Senators Free Agency Primer- Who Could Steve Staios Target

Today’s the big day! Well, it was supposed to be until a whole bunch of potential free agents decided to sign early, leaving us with a pretty shallow group compared to past years. Nonetheless, there are still free agents looking to be signed, and teams looking to spend. From the Senators points of view, they made a couple of signings yesterday, giving Leevi Merilainen and Nick Cousins one year contracts. With limited cap space available and nearly a full roster, the Senators won’t be big spenders tomorrow. Let’s dive into the details on realistic free agent targets for the Sens.

READ MORE: Analyzing the Senators 2025 NHL Draft

Current Senators Roster

The Senators have Ullmark and Merilainen signed as their two goalies. They also have seven d-men signed. That leaves just the forward spot that needs to be addressed. Here’s what the Sens forward group currently looks like:

• Tkachuk-Stützle-Batherson
• Zetterlund-Cozens-Giroux
• Greig-Pinto-Amadio
• Perron-Cousins

As of now, the Senators don’t have a reliable fourth line centre. They would also likely carry 13 forwards, meaning they’d need to add an extra forward on top of whoever they sign at centre. Whether that’s another fourth line option or someone more capable of playing higher in the lineup is the question that will soon be answered.

Realistic Options

The Senators have just over $6 million in cap space. They don’t want to spend every last dollar and be tight against the cap right from the start of the season. Let’s give them $4-5 million to work with. That leaves the likes of Nikolaj Ehlers and Brock Boeser out of their price range. As mentioned above, they need a fourth line centre. They could also use someone who can play shorthanded- Josh Norris was one of their regulars while on the penalty kill. From there, Staios is building a team with players that are willing competitors with high compete levels. Here are some options:

Tanner Jeannot- Left Wing

A few years ago, Jeannot was seen as an emerging power forward. The Lightning traded for him, giving Nashville a massive return, including a first round pick. Since then, Jeannot hasn’t been able to find his offensive game. He scored 8 goals in 75 games with Tampa, and last season with the LA Kings, he scored 7 goals in 67 games. What he does bring to the table is size, toughness, and physicality. He led the Kings with 211 hits last season. He also had 8 major penalties. Back with the Predators, he was also a regular on the penalty kill.

Brandon Tanev- Left Wing

Tanev is seen as the ultimate energy guy. He’s been one of the best shot blocking forwards in the NHL over the last several years. He’s a physical player that isn’t afraid to throw his body around. Over the last few seasons with Seattle, he was always one of their regulars on the penalty kill. Last season, split with Seattle and Winnipeg, he scored 10 goals and 22 points in 79 games.

Nick Bjugstad- Centre

Bjugstad is 6’5″, and two seasons ago, he scored 22 goals and 45 points in 76 games with the Arizona Coyotes. He was also their most used faceoff man with over 1,200 faceoffs taken. He killed over two minutes per game shorthanded. Then came the move to Utah. Bjugstad was no longer used on the penalty kill. His overall ice-time dropped by over five minutes per game. He took around 800 less faceoffs. He ended up scoring just 8 goals and 19 points in 66 games. While unlikely to put up numbers like he did two years ago, he’s still a capable bottom six centre and his lesser season last year makes him affordable.

Radek Faksa- Centre

At 6’3″, 215 lbs, Faksa has the ideal size for the Senators fourth line centre role. Here are a few other good qualities he’d bring- He won 57% of his faceoffs with the St. Louis Blue last season, and 55% over the three seasons before that with the Dallas Stars. He’s been a regular on the penalty kill for most of his 10 year career. He has 86 games of playoff experience. While he scored just 5 goals and 15 points in 70 games last season, that was in a fourth line role. That’s exactly the role he’d be coming to Ottawa for.

Final Thoughts

Here are a few other names to consider. During his time with the Senators, I grew an attachment to Connor Brown. He’s such a hard worker, strong on the penalty kill, and can chip in offensively. Mason Appleton would fit as a solid bottom six contributor coming from the Winnipeg Jets. What about a flashier player like Jonathan Drouin? I just wonder how he’d look here without Nathan MacKinnon to play with, and how big his contract is going to be. Lastly, the Senators will consider bringing back Adam Gaudette. He was a huge success story last season with his 19 goals, and he plays with some fire to his game.