When the season began, defence was a sore point for the Ottawa Senators on paper. It remains the case eight games in. While goaltending is partially to blame in some respects, it’s not the full problem. It’s also not too soon for the Senators to at least think about addressing their defensive issue, whether it be a personnel or tactical issue.
The Senators are still without Artem Zub, who would normally play alongside Jake Sanderson on the top pair. Head coach Travis Green said earlier this week that he doesn’t expect Zub to play Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues.
The Senators’ current third pairing of Tyler Kleven and Jacob Bernard-Docker has some good advanced stats; they’re the only Senators defensive pairing with a Corsi For percentage above 50 percent of the five with a minimum of 20 minutes together this season at five-on-five. But their inexperience has shown at inopportune times throughout the season.
This penalty and play came off of a miscue between Tyler Kleven and Jacob Bernard-Docker which left them hemmed in, defending their own zone in the last minute.
Not ideal. #Sens #GoSensGo https://t.co/Dgz0Fxw7Ty pic.twitter.com/UzL7EZhpw3
— Pesky Sickos (@PeskySickos) October 28, 2024
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Senators’ Corsi For percentage at five-on-five is 48.32 percent. Entering Monday night’s action, the Senators had the worst high-danger chance for percentage in the league at 39.84 percent. That rate is not helped by the fact that only six teams have allowed more goals in high-danger areas (11) than them at five-on-five.
While the Senators could use most types of defensive reinforcement — and you’ll notice that in the variety of defencemen listed below — their dream scenario would probably be to find a complementary, penalty-killing defenceman who can be plugged into the top four but should ultimately be an upgrade on the bottom-pairing defencemen in their rotation featuring Bernard-Docker, Kleven and Travis Hamonic. The Senators would also need to be mindful of their salary cap space for any corresponding move as they have a shade under $2 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia.
In light of the Senators’ recent defensive concerns, we’ve canvassed the league for some potential stopgaps and evaluated whether or not they’d make sense.
Timothy Liljegren
Age: 25; Shoots: Right; Team: Toronto Maple Leafs
2024-25 stats: 1 game played, zero points
Contract status/cap hit: UFA 2026, $3 million AAV
Liljegren signed a contract with the Maple Leafs in June through arbitration. But the 25-year-old has already fallen out of favour with the team’s new coaching staff. He’s a puck-moving, right-shot defenceman with offensive capabilities (he scored three goals and 23 points in 55 games last year) and has experience playing on the penalty kill. Liljegren likely wouldn’t leapfrog Nick Jensen on the depth chart right away, but he could at least be an upgrade on Bernard-Docker as a third-pairing guy.
But how good is he defensively? Liljegren posted the worst Corsi For rating last season (49.25 percent) among Leafs defenders who played at least 300 minutes. Liljegren also had the team’s worst expected goals against and chances against rates through six postseason games last season. If Liljegren isn’t going to be useful on that side of the ice, particularly in front of the net where the Sens are vulnerable, he might not be worth the risk.
While the Senators could benefit from having a rearguard with some offensive capability, that $3 million price tag attached to him would have to come down if the Sens were genuinely interested. But he could still be worth a look. If Liljegren is committed to improving his defending, he could still play up to his top-four ceiling.
Cam Fowler
Age: 32; Shoots: Left; Team: Anaheim Ducks
2024-25 stats: 8 games played, 2 assists
Contract status/cap hit: UFA 2026, $6.5 million
Fowler can still be counted on for veteran guidance on a young, rebuilding Ducks team. But he’s also just two seasons removed from his best statistical season in 2022-23 (10 goals, 48 points). He could still be of use on a better team with playoff aspirations (and hopefully more experienced defenders overall on their team). The Sens, for example, could benefit from his offensive upside even if he’s closer to exiting his prime at 32.
But Fowler isn’t the most reliable when it comes to defending, whether at five-on-five or on the penalty kill. Fowler was on the ice for the most goals against for the Ducks last season at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.
The experience and offence are pluses for Fowler. However, the $6.5 million price tag ultimately takes him out of trade contention unless the Ducks are willing to retain a portion of his salary. According to PuckPedia, the Ducks can afford to do so with under $20 million in available space, but perhaps not with the Sens as a trading partner.
