2025–26 Ottawa Senators season
Season of play of professional ice hockey team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2025–26 Ottawa Senators season was the 34th season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League.
| 2025–26 Ottawa Senators | |
|---|---|
| Division | 5th Atlantic |
| Conference | 6th Eastern |
| 2025–26 record | 44–27–11 |
| Home record | 23–12–6 |
| Road record | 21–15–5 |
| Goals for | 278 |
| Goals against | 246 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Steve Staios |
| Coach | Travis Green |
| Captain | Brady Tkachuk |
| Alternate captains | |
| Arena | Canadian Tire Centre |
| Average attendance | 17,123[1] |
| Minor league affiliates | |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Tim Stützle (34) |
| Assists | Tim Stützle (49) |
| Points | Tim Stützle (83) |
| Penalty minutes | Nick Cousins (92) |
| Plus/minus | Artem Zub (+22) |
| Wins | Linus Ullmark (28) |
| Goals against average | James Reimer (2.35) |
The Senators qualified for the playoffs for the second consecutive season.[2][3] In the regular season, the team recovered from a last-place standing in January to qualify for the last playoff spot in April despite the loss of six defencemen to injury. In the playoffs, the Senators could not continue their winning pace and lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in the first round in four straight games.[4]
Team business
In a step forward in the process of building a new arena downtown, a land sale agreement for the LeBreton Flats site, was signed in August 2025 with the NCC.[5]
The team will have a new third jersey that will be worn at four "Ignite The Red" home games. The new third jersey has a red base and a slightly modified logo chest crest with enhanced embroidery. The shoulder area is black with gold trim. The arms will have similar black stripes with gold trim. The player name lettering and numbers will be a different font. The shoulders will have the Senators 'S' secondary logo.[6]
In October 2025, media website bookies.com surveyed the NHL arenas to determine the cost for a family of four to attend an NHL game. For four of the cheapest tickets, plus parking, two beers, two soft drinks and four hot dogs, the Senators were ranked the lowest-cost in the NHL at an average of US$182 per family, below the NHL average of US$304.[7] Website statista.com had most recently ranked the Senators the third least-expensive in August 2024.[8]
In February 2026, it was announced that the Senators will play the Montreal Canadiens in the Kraft Hockeyville Game, to be played in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, celebrating the 2025 winner Saint-Boniface, Quebec.[9]
In April 2026, the Senators announced that they had renewed their broadcast deal with Bell Media, owner of The Sports Network (TSN). The parties committed to a 12-year term, keeping Senators regional television broadcasts on TSN and RDS and local radio broadcasts on TSN 1200.[10]
Off-season
In a draft-day transaction, the Senators traded for the Los Angeles Kings' Jordan Spence, a right defenceman.[11] The team did not offer contracts to goaltender Anton Forsberg, forwards Adam Gaudette, Matthew Highmore and Angus Crookshank and defenceman Travis Hamonic. All became unrestricted free agents and signed with other NHL teams. The team signed veteran centre Lars Eller as a free agent. Near the end of the pre-season, the team traded Zack MacEwen to New Jersey for Kurtis MacDermid.
Regular season
Restricted free agent defenceman Maxence Guenette held out in a contract dispute and was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers in November 2025 for former Senator defenceman Dennis Gilbert. Gilbert reported to Belleville.
The Eastern Conference was very competitive this season. While the Senators did not have a sub .500 month, the team dropped in the standings from December through January to a tie for last place in the Eastern Conference. During this time, goaltender Linus Ullmark took a personal leave and backup Leevi Merilainen struggled. The Senators would sign free agent veteran goaltender James Reimer who stabilized the goaltender position. For the season, the team had a sub .900 save percentage.
The team struggled on the penalty kill, placing it near the bottom in percentage. The team changed the coaching responsibility for the penalty kill from Nolan Baumgartner to Mike Yeo at mid-season.
At the March trade deadline, the team traded forward David Perron to the Detroit Red Wings for a 2026 fourth-round draft pick,[12] and picked up forward Warren Foegele from the Los Angeles Kings along with an exchange of draft picks.[13] Foegele scored in his first game with the Senators, paired with Lars Eller and Fabian Zetterlund on the fourth line.
