Senators Have 2 Big Trade Needs to Address

The Ottawa Senators will be an interesting team to watch ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline. At the time of this writing, the Senators have a 28-22-7 record and are six points behind the Boston Bruins for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

With the Senators looking climb up the standings and get back into the playoffs, there is an expectation that they will be buyers at the deadline. To improve their odds of doing so, they should be looking to address two big trade needs. Let’s discuss both of them now.

Senators’ No. 1 Trade Need: Top-Four Right-Shot Defenseman

The Senators’ biggest trade need right now is a top-four right-shot defenseman. While they have options for their second pairing, like Nick Jensen and Jordan Spence, they would benefit by adding a legitimate top-four defenseman to their group.

Calgary Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar is one player who has been connected to the Senators for quite some time. A few other trade candidates around the NHL who could be nice fits for the Senators include Dougie Hamilton, Braden Schneider, Colton Parayko, and Justin Faulk.

Senators’ No. 2 Trade Need: Another Goalie

Goaltending has been a big issue for the Senators this season, and it is a major reason why they are currently below the playoff line. As a result, the Senators would be wise to at least upgrade their backup goaltender behind Linus Ullmark.

Leevi Meralainen has struggled mightily this season while with the NHL club, while in-season signing James Reimer has not been much of an upgrade. Minnesota Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt would be the dream target for the Senators, as he would form a strong tandem with Ullmark.

According to Chris Johnston of The Athletic, the Senators could enter trade discussions if the Wild makes their top prospect goaltender available. Because Samuel Hlavaj has shone for Team Slovakia at the Olympics, Wallstedt could become expendable for the right return.