Senators To Have Active Offseason; 1 Trade Target Revealed
The Ottawa Senators have made the playoffs two straight springs and were eliminated in the first round both times, most recently by the Carolina Hurricanes in four games. Staios is not rolling back to training camp with the same group.
The slim free agent market is pushing more clubs toward trades ahead of the June 26-27 draft, and Ottawa is reportedly among the most active teams working the phones.
The problem is the Senators cannot trade their 32nd overall draft selection, and Garrioch noted they are not willing to give up a lot in return for additions, which narrows the available avenues considerably.
Top-Six Winger
A league executive told Garrioch that Ottawa is specifically looking for a forward who can play alongside Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk.
Jordan Kyrou of the Blues was mentioned in early chatter, but Garrioch was told that scenario does not make sense for Ottawa at this stage.
Mason McTavish of the Anaheim Ducks was identified as the realistic target, with organizational ties between the two franchises an added bonus to get the conversation rolling.
Anaheim’s young forward Mason McTavish (despite a big contract) is drawing significant interest as a potential “buy-low” target after a down year. The Ottawa Senators are prominently linked (ties to their front office and Staios’ past with him), with Philadelphia and Montreal…
— Hockey 24|7 (@iamhockey1) June 9, 2026
Robert Thomas of the Blues has also been connected to Ottawa in various reports, but Garrioch was specifically told there were no talks between the two teams regarding Thomas.
Top-Four Right-Shot Defenseman
Nick Jensen is expected to test unrestricted free agency after having knee surgery, creating a vacancy on the right side of the blue line that Garrioch described as one of the most clearly chronicled needs in the organization.
The Senators tried to address this at the March 7 trade deadline when they kicked tires with the Blues on both Colton Parayko and Justin Faulk.
Neither was willing to waive his no-move clause to come to Ottawa at that time.
Faulk was ultimately dealt to Detroit.
The Sabres had a deal in place with St. Louis for Parayko that included a high-end prospect and a first-round pick, but Parayko declined to waive his clause to go to Buffalo as well.
Mason McTavish pulled off his patented NASTY shootout move again last night 🔥
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 29, 2025
He practices it every warm-up, and goalies still can’t stop it 😭 pic.twitter.com/6F3hWC5HKs
Garrioch raised the question of whether Parayko's thinking has changed now that the Blues are in a full rebuild.
At 33 years old with four years remaining at a $4.8 million cap hit, he brings exactly the veteran right-side presence Ottawa needs, and the Ducks and Kings were both interested at the deadline as well.
Whether he would waive for Ottawa, or whether he would prefer to stay in the Western Conference, remains the open question.
Jordan Spence is the internal option to watch.
He averaged 25 minutes of ice time across four playoff games as a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, which Garrioch noted will make for an interesting negotiation.
Backup Goaltender
Staios identified backup goaltending as a priority at his end-of-season press conference, and the Combine gave him the opportunity to move those conversations forward.
Ottawa is expected to issue a qualifying offer to Leevi Merilainen at $1.05 million before the June 29 deadline, keeping his rights in house as an internal option.
Garrioch also reported the Senators are waiting to see what veteran James Reimer wants to do next season before fully committing to an external signing.
Two UFA targets Ottawa is specifically interested in, per Garrioch: Connor Ingram of the Oilers and Stuart Skinner of the Penguins.
Skinner has also been confirmed as a target through NHL Insight sourcing, which noted Staios has existing organizational connections to Skinner from their overlapping time in Edmonton's structure.
Devon Levi of the Sabres has been separately confirmed as a potential trade target for Ottawa as well, per Jeff Marek and other sources, as a younger alternative to the UFA options.
It will be a very busy offseason for the Senators and, if all goes according to plan, many new faces will be starting the 2026-27 season in Ottawa.
Photo Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
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