10 Former Senators On New Teams in 2026-27

It’s been a busy offseason, and with the 2026-27 season fast approaching, dozens of players across the NHL are preparing to don new uniforms. The Ottawa Senators will feature several new faces as well, with William Eklund and Andre Burakovsky joining the forward corps, and goalie Samuel Ersson will compete with Leevi Merilainen for the backup job behind Linus Ullmark. Rookies Carter Yakemchuk and Stephen Halliday are also expected to join the Senators full-time this season.

But to make room for those players, the Senators had to part ways with some others. Over the past few seasons, several players have passed through Ottawa, so let’s take a moment to check on a few of them who have new homes for the 2026-27 season.

Brady Tkachuk – Florida Panthers

It was one of the most painful breakups since Daniel Alfredsson signed with the Detroit Red Wings, and the most public since Alexei Yashin’s holdout. After months of shooting down rumours that he was leaving, Brady Tkachuk finally requested a trade out of Ottawa. That led to a firestorm of rumours and reports, including one from Elliotte Friedman about the Senators’ souring locker room, especially after the Americans won the gold medal. “It was time,” said Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast. “Post-Olympics, it was time. A lot was going on, and the players were tired of it.”

In Ottawa, Tkachuk was guaranteed to play on the first line alongside Tim Stutzle. He could return to that spot with the Panthers, as the team is weaker on its left side compared to other positions. However, it’s more likely he ends up on the second line with his brother, since that’s why he wanted to go to Florida.

It will be tough to see Tkachuk in a different jersey this season, as he was the Senators’ heart and soul for many years. But his playoff performances were so lacklustre that it’s hard not to think that Ottawa will be better without him in the long run.

Lars Eller – Florida Panthers

Joining Tkachuk in Miami is Lars Eller, who spent a single season in Ottawa, putting up five goals and 15 points in 68 games. The 37-year-old veteran was a reliable depth player for the Senators last season, but was disappointing in the playoffs, which likely led him and the team to mutually part ways. He signed a one-year deal with the Panthers on July 1, and he’ll play a very similar role there, solidifying the team’s bottom-six and providing leadership to some of the younger players on the roster.

Nick Jensen – Anaheim Ducks

Nick Jensen is another veteran who was allowed to go to free agency, officially closing the chapter on the Jakub Chychrun saga. Jensen was a serviceable veteran during his two seasons with the Senators, where he primarily played alongside Thomas Chabot, providing the skilled two-way defender a strong shutdown presence. It worked out well for the most part, but by 2025-26, age was increasingly becoming a factor. With several rookies pushing for ice time, Jensen was allowed to walk, and the Anaheim Ducks offered him a two-year deal at $2.25 million per season to stabilize their bottom pair.

Mads Sogaard – Tampa Bay Lightning

It’s been a rough road for Mads Sogaard since Ottawa drafted him 37th overall in 2019. At one time, he was projected to be the Senators goalie of the future, but injuries derailed his development, and he slipped slowly down the depth chart until it didn’t look like he was the team’s best goalie in the American Hockey League (AHL).

It wasn’t surprising that Sogaard was allowed to become a free agent, nor was it that the Tampa Bay Lightning took a chance on the 6-foot-7 netminder; the last time they picked up a 6-foot-7 goalie from Ottawa, they ended up with a two-time Vezina finalist. While that future feels like a long shot, Sogaard still has a shot at becoming a solid NHL goalie if he can stay healthy.

Dennis Gilbert – Buffalo Sabres

In one of the stranger moves last season, the Senators traded defensive prospect Maxence Guenette to the Philadelphia Flyers for journeyman Dennis Gilbert. The trade took place less than five months after Gilbert left Ottawa and signed a one-year, $875,000 deal with the Flyers, and he had only played six games with Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate before being moved back to Ottawa.

Now Gilbert is on the move again. After 11 games across the regular season and playoffs, he became a free agent and signed with the Buffalo Sabres, where he played 25 games in 2024-25 before the Senators initially acquired him. The only question is whether he’ll stay there or come back to Ottawa for a third time.

