Holding the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card berth, the Ottawa Senators are close to securing their first trip to the post-season since 2017. Nevertheless, some fans and pundits are already pondering their potential off-season moves.
Julian McKenzie of The Athletic was recently askedabout the Senators‘ biggest off-season need and how they might address it. He believes they could use a top-scoring right winger.
Looking at the free-agent market, he indicated Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs would be the obvious choice. Given the Senators’ cap situation, he considers the 27-year-old right winger too expensive, suggesting Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets and Mikael Granlund of the Dallas Stars would be more affordable options.
The Senators have a projected cap space of $18.444 million for next season, with 13 active roster players under contract.
McKenzie also doesn’t see the Senators (or anyone else) successfully signing away Leafs left winger Matthew Knies with an offer sheet. The 22-year-old power forward is in the final season of his entry-level contract. He pointed out the Leafs have $27.4 million of projected cap room for 2025-26.
The Senators won’t be signing Marner or Knies, but it would generate considerable headlines if they did. Landing one or the other would elevate the Battle of Ontario rivalry to levels not seen since the two clubs’ memorable playoff clashes over 20 years ago.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Red Wings struggle to keep their playoff hopes alive. Their latest March swoon has some observers wondering what GM Steve Yzerman will do to bolster the roster this summer.
The Red Wings are on the verge of missing the playoffs for the ninth straight season, six of those under Yzerman’s watch. If he wasn’t feeling any pressure in Hockeytown before the start of the season, he’ll be feeling it by the end of it.
This could be the most crucial off-season of Yzerman’s tenure as Wings GM.
The Athletic’s Max Bultman recently looked at the club’s current slide and what it says about their off-season needs. He believes they need stability in goal, a difference-maker among their top-six scorers and depth on defense.
