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Claude Giroux, Ottawa Senators (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Expectations for Senators’ Veterans in 2025-26

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Nicholas Endrizzi | Last updated Jul 21, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The Ottawa Senators success last season can be attributed in large part to the young core the team has built over the last handful of years. Guys like Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, and Jake Sanderson are the foundation on which the organization is currently built and will be the ones to carry the franchise to success in the future. All had standout 2024-25 seasons and will look to build upon them next season.

While maybe not front of mind when thinking about the contributing factors to the Senators’ recent success, much of it could be owed to the squad’s veterans. Not only were those players integral from an on-ice standpoint, they were also big in terms of bringing an element of experience and leadership that a young group could greatly benefit being around.

While those players are great to have around, eventually time catches up to them, leading to the juice no longer being worth the squeeze. General manager Steve Staios hopes for his sake that that moment is a little ways away. He’s not keen to seek out veterans just due to them being veterans (as an example, he let defenseman Travis Hamonic walk earlier this summer.)

He has four players on his roster who will be over 35 years old heading into next season. What can be expected from them and what will they have to do to warrant a spot on this team moving forward?

Claude Giroux

Claude Giroux signed with his hometown team three years ago and eventually re-upped with them after a bit of a long negotiation earlier this summer. He will be 37 going into the season and for someone who was never fleet of foot to begin with, the speed remains a big concern. However, he’s still a great playmaker and faceoff specialist.

He’ll be motivated to have a bounce-back season but a lot will depend upon how he’s utilized by head coach Travis Green. If he’s able to get ample opportunity and time on the power play, he could eclipse the 60-point mark. It remains to be seen who he plays with and if he can ward off some of the effects of aging but only time will tell.

David Perron

David Perron will also be 37 going into this season and recently signed a two-year deal worth $4 million annually. Perron is still a tenacious and competitive player who is not afraid to go on the forecheck to retrieve pucks or take abuse in front of the net. That’s an element of the game the Senators could definitely use more of. His presence in the room and on the ice is definitely something that complements the young forwards nicely.

Like Giroux, he isn’t the fastest but is also motivated to get going. He’s coming off a season where he was hampered by injury issues and dealt with family issues, so one would hope that with a clear mind and a healthy body things go well for him. Again, if Green deploys Perron in favourable matchups with some good linemates and maybe some time in the top six, he could put together a solid season. The Senators could expect a little more than 40 points if so.

Lars Eller and Nick Jensen

The Senators signed Lars Eller, who is 36 years old, on the first day of free agency to a one-year deal worth $1.25 million. He’s a stable two-way player who could provide versatility and win a ton of faceoffs. He’ll most likely play on the fourth line for most of the season but could move up and down if necessary. Last season with the Washington Capitals, he averaged 12 minutes a night and put up 15 points in 63 games. That’s most likely what one can expect this season for the Senators.

Nick Jensen, who will be 35 when next season starts, was acquired last summer for Jakob Chychrun and is a defenseman who may be a bit difficult to forecast for this season. That is mostly due to his health as he is coming off hip surgery which could significantly impair his speed and mobility. It remains to be seen if he can get back to his previous form; a long-term injured reserve stint is easily foreseeable.

If he is able to get back to form, he can be a big factor on the back end. He averaged 20 minutes a game last season and did a great job supporting Thomas Chabot while putting up 21 points. The absolute ideal scenario would be him replicating that performance but the most-likely scenario is a bit of a downtick in effectiveness and production, which is entirely understandable.

It will be interesting to see if these veterans can maintain their level of play from years past. Having a group of players like that can be massively important for dressing-room dynamics and can serve as a sounding board for young players through periods of team and personal adversity. However, they’ll have to hold up their end of the bargain if they want to be a part of what the Senators are building. We shall see.