Henri Jokiharju
Age: 25; Shoots: Right; Team: Buffalo Sabres
2024-25 stats: 10 games played, 1 goal, 3 points
Contract status/cap hit: UFA 2025, $3.1 million
A right-shot, two-way defenceman who can kill penalties in a secondary role and block shots. He’s coming off his best season as a pro and has found a home as a partner for Rasmus Dahlin on the Sabres. (Jokiharju also saw time with Owen Power.) His underlying numbers have looked positive too, whether through Corsi For or high-danger chance percentage rates. While you might wish he was bigger or a little more physical, Jokiharju is seemingly coming into his own as a player. He would likely want to remain in a top-four role, but he’d be a step up as a Senators’ third-pairing defenceman if need be.
Some questions remain about him, though. How much of his statistics are helped by playing alongside Dahlin or Power? Also, if the Sabres aren’t good enough to make the playoffs, how much does his asking price go up? He’s a pending UFA at the end of the season and his $3.1 million AAV could be pretty manageable if the Sabres, or someone else, eats some of his salary. And perhaps the Sabres just keep him anyway, signing him long-term to form a stable pairing with Dahlin? He’s in a unique space with the Sabres, but teams will certainly keep an eye on him this year.
Scott Perunovich
Age: 26; Shoots: Left; Team: St. Louis Blues
2024-25 stats: 2 games played, 0 points
Contract status/cap hit: RFA 2025, $1.15 million AAV
There’s a chance the Senators don’t see Perunovich in the Blues’ lineup Tuesday night at the Canadian Tire Centre. He’s only played two games this season and is already threatening to be on the outs from the roster, making him a prime waiver-wire candidate. Injuries have hampered him throughout his first few NHL seasons and perhaps a fresh start could be on the horizon for the 26-year-old.
Could that fresh start come in Ottawa? Perunovich might be a slight upgrade on Kleven on the left-hand side in terms of game experience but not by much. And there’s still much more to be desired from Perunovich at both ends of the ice. He could be a low-end, low-risk option but perhaps only if he were made available on waivers.
Jon Merrill
Age: 32; Shoots: Left; Team: Minnesota Wild
2024-25 stats: 8 games played, 1 assist
Contract status/cap hit: UFA 2025, $1.2 million
Merrill has spent most of his career as a journeyman defenceman and has playoff experience. Since 2021, he’s found a home in Minnesota and hasn’t played fewer than 65 games in his first three seasons in Minnesota. Merrill isn’t going to grab headlines with his offence as a stay-at-home defenceman. But he can kill penalties, has size at 6-foot-3 and has an affordable cap hit at $1.2 million through to the end of this season.
Merrill can certainly fit the part of a third-pairing option that improves the Senators defensively, but he’s best used on a third pairing and higher than that. The biggest hold-up is if the Wild would want to part with a third-pairing guy if they remain competitive throughout the season.
Justin Holl
Age: 32; Shoots: Right; Team: Detroit Red Wings
2024-25 stats: 6 games played, 1 assist
Contract status/cap hit: UFA 2026, $3.4 million
Purely on profile, Holl checks off some boxes. A big, imposing defenceman who is best suited in a bottom-pairing role. Before joining the Red Wings, he was capable of producing points in a secondary role. And for the majority of his career, he’s been considered a plus player when looking at plus/minus. Holl has only been on the ice for two goals at five-on-five this year. Kleven and Zub (thanks in part due to injury) are the only Sens defencemen who’ve been on the ice for two goals or fewer at five-on-five.
Here are the downsides. The cap hit might be enough to scare off any team who’d be interested, let alone the Senators, without retention. His possession numbers aren’t ideal and they’ve dipped from his best years with the Maple Leafs, alongside his overall production. The Sens ideally should acquire a fixture for their third pair and not an inconsistent presence as Holl appears to be, not to mention his AAV might be too pricey to be on their books through 2026.
(Top photo of Timothy Liljegren: Mark Blinch / NHLI via Getty Images)
