The Senators want to add a true maverick

Michaël Petit
The Senators want to add a true maverick
Credit: Capture d'écran / X

The Ottawa Senators made a few moves this summer, including the trade of Brady Tkachuk.

They added William Eklund, Andre Burakovsky, and goaltender Samuel Ersson, which isn't too bad, since they needed depth.

However, there's certainly room for improvement, especially considering that the Atlantic Division will be even more competitive than last year.

GM Steve Staios discussed the team's acquisitions and current needs during his appearance on TSN 1200.

If we're to take his words at face value, even though he's comfortable with the changes and the current roster, he doesn't seem to be done shopping yet.

According to Staios, he'd still like to add a pure goal-scorer to his lineup.

The list of free agents still available is relatively short at this point, especially with Patrick Kane's recent signing with Chicago.

However, there is one available player who shouldn't cost too much and who meets Staios' criteria: Patrik Laine.

The Finn certainly has his flaws, especially when playing at even strength. Plus, he's injured too often. His last full season was back in 2018–19.

On the other hand, if there's one asset he possesses that's truly dangerous, it's his shot. Remember that he helped the Habs make the playoffs in 2025 with 20 goals (including 15 on the power play) in 52 games.

Everyone knows that Laine has a devastating shot, whether on a pass or a simple wrist shot.

As long as he isn't overused at five-on-five and plays primarily on the power play, he can certainly help the Sens as a pure goal-scorer.

Playing on the bottom six and getting plenty of power-play time, he can put the puck in the net, but ideally he should be on the first power-play unit.

Tim Stützle, Drake Batherson, William Eklund, and Jake Sanderson all have a place on the first unit, and Dylan Cozens is an excellent choice as well. However, Cozens could move to the second power play unit to make room for Laine.

That would allow the Sens to field two dangerous power-play units, which would certainly be very useful.

And given where Laine stands right now, he probably won't earn more than a million dollars for a single season—if not the minimum wage—and that's a worthwhile risk for a team like Ottawa to take.

Let's see if Staios is willing to take that risk.


In a nutshell

– Well.

– Everything's going great for the Sparrows.

– Phew…

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