Senate faces free-agency shopping spree opening Wednesday
With $9 million US in cap space, the Senators will look to add depth after trading Brady Tkachuk and acquiring William Eklund and Andre Burakovsky.
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The Ottawa Senators have $9 million US in salary-cap space heading into unrestricted free agency, which opens Wednesday at noon ET, as general manager Steve Staios plots his next roster moves.
Staios has already made significant changes, trading Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers while acquiring skilled winger William Eklund from the San Jose Sharks and forward Andre Burakovsky from the Chicago Blackhawks. The club is also trying to retain veteran wingers Claude Giroux and Nick Cousins, though as of Tuesday afternoon, Cousins appeared headed for the open market.
Staios cautioned against overreaching. "I've said this to you a number of times, I'm not going to chase the shiny toy to bring in, because, as you've seen, not only here but across the league, it doesn't work most times," he said on Saturday.
Top targets the Senators may pursue include Mason Marchment, a 6-foot-5 left winger from the Columbus Blue Jackets with 95 goals and 234 points in 370 NHL games, and defenceman Rasmus Andersson from the Vegas Golden Knights, the top right-shot defenceman expected to be available. The club has also looked at Anders Lee, the 35-year-old New York Islanders captain seeking a new challenge, and forward Anthony Mantha, who scored 33 goals and 64 points in 81 games last season with Pittsburgh.
