Senators’ glaring roster flaw that must be fixed before 2026-27 NHL season

The Ottawa Senators are coming off their second straight playoff appearance. Ottawa made the postseason following a bit of a slow start to the year. The Senators were unable to build on their 2025 playoff appearance, though. They were swept in the first round this past season by the eventual Stanley Cup champion, the Carolina Hurricanes.

Ottawa certainly had some hope heading into the 2026-27 campaign, despite the sweep. Brady Tkachuk remained a top player, and the Senators have talented young players. Jake Sanderson and Tim Stutzle are two of the best young players in the NHL right now. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that improvements internally could have led to better playoff fortunes next year.

Unfortunately, this feeling had a wrench thrown into it this offseason. Tkachuk, the Senators’ captain, requested a trade this summer. He got his trade before the 2026 NHL Draft. Ottawa sent him to the Florida Panthers, where he’s been reunited with his brother, Matthew.

The Senators certainly still have a quality team without Tkachuk. But the team took a big hit by losing its captain and one of its best players. Ottawa had to find a way to improve its roster this summer and reach playoff contention again.

Whether they successfully remained a playoff contender remains to be seen. For now, let’s take a closer look at this roster and detail one glaring flaw the Senators should try to address before the 2026-27 NHL season.

Senators still need top-six forward after Brady Tkachuk trade

There is a lot that can be said about Tkachuk and the trade with the Panthers. However, focusing on the Senators, the trade made an already glaring roster flaw even more apparent. Ottawa needs a top-six forward in the worst way.

Ottawa did address their forward group this summer. In fact, they used part of the Tkachuk return to do so. The Senators flipped the ninth overall pick acquired in this trade to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward William Eklund and two prospects.

Eklund is a fine player who has shown glimpses of brilliance in the past. He was one of San Jose’s leading forwards in the days before Macklin Celebrini. However, whether he can be a quality top-six forward on a team with playoff ambition remains to be seen.

Outside of him, there are two returning players who are also question marks in the top six. Ridly Grieg did score 35 points last season, which is certainly nothing to sneeze at. But he will need to produce a lot more to truly be effective at the top of the lineup.

Claude Giroux is back after pondering his future in the NHL. The 38-year-old scored 45 points last year and has loads of experience he can draw upon. However, as he continues to get up there in age, it’s fair to question how much longer he can be effective in the top-six.

The Senators are largely set elsewhere. Stutzle and Dylan Cozens are a good top-six duo down the middle. And Drake Batherson is coming off a fantastic season in which he scored 33 goals and 71 points.

As mentioned, Ottawa has those good, young players at the top of the lineup that can take this team far. With that said, though, there are clear question marks atop their lineup heading into 2026-27.

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