Today, we shall explore the Ottawa Senators top-six forwards and slightly beyond them, but essentially those who are here to stay. We should add the disclaimer that, given their respective contract statuses, it might be only here to stay for another year or two. But we tried to select a group to analyze so that the timeline would be the worst-case scenario. So, let’s get into it, you know what it is, time to get sensational.
Ottawa Senators Top-Six Forwards and the Core Heading into the Future
This group of forwards have many similar traits. Not necessarily from a skill-set perspective, but more so from a career-trajectory point of view. Let’s figure out why we can say this, and what it could mean for the Sens going forward. Furthermore, we would want to emphasize that these similarities hold for the next couple of years, at most, for this group. After that time, we do anticipate, especially if the Stanley Cup Playoff success hasn’t followed, that the team looks a lot different.
Credit Image: © Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire
The group of Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Dylan Cozens, Ridly Greig, Shane Pinto, Michael Amadio, Warren Foegele, Fabian Zetterlund, and we suppose there’s no reason to not include Stephen Halliday, shares many of the same traits, from a career trajectory standpoint. All of these players are under contract until at least the end of next season, and some far beyond that. Batherson, Foegele, and Amadio are each unrestricted free agents coming up in the summer of 2027. Moreover, the other aspect tying this group together, is that they are all between 23 and 30 years of age. Therefore, from a professional hockey career trajectory, they are either on the upswing still and about to level off, or at a point where they can maintain a very high level for those next two years, or so. Really, there is no reason all of them can’t be better than their 2025-26 season into 2027-28. For Sen fans, this is what keeps optimism so sky-high, right now.
This graphic is just a statistical summary, and doesn’t have to do with the positional depth charts. It shows 2025-26 statistics for average ice time, Corsi-for percentage, and points as a Senator. If you think about the Sens statistics as a whole, you can see where 2027 might have their highest expectations yet. 15:55 average ice time among those nine shown, and even that you would think would increase for the group. You still have to consider injuries somewhat, but overall there seems to be a lot of room for internal growth.
Sens Have Lots of Look Ahead to the Future
From a team perspective, this group also shares the trait of improving, and at the very least, being as good as last year. Even a player like Zetterlund you’d think would continue to become more familiar in his surroundings, and learn how to develop his chemistry more, to have success against teams other than west coasters.
Making up a good chunk of the Ottawa Senators top-six forwards’ production, if you look at the trios, Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, and Drake Batherson had 213 points in 2025-26. You’d have to think if Tkachuk can have a big bounce back, this trio would get between 250 and 270. So including Zetterlund, right there four of the nine or 10 are looking to push the bar higher.
This Group Has Options
There is some discussion that another factor would increase this four-player point output. The idea being the Sens might want to shed themselves of Zetterlund’s salary (he’s set to earn $4.275 million for each of the next two years), but with one important caveat. They would want to replace him with more goals and total offensive output. Zetterlund always did well on West Coast, maybe he could try that again. But it is no slight again Zetterlund, it is more about him being more successful. However, there is the argument to be made that winning as a team is the greatest achievement. That means he might look at as taking a hit in personal success would be worth it if the team wins. Conversely, does the team think they can do better with someone else?
Of the rest of the five or six forwards we are mentioning, there is no reason to trade any of them. In addition, for a player like Halliday, he will get more points as his ice time naturally increases. He is the type of guy who should slot in on the second power play, and did show to be an offensive guy at the AHL level.
Foegele has good speed and attacks with purpose. If he can develop chemistry and that will help him add scoring touch, he has the potential to put up decent numbers offensively. Amadio is another guy we only expect to keep doing what he has been doing.
Pinto’s main discussion points offensively, has always been surrounding his consistency. However, he is very much utilized in a defensive role. He is a great, two-way shut down guy within the Eastern Conference, and all the great offensive guys that lurk within the conference. Auston Matthews, David Pastrnak, Cole Caufield, Tage Thompson, and even Aleksander Barkov. Forgetting anyone…yes, Nikita Kucherov. There’s reason for his purpose around the table.
There’s Excitement Surrounding the 2026-27 Ottawa Senators Top-Six Forwards
Cozens and Greig should each keep improving. For Greig, it is more about his line distribution. Playing second or third line minutes and matchups can affect scoring somewhat. But Greig does seem to be developing into a well-rounded and skilled forward. Basically, someone who expects 20 goals out of himself.
Dylan Cozens seems to get into stretches where he is getting better every shift. Maybe hyperbole, maybe not Leaf fans. It seems personally and from an organizational standpoint, and again, as the chemistry within the lines continues to grow over the players’ career as Ottawa Senators, he will achieve bigger and better in the next couple of seasons.
One other angle is who is staying and who is coming back. According to Puckpedia, the 10 of those players we have discussed so far will earn $47.5M against the salary cap. It is likely Claude Giroux comes back, at give or take $1.5-2.0 million.
In any sense, the deal now becomes, how much money do the Sens have to spend. It makes for an interesting discussion this time of year with free agency period upon us. As the guys on Coming In Hot, who were joined by analytic guru Mike Kelly, discuss, could the Sens look to land someone like Viktor Arvidsson, Mason Marchment, or Bobby McMann? These are guys you could price around $5-6 million. Is that something that general manager Steve Staios is willing to do?
They have a little over $33 million committed to Linus Ullmark and their currently signed defencemen. As a note, that Jordan Spence is currently without a contract. With the cap expected to hit $104 for next year, the Sens have about $23 million left to spend. They need a backup goalie, and a few parts, but it seems they have some money. They want to make upgrades, so they need to do it smartly. Plus, they have to consider the asepct of internal growth.
Main Photo Credit: Credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images
