall pick by Ottawa in the 2024 NHL Draft, is in his first pro season, and already has 14 points in 20 games with Belleville.

The Sens, however, will have $13.68 million in projected cap space at the trade deadline, so they certainly have room to make some additions. It's most likely they'll look to deal some mid-range prospects and/or draft picks to get a deal done for some solid, but not necessarily star-level trade targets.

One name that circulated earlier this month was defenceman Ville Heinola of the Winnipeg Jets, who's currently in the minors. Whether Staios is looking to aim a bit higher than that at this point is unknown.

The new reporting from Dreger flies in the face of reports of a week ago, from insiders like Elliotte Friedman and Bruce Garrioch, that it's time for the Senators to make a big splash.