Ottawa Senators <\/p>\n
Current Cap Hit: $92,446,600<\/a> (under the $95.5MM Upper Limit)<\/p>\n Entry-Level Contracts<\/p>\n None that are playing on a regular basis.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2025-26, Non-Entry-Level<\/p>\n F Nick Cousins<\/a> ($825K, UFA) Potential Bonuses Perron has been hit or miss outside of St. Louis in his career but that didn\u2019t stop the Sens from giving him a two-year deal.\u00a0 The first season didn\u2019t go great due to injuries and while he has been healthier this season, the overall performance hasn\u2019t been great.\u00a0 At this point, it\u2019d be hard to see him beat this on the open market and it wouldn\u2019t be surprising to see his next deal be a one-year, incentive-laden one that keeps the base cost down to allow for more flexibility.\u00a0 Doing that could push the maximum value at least within the vicinity of his current contract.\u00a0 Giroux is someone who signed the type of deal Perron might get.\u00a0 After his initial three-year deal expired, the two sides had a prolonged negotiation but eventually got this deal over the finish line.\u00a0 While $750K of his bonuses are achievable simply through games played (topping out at 60), the remainder have a playoff-related component to them with $1.75MM being tied to series wins.\u00a0 That\u2019s a fair structure and one that will likely be repeated if he sticks around for another year.<\/p>\n Eller was a valuable third-line center for many years but has slowed down lately, resulting in him needing to take a structure like this as well although only half of his bonuses are playoff-related.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be 37 next season and it stands to reason that he\u2019ll be going year-to-year moving forward, likely with contracts structured like this.\u00a0 Cousins has hovered at or just above the league minimum for several seasons now.\u00a0 A 12-year veteran in what has largely been the same type of role, his next deal should once again land in that area.<\/p>\n While landing Jensen as the centerpiece of the return for Jakob Chychrun<\/a> might feel underwhelming, the veteran was one of their better blueliners last season although he hasn\u2019t fared quite as well this year.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be 36 when the 2026-27 campaign begins but there might be enough market interest to land him a two-year pact (performance bonuses wouldn\u2019t be an option with that term) at least close to his current price tag.\u00a0 Spence was brought over in a draft day trade with the Kings with the hopes that he could take on a bigger role.\u00a0 That hasn\u2019t happened and instead, he has been scratched several times already.\u00a0 Owed a $1.7MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights this summer, Spence\u2019s point production in recent years could give him a shot at doubling that required offer.\u00a0 If Ottawa doesn\u2019t want to go that high, however, he becomes a potential trade or non-tender candidate.<\/p>\n Merilainen was a big bright spot when pressed into duty as the third-stringer last season and without his efforts, they may not have made the playoffs.\u00a0 That small sample size was enough to get him the full-time backup job this year where things haven\u2019t gone as well and they\u2019ve since shuffled him to the AHL to get him more playing time.\u00a0 He has arbitration eligibility this summer and given how this year has gone, the Sens could ultimately look to a different backup option that\u2019s a little more proven.\u00a0 With his struggles, Ottawa recently turned to Reimer to try to help stabilize the backup position.\u00a0 Given how he has bounced around and had to wait half a season to get signed, it\u2019s safe to say that his next deal will be at or near the minimum, if he gets one at all.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2026-27<\/p>\n F Michael Amadio<\/a> ($2.6MM, UFA) Amadio has been quite consistent with three straight seasons of 27 points and is around that mark again this year.\u00a0 That\u2019s not a great return for their money but it\u2019s not a bad one either as he\u2019s consistently in their middle six.\u00a0 But unless he can find another gear offensively, he might not be able to beat this by much in 2027.\u00a0 MacDermid came over in a late preseason trade and has played rather sparingly since then.\u00a0 While there is still a role for the true \u2018enforcer\u2019, his limited usage could bring his price tag closer to the minimum salary moving forward.<\/p>\n Zub has had some challenges staying healthy over his time in Ottawa but when he\u2019s healthy, he\u2019s a capable top-four defender who logs some tough defensive minutes.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be entering his age-32 season when his next deal begins, meaning another multi-year pact (three to five years, specifically), is more than reasonable.\u00a0 In a market where the price of top-four blueliners is going to rise, Zub should be able to push past the $6MM mark per season on his next contract.<\/p>\n Kleven\u2019s first full NHL season in 2024-25 was a decent one as he was a regular on the third pairing but his limited track record didn\u2019t give him much earnings upside.\u00a0 Somewhat surprisingly, though, Ottawa signed him to a deal that walked him right to UFA eligibility.\u00a0 He\u2019s playing a bigger role this season and if he can get closer to the 17-18-minute mark, a jump past $3MM per season could be doable.\u00a0 Matinpalo is in his first year as a full-timer on the roster, though not a full-timer in the lineup as he remains more of a depth piece.\u00a0 That will need to change if he\u2019s going to be able to push past the $1MM mark by any sort of meaningful amount.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2027-28<\/p>\n D Thomas Chabot<\/a> ($8MM, UFA) It took quite a while for Tkachuk to sign coming off his entry-level contract but the deal has held up quite nicely.\u00a0 This season aside, he has been quite durable and produced largely at a top-line rate.