Overview
- Senators president of hockey operations and general manager Steve Staios has circulated preliminary trade inquiries about right-shot defenseman Jordan Spence to assess possible returns.
- Spence will be a restricted free agent on July 1, which means Ottawa would retain matching rights and could file for arbitration while his camp negotiates a new contract.
- Spence produced a career-high 31 points in 75 games in 2025–26 after arriving from the Los Angeles Kings in last summer’s draft-day trade for a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick.
- PuckPedia projects roughly $16.9 million in Ottawa’s salary cap space, and the club must weigh that against right-side depth with Artem Zub under contract and prospect Carter Yakemchuk pushing for a full-time role.
- Reports stress that sending out feelers is a noncommittal step and does not guarantee a trade, and the move signals Ottawa is exploring multiple roster paths this offseason including potential trade or re-signing scenarios and interest in other targets.