Later in March, the team received some good news from the NHL head office when it was learned that the team would regain a 2026 NHL entry draft first-round pick, although the team would have to pay a US$1 million fine. The draft pick would be the last in the first round. The draft pick had been forfeited over a dispute over the status of a trade of Evgenii Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights who claimed that they had not been properly informed of a no-trade clause in Dadonov's contract. Dadonov subsequently voided a trade to the Dallas Stars by the Golden Knights.[14]
In March and into April, while fighting for a playoff spot, the team suffered a long streak of injuries to its defencemen. First, Nick Jensen injured his knee and was finished for the season. Next, Jake Sanderson suffered an upper-body injury, putting him out for six weeks. Call-up Dennis Gilbert also injured his upper body. This was followed by Thomas Chabot who suffered a fractured right arm. Call-up Lassi Thomson was injured in the same game, versus the New York Rangers, the team managing a win with just four defencemen for most of the game. The team called up Carter Yakemchuk and Jorian Donovan, both NHL rookies, for the next game.[15] Thomson returned and Donovan was returned to Belleville. In a game on March 31, Yakemchuk was injured with a concussion, necessitating the call-up of Cameron Crotty, who had not played in the NHL all season and who had only played two NHL games previously.[16] On April 2, Tyler Kleven, their only uninjured left-shot defenceman) was hit by a shot to the upper body and injured.[17]
Only two weeks after surgery on his arm, Chabot returned to the lineup against the Panthers on April 9. The surgery required two plates and screws to hold the bone in place and he wears extra protective equipment on his arm. He had not been expected to return until a possible second round of the playoffs.[18]
Divisional standings
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | y – Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 42 | 288 | 241 | +47 | 109 |
| 2 | x – Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 40 | 290 | 231 | +59 | 106 |
| 3 | x – Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 34 | 283 | 256 | +27 | 106 |
| 4 | x – Boston Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 33 | 272 | 250 | +22 | 100 |
| 5 | x – Ottawa Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 38 | 278 | 246 | +32 | 99 |
| 6 | Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 30 | 241 | 258 | −17 | 92 |
| 7 | Florida Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 32 | 251 | 276 | −25 | 84 |
| 8 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 23 | 253 | 299 | −46 | 78 |
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)
x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division
Conference standings
| Pos | Div | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AT | x – Boston Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 33 | 272 | 250 | +22 | 100 |
| 2 | AT | x – Ottawa Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 38 | 278 | 246 | +32 | 99 |
| 3 | ME | Washington Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 37 | 263 | 244 | +19 | 95 |
| 4 | AT | Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 30 | 241 | 258 | −17 | 92 |
| 5 | ME | Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 28 | 253 | 253 | 0 | 92 |
| 6 | ME | New York Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 29 | 233 | 241 | −8 | 91 |
| 7 | ME | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 29 | 230 | 254 | −24 | 87 |
| 8 | AT | Florida Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 32 | 251 | 276 | −25 | 84 |
| 9 | AT | Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 23 | 253 | 299 | −46 | 78 |
| 10 | ME | New York Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 25 | 238 | 250 | −12 | 77 |
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)
x – Clinched playoff spot
Playoffs
With both a win against the New York Islanders and a loss by the Detroit Red Wings against the New Jersey Devils on April 11, 2026, the Senators clinched their second straight postseason berth and their first in consecutive years since the 2012–13 season.
Eastern Conference first round: Ottawa vs Carolina
As the second wild-card team, the Senators played division champion and conference leader Carolina Hurricanes. This was the first time the teams have played each other in a playoff. Carolina won the regular-season series two games to one.[21]
In the first game, the Hurricanes played tight defensively and shut out the Senators 2-0. In game two, the Hurricanes built a two-goal lead before the Senators tied the game only to lose 3–2 in the second overtime period. Back at home in game three, the Senators drew a lot of penalties but could not score on the power play and lost 2-1. In the deciding game four, the game was tied into the third period before the Hurricanes scored on the power play to take the lead and they did not relinquish it. The game ended 4–2 to end the Senators season.
Highlights for the Senators included the play of goaltender Linus Ullmark and forward Drake Batherson. The injury woes continued for the Senators, losing Artem Zub in the first game, and Jake Sanderson in the third. Top forwards Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk were shut down by the Hurricanes, and neither scored, although both did deliver shots to the post and crossbar. The Senators held the Hurricanes to only two power play goals in the series, but only scored two power play goals themselves.
