The Ottawa Senators ended their playoff drought in 2025. Nearly 10 years after their inspiring run to the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals, they made the postseason. Though they lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in round one, it was still a fantastic season for the Senators.
Ottawa has long had a talented foundation. Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk are two incredible forwards. Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub led a very solid top-four defense. And the addition of Linus Ullmark in goal helped give the team an element they had lacked in previous seasons.
Ottawa has a chance to build upon this performance in 2025-26. However, they haven’t made many significant moves. The Senators swung a trade for defenseman Jordan Spence with the Los Angeles Kings at the 2025 NHL Draft. Other than that, their major move of the summer is veteran bottom-six center Lars Eller.
They are not the only team that refrained from a more significant move this summer. A lot of teams sought to improve their rosters this year. As a result, there weren’t many opportunities for a significant splash. However, there is one intriguing trade avenue for Ottawa.
The Dallas Stars are going to need to choose between Jason Robertson and Thomas Harley sooner rather than later. Both young stars are in need of a new contract. And the Stars are unlikely able to afford both. If the Senators want to become contenders, they should swing a trade for Robertson.
Jason Robertson Could Leave Stars Soon
Bruce Bennett/Getty ImagesJason Robertson could pair well with Ottawa Senators stars Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk.
Robertson has emerged as a truly elite winger in the NHL. And he has already achieved some impressive feats. For instance, the 26-year-old scorer is the only member of the Dallas franchise to score 100 points in a season since the Stars relocated to Dallas.
Robertson is signed through the 2025-26 campaign, so there’s no pressure to move him now. However, teams across the league are aware of the situation. Dallas has limited cap space, and are going to need to sign both Robertson and Harley to big-money contracts should they retain both players.
The Stars certainly could trade other players to create cap space. However, they already went this route this summer. Matt Dumba and Mason Marchment were traded explicitly to create cap space. As a result, they have fewer trade candidates for next summer when they need to do it again.
Of course, none of this means a trade will happen. However, it creates an opportunity for teams around the NHL to pounce. And the Senators could greatly improve their standing if they were able to pull a trade off.
Robertson Could Make Senators Immediate Contenders
The Senators did well enough offensively in 2024-25. However, they weren’t the most feared offense in the league. Only two players scored more than 25 goals last year. And none of them reached the 30-goal mark, though Tkachuk came close.
Robertson would give them an elite finisher in the top six. His 35 goals would have led all Ottawa skaters, as would his 80 points. He gives the Senators a goal-scoring element they certainly need. And he pairs well with Stutzle, who is emerging as an elite playmaker in the NHL.
The Senators would still have a lot of work to do when it comes to actually winning the Stanley Cup. However, trading for Robertson would give them a massive leg up. And they could certainly find themselves battling late into May and June.
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