The Ottawa Senators have a talented core, but at times it’s inconsistent. What’s more, even with captain Brady Tkachuk back, there are holes in the team’s top six. The defence corps this season is respectable and its goaltending – while at times shaky – seems to be improving.
So, if there is a missing piece in the Senators’ roster, it’s a true top six forward who can tilt the ice and give Ottawa scoring depth that’s comparable to its Atlantic Division rivals.
The Senators’ Forward Corps Dissected
The Senators have top-end forward talent in Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Dylan Cozens and Shane Pinto. Still, none of them could be considered elite-level NHL forwards. Stutzle comes closest, but so far this season he’s ranked 54th in the league on points.
As for talent down the depth chart, Ridly Greig seems to be emerging as a legitimate NHL centre although at times he goes cold for long periods. On the Senators’ recent seven-game road trip, Fabian Zetterlund potted three goals in seven games and against the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 2 notched a goal and an assist, leading many to hope he is starting to live up to his scoring potential.
Still, while the Senators’ top six has relative youth, speed and skill, they can’t do it all. The team needs more depth scoring. As of Dec. 3, five skaters – Stutzle, Batherson, Pinto, Cozens and Claude Giroux had put up 96 of their club’s 225 points. The rest of the forward corps combined managed 63 points, meaning that for every point they notch, the group of five puts up more than a point and a half.
Because of the Senators’ top-heavy scoring, opponents can focus on shutting down their top six knowing their bottom six can’t make up the goals. Too often the third and fourth lines are reduced to playing a checking role. All of this becomes a serious problem in a league where the top teams roll four lines, each of which can be an offensive threat.
It’s true with an injured Tkachuk out for 20 games, the Senators had to scramble to fill the hole he left in the roster. Yet his absence exposed the team’s depth issues. Churning through the top six was a combination of Michael Amadio, Greig, David Perron, Nick Cousins, Lars Eller, and Zetterlund – and none of them seemed to stick in the role.
The Senators forward group is good, but it’s not as deep as the top teams in their division. At the time of writing, the Tampa Bay Lightning sat in first place with Nikita Kucherov (32 points registered), Brandon Hagel (27 points), and Jake Guentzel (27 points) leading the way.
The Detroit Red Wings, tied for third in the division alongside the Senators boast Dylan Larkin (30 points), Lucas Raymond (29 points), and Alex DeBrincat (28 points). David Pastrnak (29 points) and Morgan Geekie (28 points) have helped the resilient Boston Bruins stake another claim on third place.
The Canadiens own the second playoff spot in the division helped along by the firepower of Nick Suzuki (30 points) and Cole Caufield (28 points). To this point in the season, the Senators have no one on their roster who is the equal of any of these players when it comes to points production.
The Senators are ranked 13th in the league on goals scored and points earned. With a points percentage of .577 they rank 12th in the NHL. On five-on-five scoring, they rank 15th in the league. All of this says they are a middling team at best and need more scoring punch. It’s why many say the club needs to add an “impact forward.”
What Exactly Is an Impact Forward?
There are as many definitions of the term as there are wannabe general mangers (GMs) in Bytown. So wide is the definition of such a beast that you’d be forgiven for not knowing what one looks like. Even so, I’ll take a stab at summing one up:
- A top six winger or centre
- A 25-30 goal scorer who registers 60 or more points a season
- Someone who can drive play on his own line
- A player who creates matchup problems for opponents
- A player who helps the Senators spread out offense beyond the first line
Potential Trade Targets for the Senators
Recently, my colleague at The Hockey Writers, Jacob Billington, wrote a piece naming seven players who either meet or come close to meeting these benchmarks. Among them was the Dallas Stars’ Jason Robertson, the Buffalo Sabres’ Alex Tuch, and the Nashville Predators’ Filip Forsberg.
Related: Ottawa Senators Trade Targets: Top Wingers for a Home Run Deal
What’s notable about the names Billington offers up is that almost all of them are wingers. He’s right to focus on the wings since that’s where the need is greatest on the Senators’ top two lines. With Tkachuk, Stutzle, Cozens and Batherson anchoring the top six, the team needs two more steady wingers there. Zetterlund seems to be making the case that one of them should be him, but there remains the need for another.
I won’t second guess Billington as to his recommendations other than to say that his picks of Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes, along with Brock Boeser and Conor Garland of the Vancouver Canucks, each notched fewer than 60 points last season. They haul in annual salaries of $7.75 million, $7.25 million and $6 million respectively. There are trade targets out there who offer better value.
I’d also add several other players to the shopping list including the Predators’ Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos, as well as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell.
Any player the Senators bring to town needs to offer term on his contract. With the exception of Roberston and Tuch, all of the names here come with enough term to see the Senators through the upcoming two to three-season window during which they have a shot at a championship.
Can the Senators Afford an Impact Forward?
Trading for any of the players Billington and I have suggested is going to mean some serious financial re-engineering in Ottawa. That’s because the team now has just $4.167 million in cap space and needs to re-sign pending restricted free agents (RFA) Leevi Merilainen and Jordan Spence. Both will be looking for substantial pay raises and given the way they’ve played so far this season, probably deserve them.
Here’s a look at the price tag on the players Billington and I have suggested as targets:
| Player | Team | Current Salary | Contract Expiration |
| Forsberg | Predators | $8.5 million | 2029-30 |
| Jordan Kyrou | St. Louis Blues | $8.125 million | 2029-30 |
| Stamkos | Predators | $8 million | 2027-28 |
| Svechnikov | Hurricanes | $7.75 million | 2028-29 |
| Robertson | Stars | $7.75 million | 2025-26 (RFA) |
| Boeser | Canucks | $7.25 million | 2031-32 |
| Garland | Canucks | $6 million | 2031-32 |
| Marchessault | Predators | $5.5 million | 2027-28 |
| Rust | Penguins | $5.125 million | 2027-28 |
| Rakell | Penguins | $5 million | 2027-28 |
| Tuch | Sabres | $4.75 million | 2025-26 |
Given where they are in the standings this season the Predators, Blues, and Canucks are probably thinking about blowing it all up and rebuilding. That means they might be open to a package deal featuring roster players going back the other way along with a few picks and prospects. The problem is that the Senators don’t have a first- or second-round pick in the 2026 Entry draft. Any pick later than that is unlikely to interest a trade partner offering a top six forward.
As for prospects, the American Hockey League talent pool in Belleville isn’t deep and Carter Yakemchuk is likely to be among the crown jewels GM Steve Staios would need to give up to cut a deal. He may be able to sweet-talk his way into a deal for one of the players listed in the table above by dangling a defenceman in a package. Yet that would mean going back to the bad old days when the Senators’ blue line was a perennial problem.
Why the Senators Might Not Need an Impact Forward
With Tkachuk back in the lineup, one or more of the veterans alongside a younger player like Greig may be able to fill in the holes at wing on the top six. After all, there is risk in adding a top-line player. Fans won’t soon forget what a flop Matt Duchene was in Ottawa despite the widely held belief he would add much-needed offensive punch to the roster. The chemistry simply fizzled. What’s more, there’s the risk that sacrificing important assets may outweigh the benefits of bringing an impact forward to town.
Are then Senators One Forward Away from Being a Contender?
The Senators have many of the hallmarks of a rising contender – except one. They are extremely close and adding a top six player could be their making as a Stanley Cup contender.
The question is whether Staios and company are willing to take the gamble and pay the price.
