The Ottawa Senators have a good idea of where they are heading into free agency 2025. Welcome back to all the latest and greatest NHL Rumours from Ottawa Senators camp, here from us at Last Word On Hockey. Today we breakdown the external options for Ottawa as we head into the free agency signing period.
NHL Rumours: Discussing Free Agency from the Sens Perspective
Claude Giroux signed yesterday as big news. That move is very impactful on the Sens free agency plans. That is why it was so nice to get it done before July 1st. That really helped narrow down their sights on anyone they are potentially coveting in free agency.
We know there is something brewing around the world of NHL Rumours. The fact that JJ Peterka and Noah Dobson shifted teams, perhaps altering the balance of power in the NHL’s Atlantic Division, means the Senators will need to respond. In this case, it is applicable, sometimes doing nothing is the biggest response.
Some Current Sens Unsigned Free Agents
The Ottawa Senators do have belief in their group. This is based on making the playoffs with essentially the same lineup they are currently running it back with in 2025-26. With Giroux, they currently have ten forwards under NHL contracts from the 2024-25 squad. Plus, they are mostly their best players. Matthew Highmore, Adam Gaudette, and Nick Cousins are the three that top the list of unsigned free agent forwards for Ottawa. Now that we have discussed the Sens returning pieces, let’s focus on who they could add. Who would potentially bring a big improvement over the 2024-25 roster. As a note, some could be from trade and others free agency.
Rumour: Our latest update comes from Pierre LeBrun, and it is possible that Robertson is available.
Analysis: The perceived Stars opinion has seemed to flip-flopped on his availability. Perhaps the best analogy, is everyone has a price, could apply in this circumstance.
Jason Robertson has been the source of rumours, and is possibly available as we hit July 1st. However, the Dallas Stars did say at one point they had shifted away. Robertson was the one to keep, while they wanted to get rid of others, such as Mikael Granlund. However, in the end, it seems that yes, for the right price, why wouldn’t a conversation be worth the risk.
LeBrun doesn’t think the Stars asking price is anything absurd. He mentions they want to free cap space, as well as getting a few things done. That is pretty open to interpretation as per our usual at NHL Rumours. Conversely, as a contender, they can’t afford any downgrades in the lineup, they want fair value. Seems like if the Sens were to try this trade it would take some finesse. Something like a top pick or prospect and one of the solid, young players from the NHL lineup.
Pierre LeBrun: If Dallas trades Jason Robertson they want futures in exchange, they want to free up cap space and do a few other things – TSN
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 28, 2025
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Rumour: That Tanner Jeannot could be a target of general manager Steve Staios.
Analysis: Jeannot is the type of guy you get, to get dirty. He helps win in the trenches, that’s who Ottawa wants.
Garrioch had mentioned that Tanner Jeannot is known to be coveted because of one trait. His toughness. He led the Los Angeles Kings in hits last year, despite not playing big minutes. With not much money remaining after adding Jordan Spence and Giroux to the 2025-26 payroll in the last couple days, the Sens are limited into certain moves. However, signing Jeannot is something they could make work.
The Giroux signing looks more forgiving on the salary cap than it could ultimately end up being. It only counts $2M off, bringing the Sens available space to a shade under $8.2M. Now, it could be $2.75M more, based on his bonus incentives. Point is, as it stands now, and the Sens needing to sign two or three players, at minimum for the NHL roster constraints, Jeannot’s price range would fit. The toughness he brings to his game would be a really asset to Ottawa’s lineup. Especially so, when you want to win the postseason.
More Recent NHL Rumours On Top Available Free Agents
Another option is Brock Boeser. We have discussed some of the advantages of Boeser. Moreover, if you paced his stats over an 82-game season, he would average 30 goals. Furthermore, he is a career 14.1% shooter, and his average time on ice throughout his career is 18:20. In contrast, Boeser is not fleet of foot. Therefore, if Ottawa thinks bringing him in is an upgrade, they might need to consider picking up team speed in the remaining roster spots. The other side of it, is Boeser’s prospective cost. With the weaker free agency class, many players are looking to take advantage of the market conditions.
If Ottawa offers Boeser what it might take to get it done, they may end up needing to remove someone from their lineup that makes more than $1M. The good thing is, that most of the Sens forwards under contract, do have fair-to-better market value. That is, if they needed to make a hockey trade to make something bigger work.
This writer believes the major target for the Ottawa Senators at this point, needs to be Aaron Ekblad. One reason we say this is because of the Montreal Canadiens acquisition of Noah Dobson. But also, the Sens should strongly consider a major roster upgrade to 2024-25. That is true if they want to get over the Carolinas and Tampas, and other Eastern Conference powerhouses. Furthermore, the Sens need to make a move that puts them at a higher level than they were last year. Losing in six games in the first round of the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs is good, but you need more. How do you get that more?
Any More Players Out There?
There are other players out there for Ottawa from recent NHL Rumours. A couple players that have been discussed extensively are Nikolaj Ehlers and Rasmus Andersson. There was some feeling that both players didn’t want to play in Canada, despite being there in 2024-25. However, Ehlers still could re-sign, if Winnipeg opens up their cheque book. Two more interesting possibilities, who offer offensive upside include Jonathan Drouin and Jared McCann. We will add, both Drouin and Ehlers recently said they wanted to hit the open market.
In the end, Ottawa is looking for three things. Scoring efficiency, toughness, and a right-shot d. Maybe the Spence trade has them thinking away from their defence. However, the right fit, and a given upgrade, could shift things around. Depending on what offers someone like Gaudette gets, the Sens might just re-sign him. In other words, the Sens are pretty comfortable. They will be looking to make upgrades. However, it is not clear where those upgrades will come. This is all good news really for Ottawa. They enter free agency with no pressure, and that can allow them to be aggressive. Patient, but vigilant.
Main Photo Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
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