Maxence Guenette – Boston Bruins

While it was strange to see the Senators re-acquire Gilbert so quickly, it wasn’t a true change of heart that led to the trade. In 2023-24, Guenette was becoming one of Ottawa’s most intriguing prospects. He very nearly made the team’s opening-night roster, and in Belleville, he posted the highest point-per-game average of his AHL career. However, he took a step back in 2024-25, so the Senators signed Lassi Thomson that offseason, which prompted Guenette to request a trade. Unfortunately, things didn’t go better with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, leading to his new one-year deal with the Boston Bruins for the 2026-27 season.

Joonas Korpisalo – New York Rangers

Joonas Korpisalo’s time in Ottawa was less than ideal. He posted a .890 save percentage (SV%) in 55 games, the second-lowest average of his career, and with four years remaining in his five-year, $20 million deal, he was practically untradeable. Thankfully, new general manager Steve Staios found a taker in the Bruins, flipping him, Mark Kastelic, and the 25th overall pick in 2024 for Ullmark at the 2024 Draft while retaining 25% of his salary.

It ended up being a solid deal for both sides, too, with Ullmark stabilizing the Senators’ crease and Korpisalo giving the Bruins a solid backup behind Jeremy Swayman. However, $4 million is a lot for a 32-year-old backup with a .894 SV%, so the Bruins dealt Korpisalo to the New York Rangers on the opening day of free agency in exchange for a mid-round pick and prospect Kalle Vaisanen. He’ll replace Jonathan Quick, who retired last season, and aim to give Igor Shesterkin an occasional night or two off.

Zack MacEwen – Toronto Maple Leafs

Although he didn’t play a lot, Zack MacEwen was a likeable depth player during his two seasons in Ottawa. The hard-nosed forward had 78 penalty minutes and scored four goals in 51 games while providing grit on the fourth line. However, after the Montreal Canadiens walloped the Senators in a 2025-26 pre-season game, MacEwen was traded to the New Jersey Devils for heavyweight fighter Kurtis MacDermid. Now the PEI native is returning closer to home after signing a two-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he could be a dark horse for a roster spot.

Mathieu Joseph – Edmonton Oilers

Mathieu Joseph was a solid secondary contributor while with the Senators, putting up 65 points in 139 games from 2022-24. The only problem was that the Senators traded Nick Paul to get him, and then signed Joseph to a nearly $3 million cap hit for three years. That forced the Senators to dump him and a pick to the St. Louis Blues for future considerations, where his production took a steep decline, and he was bought out in March. Now he has a one-year, $1 million deal with the Edmonton Oilers, which could be a good fit for the speedy winger.

Nick Paul – Toronto Maple Leafs

The 2021-22 Senators were a much different team than they are today. Under the leadership of Pierre Dorion, the team tried to chase several big-name free agents, most of whom didn’t work out in Ottawa. To make room for them, they dumped several talented supporting players who are still thriving across the NHL and would be good fits for the current roster. One of those is Paul, who emerged as a 40-point player while with the Lightning from 2022-26. That’s pretty good for a player who only makes a hair over $3 million. But after a down season in which he put up just 15 points in 51 games, Tampa Bay sent him to the Maple Leafs, where he’ll look to provide grit and offence to the team’s renewed bottom six.

The Senators Are Still Improving

It’s always sad to see fan favourites leave, but every move leads to new opportunities. “I love where our progression is going with our group,” said head coach Travis Green following the Tkachuk trade. “And, the one thing about our team is we’ve got a team that they really enjoy playing for each other; they want to win badly. They want to win in Ottawa. They’re all in, and that’s important.” (from ‘Travis Green surprised Tkachuk wanted out, but believes Senators are poised to improve’ Ottawa Citizen – 03/08/2026)

It’s hard not to get behind Green’s optimism. Despite some big upheavals to the core, the Senators have qualified for the playoffs in back-to-back seasons after missing it for seven straight. That shouldn’t change for one of the NHL’s most potent offences, even without their former captain.