Schedule and results
Preseason
The preseason schedule was published on June 26, 2025.[22]
| 2025 preseason game log: 3–3–0 (home: 1–2–0; road: 2–1–0) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Decision | Attendance | Record | Recap |
| 1 | September 21 | Toronto | 4–3 | Ottawa | Sogaard | 16,254 | 0–1–0 | [23] | |
| 2 | September 23 | Ottawa | 3–2 | Toronto | OT | Shepard | 15,162 | 1–1–0 | [24] |
| 3 | September 28A | New Jersey | 0–2 | Ottawa | Ullmark | 12,159 | 2–1–0 | [25] | |
| 4 | September 30A | Montreal | 5–0 | Ottawa | Merilainen | 18,259 | 2–2–0 | [26] | |
| 5 | October 2 | Ottawa | 1–7 | St. Louis | Merilainen | 15,922 | 2–3–0 | [27] | |
| 6 | October 4 | Ottawa | 3–1 | Montreal | Ullmark | 20,962 | 3–3–0 | [28] | |
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Notes: | |||||||||
Regular season
The Ottawa Senators regular season schedule was released on July 16, 2025.
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Playoffs
| 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players statistics
Final Stats
Skaters
Goaltenders
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linus Ullmark | 49 | 49 | 2883:28 | 28 | 12 | 8 | 131 | 2.73 | 1198 | .891 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Leevi Merilainen | 20 | 19 | 1094:29 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 64 | 3.51 | 457 | .860 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Reimer | 14 | 13 | 817:47 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 33 | 2.42 | 289 | .886 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mads Sogaard | 2 | 1 | 77:25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4.65 | 36 | .833 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hunter Shepard‡ | 1 | 0 | 35:47 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3.35 | 12 | .833 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linus Ullmark | 4 | 4 | 266:25 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 2.03 | 133 | .932 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Senators. Stats reflect time with the Senators only.
‡No longer with the Senators.
Awards and milestones
Awards
Milestones
| Player | Milestone | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Kleven | 100th NHL game | October 18, 2025 | [122] |
| Drake Batherson | 300th NHL point | October 26, 2025 | [123] |
| Linus Ullmark | 300th NHL game | October 28, 2025 | [124] |
| Drake Batherson | 400th NHL game | October 30, 2025 | [125] |
| Stephen Halliday | 1st NHL game 1st NHL assist 1st NHL point | November 20, 2025 | [126] |
| Nick Cousins | 200th NHL point | November 20, 2025 | [127] |
| David Perron | 1200th NHL game | December 2, 2025 | [128] |
| Kurtis MacDermid | 300th NHL game | December 15, 2025 | [129] |
| Tim Stutzle | 400th NHL game | December 18, 2025 | [61] |
| David Perron | 800th NHL point | December 18, 2025 | [61] |
| Xavier Bourgault | 1st NHL game | December 27, 2025 | [130] |
| Claude Giroux | 1300th NHL game | December 27, 2025 | [130] |
| Brady Tkachuk | 200th NHL goal | January 14, 2026 | [131] |
| Stephen Halliday | 1st NHL goal | January 22, 2026 | [132] |
| Nick Cousins | 700th NHL game | February 28, 2026 | [87] |
| Jorian Donovan | 1st NHL game | March 24, 2026 | [99] |
| Carter Yakemchuk | 1st NHL game 1st NHL goal 1st NHL assist 1st NHL point | March 24, 2026 | [99] |
| Cameron Crotty | 1st NHL point | April 7, 2026 | [106] |
Transactions
The Senators have been involved in the following transactions during the 2025–26 season.
Key
† Contract is entry-level.
‡ Contract takes effect in the 2026–27 season.
