Free agent focus: Ottawa Senators

Ottawa acquired the Michigan native last year prior to the draft with the intention of signing him long term. But the 25-year-old still isn’t ready to discuss a long-term deal with the Senators, which has prompted Dorion to explore the trade market. Given Ottawa’s needs, this may be the best course of action. 

Ottawa has a lot of cap space tied up in the forward group and DeBrincat may be a luxury it can no longer afford. Ottawa badly needs to improve its bottom six and goaltending situation and $9M can go a long way towards doing that. 

DeBrincat will be looking for an eight-year deal on an extension and one would have to assume it will exceed $8M annually. The Senators may be wise to recoup their assets and try to fill out their roster with more depth as they attempt to get back to the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.

C Shane Pinto – Pinto is an interesting RFA case as he has Group 10.2 (c) status, which basically means he hasn’t accumulated enough playing time to qualify for Group 2 RFA status. This provision will keep him from being eligible for arbitration, which allows Ottawa more bargaining power when talking contract with Pinto.

In his first full NHL season, Pinto was expected to handle third line center duties. He was elevated when Josh Norris went down with a should injury early in the season. Pinto filled in admirably, putting up 20 goals and 15 assists in 82 games. The 22-year-old saw some powerplay time but did most of his damage at 5v5.

Pinto doesn’t have much in the way of leverage as he enters his contract negotiations and will most likely sign a one-year deal for something between $1M and $2M while hoping he can improve upon his performance and sign a longer-term deal down the road at a much higher cap number.

D Erik Brännström – Brännström took a step forward in 2022-23, setting a career high with two goals and 16 assists in 74 games. While those numbers aren’t lofty, they do represent a moderate improvement for the young rearguard. Brännström will continue to have unrealistic expectations placed on him due to his draft selection (15th overall in 2017) as well as the fact that he was traded for the beloved Mark Stone. Disregarding expectations, Brännström has become a productive player who should be a good piece for the Senators as a bottom pairing defenseman should they choose to keep him.

It’s hard to see Brännström topping $2M annually on his next contract, and he could find himself pushed out of the Senators depth chart given how many left shot defensemen the team already employs. He does hold some value, and Dorion could view him as a piece to try and acquire forward help or another goaltender.

Other RFAs: Dylan Gambrell, Julien Gauthier, Jacob Bernard-Docker

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

G Cam Talbot – Talbot came over from the Minnesota Wild in the now ill-fated one for one trade for Filip Gustavsson. While Talbot struggled with injuries and inconsistency, Gustavsson quickly developed into one of the best young goalies in the game and exactly the type of netminder the Senators were starving for. Dorion has already stated that Talbot will not be back, making the 36-year-old an unrestricted free agent coming off a down year in which he posted an .898 save percentage and a 2.93 goals against average. Talbot will likely be staring down a one-year deal with a cap hit somewhere between $1M and $1.5M with some incentives added in.

D Travis Hamonic – Hamonic came over in a trade from the Vancouver Canucks that was widely panned. Despite some shortcomings, he was relatively steady for the Senators this past season. He will never be an offensive juggernaut, as evidenced by his six goals and 15 assists in 75 games. But he did provide stability to Jake Sanderson during his rookie season. Sanderson praised Hamonic for the steadiness of his game and how easy it was to play with him.  At 32-years-old, Hamonic could still be a part of the Senators defense, but it would likely be in a bottom pairing role on a cap number far less than the $3M he made last season.

F Derick Brassard – Brassard had his best season since 2019-20 as he put up 13 goals and 10 assists in 62 games before finishing the season on IR. While he isn’t the offensive threat he was in his prime, Brassard proved that he could still provide depth scoring in the bottom six while jumping up to play on the top two lines in a pinch. At 35-years-old the Hull, Quebec native might elect to hang up his skates and move on, however he is still an effective player who could find a role on a one-year contract around league minimum. Given that the Senators badly need help in the bottom six, they might be wise to hang onto Brassard as a cheap depth option who can slide up and down the lineup.

Other UFAs: Nick Holden, Austin Watson, Patrick Brown

Projected Cap Space

The Senators provide a very good example of how quickly cap space can disappear as effective young players enter the depth chart. Just a few short years ago the Senators struggled to reach the cap floor and at times had to bring in expensive veterans on bad contracts just to reach the minimum. Now, with so many good young players in the system and signed long term, Ottawa is going to need to be creative to fill out its depth with inexpensive and effective players. This is something the Senators haven’t been able to do the past few years, but it will be of upmost importance if they are going to become a contender in the Eastern Conference. Ottawa has just a shade over $17M in remaining cap space, but it has just 13 players signed to guaranteed NHL money next year. Dorion is going to be in a tough position trying to improve upon a roster that missed the playoffs and is trending in the direction of being very top heavy. Ottawa also must contend with possibly trying to fit in another big contract extension should it decide to keep DeBrincat in the fold for the foreseeable future.