By The Canadian Press

Staios banks on current Senators roster, only makes tweaks before trade deadline

Mar 6, 2026 | 3:27 PM

OTTAWA — Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios is confident his current roster can get the job done.

That job is getting to the playoffs.

Staios focused on the fact that he believes the Senators are trending in the right direction as Friday’s trade deadline came and went with Ottawa making no significant roster changes. Ottawa is 7-1-2 in its last 10 games and sits four points back of the Boston Bruins for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot.

“We looked at just about everything,” said Staios. “At the end of the day we feel very good about our team, the direction that it’s moving, the way we’ve been playing more recently, in particular, and we made the deal for Warren Foegele.”

That’s not to say Staios didn’t attempt to make something happen Friday at the deadline, but at the end of the day he didn’t feel there was anything that would have been an upgrade to the current group.

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The Senators (30-22-9) got Foegele from the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday for a 2026 second-round draft pick previously acquired from the Buffalo Sabres.

Foegele, 29, had seven goals and two assists in 47 games for the Kings this season, his second in Los Angeles.

The six-foot-two 205-pound native of Markham, Ont., has a US$3.5-million salary contract through the 2026-27 campaign.

Ottawa and Los Angeles also swapped conditional third-round selections.

“He’ll add a little more speed to our lineup,” Staios said. “There’s some variability with this player on where he can play in the line and what he can bring to a team.’

Foegele’s deal was attractive for the Senators considering much of their core will remain under contract through next season.

“If you look at our roster going into next season this team continues to stay solid and grow,” said Staios. “We’ll have some decisions to make, and time will tell on the fit, not just Foegele, but the group and how do they continue to grow and ascend, but I think we can all agree that we’re a better team this year than we were last year.”

The Senators also sent veteran forward David Perron to the Detroit Red Wings for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Ottawa signed Perron as a free agent in the summer of 2024 to help provide experience and leadership to a young group looking to take the next step.

The 37-year-old hasn’t played since undergoing sports hernia surgery in January. He had 10 goals and 15 assists in 49 games this season.

There was speculation the Senators would look to add a right-shot defenceman, but when asked about the need Staios once again spoke of the current roster’s depth.

“I know a lot’s been made about the right-shot defence,” Staios said. “You’ve asked me this before, but we do have an Olympian that’s not in the lineup right now.”

Staios was referring to Nikolas Matinpalo is dealing with an undisclosed injury. He hasn’t played since he returned from the Milan Cortina Games where he represented Finland.

The Senators are without a first-round pick in this year’s draft, as a result of an invalid trade in 2021. They are also without an abundance of draft picks due to previous management decisions, leaving Staios and his staff to be extremely strategic on how they continue to build the team.

“There’s certainly some strategy to it,” Staios said. “Looking for valued players, and at the right time in their career, and the fit with us as well.”

Despite sitting on the outside looking in Staios said the outlook remains extremely positive.

“I think there’s great confidence within that locker room and how good of a team that we could be,” Staios said. “They push each other every day. I mean, they come to work and we’re all proud of that.”

With 21 games remaining the Senators will need a collective push if they hope to return to the playoffs and build on last year’s experience.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2026.

Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press