Trades
| Date | Details | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 27, 2025 | To Nashville Predators 1st-round pick in 2025 |
To Ottawa Senators 1st-round pick in 2025 3rd-round pick in 2025 |
[133] |
| June 28, 2025 | To Los Angeles Kings 3rd-round pick in 2025 6th-round pick in 2026 |
To Ottawa Senators Jordan Spence |
[134] |
| October 3, 2025 | To New Jersey Devils Zack MacEwen |
To Ottawa Senators Kurtis MacDermid |
[135] |
| November 17, 2025 | To Philadelphia Flyers Maxence Guenette |
To Ottawa Senators Dennis Gilbert |
[136] |
| March 5, 2026 | To Los Angeles Kings 2nd-round pick in 2026 Conditional 3rd-round pick in 2026 |
To Ottawa Senators Warren Foegele Conditional 3rd-round pick in 2026 |
[137] |
| March 5, 2026 | To Detroit Red Wings David Perron |
To Ottawa Senators Conditional 4th-round pick in 2026 |
[138] |
| March 6, 2026 | To Washington Capitals Wyatt Bongiovanni |
To Ottawa Senators Graeme Clarke |
[139] |
| March 12, 2026 | To Los Angeles Kings Jan Jenik |
To Ottawa Senators Samuel Bolduc |
[140] |
| March 13, 2026 | To Montreal Canadiens Jake Chiasson Hunter Shepard |
To Ottawa Senators Riley Kidney |
[141] |
| June 21, 2026 | To Florida Panthers Brady Tkachuk |
To Ottawa Senators FLA's 1st-round pick in 2026 TBL's 1st-round pick in 2026 FLA's 1st-round pick in 2029 FLA's 2nd-round pick in 2027 |
[142] |
| June 23, 2026 | To San Jose Sharks 1st-round pick in 2026 |
To Ottawa Senators William Eklund Kasper Halttunen Brandon Svoboda |
[143] |
| June 26, 2026 | To Toronto Maple Leafs 5th-round pick in 2027 |
To Ottawa Senators Samuel Ersson |
[144] |
| June 26, 2026 | To Chicago Blackhawks 6th-round pick in 2027 |
To Ottawa Senators Andre Burakovsky |
[145] |
Players acquired
| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2025 | Lars Eller | Washington Capitals | 1-year | Free agency | [146] |
| Olle Lycksell | Philadelphia Flyers | 1-year | Free agency | [147] | |
| July 2, 2025 | Arthur Kaliyev | New York Rangers | 1-year | Free agency | [148] |
| Hunter Shepard | Washington Capitals | 1-year | Free agency | [149] | |
| July 3, 2025 | Jackson Parsons | Kitchener Rangers | 3-year† | Free agency | [150] |
| August 25, 2025 | Cameron Crotty | Minnesota Wild | 2-year | Free agency | [151] |
| January 12, 2026 | James Reimer | Buffalo Sabres | 1-year | Free agency | [152] |
| June 15, 2026 | Eskild Bakke Olsen | Linköping HC (SHL) | 1-year†‡ | Free agency | [153] |
Players lost
| Date | Player | New team | Term | Via | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2025 | Angus Crookshank | New Jersey Devils | 2-year | Free agency | [154] |
| Anton Forsberg | Los Angeles Kings | 2-year | Free agency | [155] | |
| Adam Gaudette | San Jose Sharks | 2-year | Free agency | [156] | |
| Dennis Gilbert | Philadelphia Flyers | 1-year | Free agency | [157] | |
| Matthew Highmore | New York Islanders | 1-year | Free agency | [158] | |
| Cole Reinhardt | Vegas Golden Knights | 2-year | Free agency | [159] | |
| July 2, 2025 | Jeremy Davies | Vegas Golden Knights | 2-year | Free agency | [160] |
| August 15, 2025 | Travis Hamonic | Detroit Red Wings | 1-year | Free agency | [161] |
| October 15, 2025 | Donovan Sebrango | Florida Panthers | Waivers | [162] | |
| May 4, 2026 | Olle Lycksell | HC Lugano (NL) | 3-year | Free agency | [163] |
| May 8, 2026 | Lassi Thomson | HC Lugano (NL) | 2-year | Free agency | [164] |
Player signings
| Date | Player | Term | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 29, 2025 | Claude Giroux | 1-year | [165] |
| June 30, 2025 | Nick Cousins | 1-year | [166] |
| Leevi Merilainen | 1-year | [167] | |
| July 1, 2025 | Wyatt Bongiovanni | 1-year | [168] |
| July 3, 2025 | Hayden Hodgson | 2-year | [169] |
| July 18, 2025 | Xavier Bourgault | 1-year | [170] |
| August 25, 2025 | Jan Jenik | 1-year | [151] |
| September 3, 2025 | Donovan Sebrango | 1-year | [171] |
| November 13, 2025 | Shane Pinto | 4-year‡ | [172] |
| March 25, 2026 | Gabriel Eliasson | 3-year†‡ | [173] |
| March 30, 2026 | Kevin Reidler | 2-year†‡ | [174] |
| Hoyt Stanley | 3-year†‡ | [175] | |
| April 15, 2026 | Blake Montgomery | 3-year†‡ | [176] |
| April 21, 2026 | Lucas Beckman | 3-year†‡ | [177] |
| May 5, 2026 | Stephen Halliday | 2-year‡ | [178] |
| June 26, 2026 | Samuel Bolduc | 1-year‡ | [179] |
| Jordan Spence | 4-year‡ | [180] | |
| Djibril Toure | 1-year‡ | [179] |
Draft picks
The 2025 NHL entry draft was held on June 27 and 28 at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Ottawa chose the following players:
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | Nationality | Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23[a] | Logan Hensler | Defence |  United States |
University of Wisconsin (B1G) |
| 3 | 93[b] | Blake Vanek | Forward | United States |
Stillwater High School (USHS-MN) |
| 4 | 97[c] | Lucas Beckman | Goaltender |  Canada |
Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL) |
| 5 | 149 | Dmitri Isayev | Left Wing |  Russia |
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg Jr. (MHL) |
| 6 | 181 | Bruno Idzan | Left Wing |  Croatia |
Lincoln Stars (USHL) |
| 7 | 213 | Andrei Trofimov | Goaltender | Russia |
Stalnye Lisy (MHL) |
Bruno Idzan is the first Croatian-born player to have been selected in the NHL entry draft. The Senators chose two Russian players, their first Russian players selected in the draft since 2005. Blake Vanek is the son of former NHL player Thomas Vanek.[181]
Draft-related transactions
- The Nashville Predators acquired the Senators' 21st overall pick for the 23rd overall pick and a third-round pick (67th overall) in this draft.[182]
- The Senators' second-round pick went to the San Jose Sharks as the result of a trade on March 7, 2025, that sent Tristen Robins, Fabian Zetterlund and a fourth-round pick in 2025 to Ottawa in exchange for Noah Gregor, Zack Ostapchuk and this pick.[183]
- The Senators' third-round pick (85th-overall) went to the Vegas Golden Knights as the result of a trade on June 28, 2025, that sent Washington's third-round pick in 2025 (91st overall) and a fifth-round pick in 2025 (154th overall) to Pittsburgh in exchange for this pick.[184]
- Pittsburgh previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on August 13, 2024, that sent St. Louis' second-round pick in 2025 and a fifth-round pick in 2026 to St. Louis in exchange for a second-round pick in 2026 and this pick.[185]
- St. Louis previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on July 2, 2024, that sent future considerations to Ottawa in exchange for Mathieu Joseph and this pick.[186]
- The Carolina Hurricanesꞌ third-round pick (91st-overall) went to the Senators as the result of a trade on June 28, 2025, that sent Florida's third-round pick in 2025 (96th overall) and a seventh-round pick in 2027 to Washington in exchange for this pick.[187]
- Washington previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on March 8, 2024, that sent Evgeny Kuznetsov to Carolina in exchange for this pick.[188]
- The San Jose Sharks' fourth-round pick (97th-overal)) went to the Senators as the result of a trade on March 7, 2025, that sent Noah Gregor, Zack Ostapchuk and a second-round pick in 2025 to San Jose in exchange for Tristen Robins, Fabian Zetterlund and this pick.[183]
- The Senators' fourth-round pick (117th-overall) went to the Edmonton Oilers as the result of a trade on June 25, 2025, that sent Evander Kane to Vancouver in exchange for this pick.[189]
- Vancouver previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on August 18, 2024, that sent Vasily Podkolzin to Edmonton in exchange for this pick.[190]
- Edmonton previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on July 15, 2024, that sent Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson to Ottawa in exchange for Roby Jarventie and this pick.[191]