A summer of change means high stakes for Ottawa Senators in season ahead

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Assistant coach Daniel Alfredsson behind the Swedish team bench during a Four Nations Cup game against Canada in Montreal in 2025. Photo by Minas Panagiotakis /GETTY IMAGES

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Say it ain’t so, Alfie

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Franchise-icon Daniel Alfredsson took the hockey world by surprise when he opted to leave the Senators to join the coaching staff of the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 7.

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Alfredsson had informed the Senators he wouldn’t be back this coming season. Both sides insist he simply wanted a new challenge, and his contract was up, but this departure just feels odd, especially with Alfredsson landing with the Leafs.

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If he’d gone anywhere else, maybe it wouldn’t sting as much. Owner Michael Andlauer insists that Alfredsson is welcome back to the Senators organization anytime, and we believe that’s the case. This will be an interesting situation to watch.

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New faces in new places

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LW William Eklund: By all accounts, Eklund was a good deal for the Senators.

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Staios flipped the 2026 No. 9 overall selection he acquired from the Panthers in the Tkachuk deal to the Sharks in exchange for the speedy Eklund, forward prospect Kasper Halttunen and the rights to unsigned draft pick Brandon Svoboda.

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It’s expected Eklund will play alongside centre Tim Stutzle on the top line.

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“He’s gritty and skilled. He’s definitely fast,” one NHL executive said. “He’s not big. He’s small. He’s got a good package of skill with grit.”

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Eklund finished with 15 goals and 38 assists for 53 points in 78 games with the Sharks last season. A Stockholm native, Eklund is also excited to be reunited with former Sharks teammate Fabian Zetterlund.

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Will William Eklund find a spot on the Ottawa Senators’ first line to start the 2026-27 season? Photo by Rich Lam /Getty Images

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LW Andre Burakovsky: This move was a head-scratcher.

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There has been a lot of excitement surrounding the acquisition of Eklund, but there hasn’t been much about Burakovsky, who was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks.

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He struggled mightily last season, and the sense in the Windy City was that he would be bought out of the final year of his deal. Instead, the Senators took on Burakovsky’s $5.5-million U.S. cap hit, confident he would be successful under their coaching staff.

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Burakovsky should be motivated by the fact he’s playing for a contract. The jury is out on this one.

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G Samuel Ersson: The Senators learned last season that they needed a capable backup behind No. 1 netminder Linus Ullmark.

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The decision to acquire Ersson from the Toronto Maple Leafs, who had only recently acquired him from the Philadelphia Flyers, caught some off-guard. This is a risky move, but league executives say Ersson needs a change of scenery and could be successful in Ottawa. He was signed to a two-year deal at $2.2 million per season.

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This has to work out because Ullmark has never played more than 50 games in his NHL career.

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Staying put

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Not everybody followed Tkachuk out the door.

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RW Claude Giroux: The 38-year-old Giroux, who has spent the past four seasons with the Senators after signing as an unrestricted free agent in July 2022, took time to ponder his future after the club’s disappointing playoff performance, but he signed a one-year deal.

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He stands as the best free-agent signing this organization has made since entering the league in 1992-93.

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Giroux has 85 goals and 242 points in 337 NHL games with the Senators. He is one of the NHL’s best faceoff men, performing at 62 per cent on the dot last season. He is also close with Chabot and Stutzle. A departure would have left a void in the dressing room.

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F Nick Cousins: The Senators signed Cousins to a new two-year contract at $1.5875 million U.S. per season.

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Cousins is coming off a career year with a solid performance.

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Keeping him was an important piece of business. In his second season with Ottawa, he registered nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points while being a feisty performer on the third and fourth lines.