5 free agents the Senators can sign to get back to the playoffs

The Ottawa Senators have a lot of work to do in the offseason and limited cap space to do it. Who could they sign to help them get back into the playoffs?

Big things were expected out of the Ottawa Senators this past season. They were coming off an Eastern Conference Final run and retained their core players in the offseason. They got off to a respectable 6-3-5 start when they shocked the hockey world.

While the Colorado Avalanche were in the middle of a game with the New York Islanders, the Senators swung a trade that landed them star center Matt Duchene. Ottawa sent Kyle Turris, Shane Bowers (28th overall pick in 2017), a 2018 first-round pick, and a 2019 third-round pick to Colorado for Duchene. Turris, who would not sign an extension for the Senators, was then traded to Nashville.

The move was meant to solidify Ottawa’s standing in the East. Duchene was viewed as a No. 1 center who needed a fresh start and an upgrade over Turris. Ottawa knew they needed his two-way acumen if they were going to topple the Pittsburgh.

Unfortunately for Ottawa, the move backfired. Duchene couldn’t buy a goal, the offense bottomed up, and not even Erik Karlsson could save them. It was a stressful deadline for Sens fans, as Karlsson was reportedly on his way out of town. The team held on to their star defenseman, but the future is murky between the two sides.

The season ended with Ottawa finishing 30th out of 31 teams. They’ll have roughly $14 million in cap space to work with, but a good chunk of that money will likely go to one of their own. Moreover, the Senators have been in the news this week as they traded Matt Hoffman to the San Jose Sharks. More moves are surely to come as the Senators try to right the ship.