Staios' Strategic Senators
Steve Staios confident Ottawa Senators charting success with strategic roster moves.
Ottawa Senators president and GM Steve Staios overhauled his roster in less than a week, trading captain Brady Tkachuk to Florida and replacing him with a wave of new faces. Staios said Sunday he is confident the team is "on the right track" to compete for a Stanley Cup, according to Ottawa Sun.
The moves came fast. Ottawa traded Tkachuk on June 21 for two first-round picks, a second-round pick, and a conditional 2029 first-rounder. Within days, the Senators added winger William Eklund, goalie Samuel Ersson, veteran Andre Burakovsky, and signed defenseman Jordan Spence to a four-year, $20 million deal, according to Ottawa Sun.
Tkachuk Trade Ends an Era in Ottawa
Brady Tkachuk formally requested a trade at the end of the 2025-26 season. Staios confirmed this at a pre-draft press conference on June 22, according to Edmonton Sun. Despite losing his captain, Staios vowed the team "does not intend on taking a step back."
The return was substantial. Florida sent the No. 9 and No. 25 overall picks in the 2026 Draft, plus a 2027 second-round pick and a conditional 2029 first-rounder. Ottawa quickly flipped the No. 9 pick to San Jose for Eklund, prospect Kasper Halttunen, and the rights to Brandon Svoboda, according to Edmonton Sun.
Eklund, Burakovsky, and Ersson Fill the Gaps
William Eklund, 23, is the centerpiece of Ottawa's offensive rebuild. He carries a three-year deal at $5.6 million per season — a hair less than the $8.2 million cap space freed by Tkachuk's departure. Andre Burakovsky, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with Washington and Colorado, joins on a deal worth $5.5 million for one year, according to Stratford Beacon Herald.
Goalie Samuel Ersson arrived via a trade with Toronto for just a 2027 fifth-round pick. Critics at The Hockey News called the Burakovsky and Ersson moves "head-scratchers," suggesting Ottawa may be taking on declining assets. Staios disagrees. He said adding players with winning pedigree is a deliberate part of his plan, according to Brantford Expositor.
Staios Eyes the Carolina Hurricanes as His Blueprint
Staios pointed directly to the Carolina Hurricanes as the model he wants to copy. Carolina swept Ottawa in the first round of the 2026 playoffs. That loss appears to have pushed Staios toward a faster, more relentless team identity. He said, "I feel like we have that identity to a certain degree as well, and can we continue to build off of that?" according to The Sudbury Star.
The pivot is clear. Ottawa is moving away from Tkachuk's power-forward style toward a faster, skill-based transition game. Eklund fits that mold better than Tkachuk did. Coach Travis Green enters his second full season tasked with building that system, according to Mitchell Advocate.
Draft Picks, Cap Room, and a Leadership Void Remain
Ottawa used its remaining first-round picks on Swedish winger Jonas Lagerberg Hoen at 25th overall and Jaxon Cover at 32nd overall. Hoen scored 27 goals in 38 games in Sweden's U-20 league before an ACL injury, according to The Observer. The Senators project roughly $10.875 million in cap space for 2026-27.
One big question is still unanswered: who leads the team? With Tkachuk gone, Ottawa has no captain. Staios said he will discuss the matter with Coach Green before deciding, according to The Observer. Claude Giroux is considered the most likely candidate. The franchise is in a new era — and the next few months will show whether Staios's plan holds together.
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