\u00a0 Between that and his being a power forward, it\u2019s fair to say he\u2019s heading for a considerable jump; a contract in the $12MM range could very well be on the table.\u00a0 Zetterlund did well in San Jose but struggled following a late-season trade to Ottawa.\u00a0 He signed based on his production with the Sharks but his struggles have carried over into this year.\u00a0 As a result, this deal may be close to double what his value is based on his performance with the Sens.<\/p>\n Chabot was the first core Senator to sign a pricey deal coming off an entry-level pact, a well the team has gone to several times since then.\u00a0 While he\u2019s no longer among the most-used defensemen in the league, he\u2019s still a capable all-around defender who can still play at a 40-point pace or more.\u00a0 While his injury history could hurt his market a bit, with the rapid escalation of prices for top-pairing blueliners, he should be in line for a double-digit AAV on his next contract.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2028-29 <\/p>\n F Ridly Greig<\/a> ($3.25MM, RFA) A few teams have opted for a longer-term bridge deal in recent years and Ottawa did so with Greig.\u00a0 Doing so ensured him some guaranteed money over going with shorter-term pacts where his performance could have dictated a lower offer while the Sens got him at a price that is rather reasonable for a third-line center.\u00a0 His production has somewhat plateaued this year but even if he stays in the 30-point range moving forward, he could get a nice boost from his $3.9MM qualifying offer, one that comes with arbitration eligibility.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2029-30 Or Longer<\/p>\n F Dylan Cozens<\/a> ($7.1MM through 2029-30) Stutzle was another one to bypass the bridge deal in favor of a long-term pact, signed after his second season, right before he had a career-high 90 points.\u00a0 While he hasn\u2019t reached that threshold since then, he\u2019s a legitimate top-liner who has seen more time at center recently and is basically a full-timer there this season.\u00a0 Given the price of number one middlemen, this contract will look even better if Stutzle remains at center long term.<\/p>\n Cozens followed the same path as Stutzle, signing a long-term extension before his entry-level deal expired.\u00a0 He has yet to reach 50 points since recording 68 back in 2022-23 (when the extension was signed) but given the value of centers around the league, this deal holds up relatively well even as a second liner.\u00a0 Pinto got off to a great start this season, landing this extension recently to avoid another potential squabble after it was believed that he was hoping to land an offer sheet in his last trip through restricted free agency.\u00a0 He\u2019ll need to produce as a legitimate second-line center to live up to the price tag when the contract begins next season.<\/p>\n Sanderson also skipped the bridge contract and signed a long-term deal that already looks to be a club-friendly one.\u00a0 He\u2019s an all-around two-way number one defensemen and the price tag for several of those players has already nudged past the double-digit mark in millions per season and will only go up from there.\u00a0 This might not be their biggest bargain today but it may very well be soon enough.<\/p>\n Buyouts<\/p>\n F Colin White<\/a> ($875K through 2027-28)<\/p>\n Retained Salary Transactions<\/p>\n
F Lars Eller<\/a> ($1.25MM, UFA)
F Claude Giroux<\/a> ($2MM, UFA)
D Nick Jensen<\/a> ($4.05MM, UFA)
G Leevi Merilainen<\/a> ($1.05MM, RFA)
F David Perron<\/a> ($4MM, UFA)
G James Reimer<\/a> ($850K, UFA)
D Jordan Spence<\/a> ($1.5MM, RFA)<\/p>\n
Eller: $1MM
Giroux: $2.75MM
Total: $3.75MM<\/p>\n
F Drake Batherson<\/a> ($4.975MM, UFA)
D Tyler Kleven<\/a> ($1.6MM, UFA)
F Kurtis MacDermid<\/a> ($1.15MM, UFA)
D Nikolas Matinpalo<\/a> ($875K, UFA)
D Artem Zub<\/a> ($4.6MM, UFA)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/drake-batherson-senators-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Batherson has been one of Ottawa\u2019s better bargains for quite some time now.\u00a0 He is making second-line money but has put up better than that level of production for the last four years.\u00a0 He was just shy of a point per game in 2021-22 and then followed that up with three straight years of more than 60 points.\u00a0 This season, he\u2019s once again flirting with the point per game threshold.\u00a0 If he stays around that trajectory, pushing past the $9MM per season mark is a very realistic outcome, especially if he were to make it to the open market.\u00a0 The Sens have had several below-market contracts for their young core and his deal is arguably the best one of them all.<\/p>\n
F Brady Tkachuk<\/a> ($8.206MM, UFA)
F Fabian Zetterlund<\/a> ($4.275MM, UFA)<\/p>\n
G Linus Ullmark<\/a> ($8.25MM, UFA)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/USATSI_27904122-221x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Ottawa took a couple of big swings on Ullmark in 2024.\u00a0 First, they moved a first-round pick along with a serviceable forward in Mark Kastelic<\/a> while taking on a four-year dead cap charge to acquire him as a rental.\u00a0 Then, before the season even started, they signed him to this contract, one that puts him in a tie for sixth in terms of the highest-AAV goalies in the league (fifth if you take out Carey Price<\/a> who hasn\u2019t played in years).\u00a0 Ullmark has yet to play 50 games in a single season but had been coming off some strong years in Boston, living up to the promise he showed at times in Buffalo.\u00a0 He\u2019s a riskier option than some of the other proven players at that price point although it\u2019s at least a shorter-term deal compared to the others.\u00a0 However, Ullmark will need to get back to his Boston-level form to provide value on this contract.<\/p>\n
F Shane Pinto<\/a> ($3.75MM in 2025-26, $7.5MM from 2026-27 through 2029-30)
D Jake Sanderson<\/a> ($8.05MM through 2031-32)
F Tim Stutzle<\/a> ($8.35MM through 2030-31)<\/p>\n