Senators Prioritizing Roster Depth & Refreshing the Farm System

Now Thomson’s back to provide organizational depth, according to Staios. After all, he has a highly coveted right shot, and with his success last season, he should be able to find room in the Senators’ depth chart. On one hand, he could provide some extra security while Nick Jensen recovers from offseason surgery. However, with Jordan Spence now in the mix and Carter Yakemchuk pushing for a spot on the season-opening roster, it will be harder for Thomson to get into some NHL games. He has the talent to make an impact, but he hasn’t shown it in previous opportunities. At least there seems to be a willingness to prove himself again, which is a good sign.

Olle Lycksell was the Senators’ first official signing on July 1, also putting pen to paper on a one-year, two-way deal. A sixth-round pick in 2017 by the Philadelphia Flyers, the 25-year-old has been excellent in the AHL. In three seasons with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, he put up 128 points in 134 games, and last season, he received his first All-Star nod after leading the team in scoring at the break.

At the end of the season, he had 44 points in 43 games and was given the inaugural Tony Voce Award as the Phantoms’ MVP. However, he hasn’t had as much success in the NHL; in 45 games, he’s scored just one goal and 10 assists. He’s a creative puck mover and a smart, gritty defensive forward, so there may be some opportunities to jump up to Ottawa this season.

After those two, a trio inked two-way deals all on the same day: Jackson Parsons, Hunter Shepard, and Arthur Kaliyev. Kaliyev is likely a familiar name for Senators fans, as many wanted him in the 2019 Draft before Ottawa selected Shane Pinto. Of course, no one is complaining now. Injuries and inconsistency have limited the skilled winger to 75 points in 202 NHL games, and he was most recently claimed off waivers by the New York Rangers, playing 14 games before going down with a season-ending injury.

In Ottawa, he’ll reunite with Staios, his Hamilton Bulldogs GM, with whom he won an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) championship in 2017-18 and recorded 102 points in 2018-19. Just like Jamieson Rees, a former top prospect fallen on tough times, Kaliyev will try to rebound and become a permanent member of Ottawa’s roster. For now, though, he’s AHL-bound.

The last two, Shepard and Parsons, will make Belleville much better in the crease in 2025-26. Shepard is an AHL veteran with 118 starts under his belt, all with the Hershey Bears. Before last season, he was a good bet to put up a .920 save percentage (SV%), but 2024-25 was an uncharacteristically off season for the 29-year-old. In 39 games, he dipped to a .891 SV%, but still won 23 games. He’s played a handful of NHL games over the years, but don’t expect him to get many chances this season. Instead, he’ll hold down the crease in the AHL alongside Mads Sogaard.

Parsons may struggle for ice time behind the two veterans, but he arguably has the highest upside of the trio. An undrafted free agent, he signed his entry-level deal with Ottawa after winning the OHL’s Goaltender of the Year Award last season with a .920 SV% in 52 games with the Kitchener Rangers. Teammates Matthew Andonovski and Lucas Ellinas were already in the Senators’ system, so Ottawa’s scouting staff had one of the better inside tracks to acquiring the promising goalie. He’ll likely split the season between the AHL and ECHL, with the potential to take over for either Shepard or Sogaard next season.

Beyond the new faces, Staios also re-signed Hayden Hodgson to a two-year deal and Wyatt Bongiovanni to another one-year contract. Hodgson appeared in two regular-season games with the Senators last season but was mostly Belleville’s tough guy, racking up a team-leading 156 penalty minutes in 43 games. The 29-year-old is a solid call-up option and could give the Senators some added grit in a pinch, but is more likely another player who will add strength and depth to Belleville’s roster.

Bongiovanni is an interesting option, though. A free agent signing last season, he did very well in his first season, tying for the lead in goals despite playing eight fewer games. At 25 years old, he doesn’t have much room left to develop, but having a capable goalscorer ready to jump in is always a plus.

Crookshank, Reinhardt Leave for Greener Pastures

To make room for the newcomers, the Senators let a few free agents walk, many of whom had been with the franchise since they were drafted. Angus Crookshank was arguably the most painful to see go. The undersized winger signed a two-year, two-way deal with the New Jersey Devils.

A fifth-round selection by Ottawa in 2018, he emerged as a promising winger with NHL upside after missing all of the 2021-22 season due to injury. Over the last three seasons, he’s scored at least 22 goals and represented Belleville at the 2024 All-Star Classic alongside Max Guenette. Last season was arguably his best; although it was his lowest goal total, he tied for the team lead with Bongiovanni and set the record for the most goals in franchise history with 77.

Cole Reinhardt was another tough player to see leave. Since being selected in the sixth round of the 2020 Draft, he looked like a fringe NHLer until this past season, when he broke out with 32 points in 45 games and stepped up for 17 games with the Senators, scoring a goal and an assist. He was ready to be a full-time NHLer, but Ottawa didn’t have room for him, so he signed with the Vegas Golden Knights for the next two seasons.

The same goes for Matthew Highmore, who played 41 games with the Senators, plus a playoff game. Signed to a one-year deal in 2023, he toiled in the minors before last season provided him an opportunity to play significant time in the NHL, scoring two goals and six points. Unfortunately, the Senators replaced the Halifax native with the veteran Eller, so he joined the New York Islanders on a one-year, two-way deal.

Jeremy Davies may not have been the biggest name in Ottawa’s system, but the defenceman finished third in points and was Belleville’s only representative at the 2025 All-Star Classic. He signed a one-year deal with Ottawa two seasons ago, but the 28-year-old didn’t get any NHL call-ups despite his performance. Looking for a new opportunity, he joined Reinhardt in Vegas, also signing a two-year deal, marking his fourth NHL franchise since turning pro in 2019-20.

The final departure was defensive defenceman Filip Roos, who signed in Sweden. He didn’t score any goals last season in Belleville but put up 17 assists. He also didn’t see any time in Ottawa and only played 21 games with the Chicago Blackhawks over the two previous seasons. It’s unlikely he’ll return to the NHL.

Although not really departures, it bears mentioning that Philippe Daoust and Rees signed AHL deals, meaning that they can’t be called up to the NHL until they re-sign NHL contracts. However, while they’ve been solid contributors, neither has NHL upside anymore. That doesn’t mean they’re ineffective; they’ll be fantastic leaders in Belleville. But, for now, their NHL journeys have come to an end.

Senators Aren’t Finished Yet

Despite the slow pace, the Senators still have a few things in the works for their farm team. Qualifying offers were sent to Maxence Guenette, Jan Jenik, Xavier Bourgault, and Donovan Sebrango, none of whom elected to go to arbitration, which should mean that new deals are imminent. All four were solid performers in Belleville and have the potential to be solid depth NHLers.

That leaves Tristen Robins, who was acquired in the Fabian Zetterlund deal with the San Jose Sharks. He only played 15 games in Belleville but still managed a goal and six points in that span, which put him on pace to rank seventh in team scoring, but he wasn’t given a qualifying offer before free agency. While that’s not a promising sign, the 2020 second-round pick can still return to Ottawa, and at just 23 years old with plenty of speed and tenacity, he could be a solid depth option for Ottawa.

Belleville only has 12 forwards slated to start the season, so adding a few more prospects or some veteran depth would help. Nathan Bastian, Brett Leason, and Jakub Lauko are all still without contracts and could be cheap two-way options. But, whatever happens, fans can trust that Staios will find a lot of value without spending a lot of money. The AHL is where teams can take risks and get creative, and with over $4 million in cap space, Ottawa has room to make some sneaky moves that could pay massive dividends en route to a Stanley Cup.