James Guillory-Imagn Images

Aaron Ekblad and Nikolaj Ehlers Linked to Surprising Canadian Team in Free Agency

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Tom Banks | Last updated May 20, 2025 11:28 PM ET

The Ottawa Senators had a fantastic run in 2024/25, and now, they may be eyeing up two of the biggest free agents on the market this summer.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are still ongoing, but for those 28 teams that have already been eliminated, their front office's are preparing for free agency and the draft to improve their teams ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

The Ottawa Senators are one of those teams, and after finally breaking their Stanley Cup Playoffs drought of eight years this season, optimism is growing as this team looks to take the step up to being a genuine contender moving forward.

To do so, they'll need to add significant firepower to their roster this off-season, and now, Sportsnet have given them the blue print to do just that, as they have linked them to two of the biggest names available on the free agent market this off-season.

According to Sportsnet's from a question posed by a fan on social media, both Aaron Ekblad and Nikolaj Ehlers are good fits for the team, and while that doesn't say that both or either one of them will sign with the Senators, they should be pursuing the two veterans very hard.

"I've been on this for a while, but I think Nikolaj Ehlers would be the perfect player to put beside Tim Stutzle with his speed, dynamism and a good shot that would inject a ton of scoring punch. On defence, I think Aaron Ekblad or Rasmus Andersson would be nice, but I wonder if they make a Nick Jensen-type move for a guy like Michael Kesselring who's a free agent and had a really good season in Utah. Or why not both?"

In Ehlers and Ekblad, the team would get two experienced stars that aren't in the top echelon in the NHL, but are incredibly talented, and with a roster already led by Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson among others, they'd only make this team that much stronger.

Since coming in as General Manager, Steve Staios has been pushing to get this team back into the post-season, and after doing so in 2025, expect them to push even harder to take another step next season, so whether it's Ekblad and/or Ehlers or another top name, don't be surprised to see Ottawa being aggressive in trying to land a star.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: