OTTAWA — Maybe running it back can work for a professional hockey team in Ontario. In free agency, the Ottawa Senators brought back almost the exact same roster — outside of defenceman Jordan Spence, which is an upgrade, and Lars Eller — from the team that lost to Toronto in the first round. 

We won’t discuss how the Maple Leafs’ “run it back” strategy came to a halting, jarring end. For a young team with a core all under 28 years old, it’s the right bet for Steve Staios and the Senators to bring back essentially the same team. Growth isn’t linear, but with so many young players such as Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, Brady Tkachuk, Shane Pinto and Tyler Kleven, you’d take the chance that most of them will be better next season.

Will the Senators add more in free agency? 

“Most likely not,” said Staios. 

“We feel comfortable with where we are. Dylan Cozens, Fabian Zetterlund, Jordan Spence at the draft (were all acquired). We didn’t have a lot to do in free agency this year.”

The biggest question that was answered by Staios over the last few days was Claude Giroux’s return. 

“It was one of the most challenging starts to a negotiation for me, because you want to be fair to the player,” said Staios.

Giroux signed a one-year contract with a base salary of $2 million that could reach a total of $4.75 million with performance bonuses. 

By all accounts, Giroux took a hometown discount to return to Ottawa.

“It shows the true character of what Claude Giroux is all about,” Staios added. 

“Where there’s an opportunity for him to become an unrestricted free agent, and he’s earned that right.

“You need to manage the cap and the salary properly, and the negotiation with Claude allowed us to do what we did today and also gives us the flexibility moving forward with that.”

The Senators knew Giroux wanted to stay in Ottawa and leveraged it. Business can be cruel. Well, cruel for millionaire hockey players, if that’s even a thing.

Meanwhile, a day before free agency, Staios decided on his backup goaltender for next season: Leevi Merilainen. Merilainen signed a one-year, one-way, $1.05 million contract with Ottawa. 

“Leevi sort of expedited his development through last year (with) his differentiators,” said Staios.

“His mindset (is a differentiator) and how he approaches things. He was in the moment, (and the moment) doesn’t seem too big for him.” 

Merilainen had three shutouts in 12 games last season in Ottawa while posting a ridiculous .925 save percentage and 1.99 goals-against average. His numbers in the AHL with Belleville were almost as good, with a .913 save percentage and 2.37 goals-against average. Merilainen is as cool and confident as they come, almost leevitating.

With their limited cap space and other needs, the Senators have decided he’s their backup and it’s the right choice. A good rule of thumb is not overspending on netminding. With $8.25 million invested in Linus Ullmark, more money allocated to goaltending would have crimped Staios’ room to manoeuvre. A two or three-year deal could have been better, but this was a bet-on-myself type of contract for the young goaltender. 

Ottawa let Anton Forsberg leave in free agency to Los Angeles for $2.25 million. If worst comes to worst, and Merilainen isn’t as good as the Senators hope, they will likely try to add a cheap goaltender via waivers. Goaltending in hockey can be voodoo.

Meanwhile, signing Merilainen and Giroux allowed Ottawa to get Lars Eller, a capable veteran fourth-line centre. Eller has a one-year deal with an initial base of $1.25 million that can reach a total of $2.25 million, including performance bonuses — a structure similar to Giroux’s deal.

“We had our sights set on a certain individual, and it was Lars,” said Staios. 

“(Eller is) another veteran with experience (and) a high-character individual that can move around the lineup”

Eller, who won a Stanley Cup in Washington, fills the Senators’ vacant fourth-line centre role with Adam Gaudette heading to San Jose. He is a great defensive player who can kill penalties, which Ottawa needs.

All this leaves the Senators with $5,069,286 in cap space according to PuckPedia, conceivably leaving room for another acquisition. We don’t want to reopen old wounds, but it is a choice if the Senators decide not to spend to the cap.  

“Giving yourself some flexibility. And cap space is important moving forward,” said Staios.

“We feel like we have a good plan in place for this group, mindful of this group and their growth and their development.

“I can’t emphasize that enough, (the young core) are taking hold of it. Managers are there to support.

“Making additions is strategic to this group. I don’t think that they need so much support around them to continue to grow and develop together.”

For Staios, this free agency was different from last year’s, when, in his mind, Ottawa needed an overhaul of players. 

“Specifically, I think, going into this free agency was different than last year, where we had more areas that we were looking to address,” said Staios. 

We will see whether that’s adequate for a team that will need to improve from 30th in five-on-five scoring with no upgrades to its top-six forwards. However, let’s not forget the addition of Jordan Spence, a great puck-moving right-shot defenceman with excellent underlying numbers. 

“Young, mobile defenceman, (who’s a) right shot, which is at a premium in our league,” said Staios about Spence. “(He) can break pucks out, (a) competitive kid, (he’s) not the biggest player, but highly competitive.”

All while the difference between Spence and Travis Hamonic in terms of talent, effectiveness and wins-above-replacement is wider than the Ottawa River. 

In the end, the Senators chose continuity and growth over big-game hunting. It was a choice. The Senators definitely head into the 2025-26 season better than they were heading into last season, but the Atlantic Division and the entire Eastern Conference are getting more competitive by the day. We will find out soon enough if steadiness remains a virtue in Ottawa. 

• Senators signed forward Olle Lycksell to a one-year $775,000 NHL and $450,000 minor-league deal with $500,000 guaranteed. Lycksell had 44 points in 43 games in the AHL last year. He is an NHL/AHL tweener, but the guaranteed contract shows that Ottawa is spending real money to acquire depth, in contrast to the previous ownership. 

• Nick Cousins, a Belleville native, returned to the Senators on a one-year, $825,000 contract. Cousins was serviceable on the Senators’ fourth line last season and a veteran presence who younger players, such as Ridly Greig and Pinto, have mentioned as a mentor.

“As you continue to get into those tougher games at the end of the season and the playoffs, that’s the type of player (Cousins) that you want on your team,” said Staios. 

• Staios said that the Senators will begin contract extension negotiations with Pinto. If the Senators extend Pinto, they will have their top three centres of the future — Pinto, Dylan Cozens and Stutzle — all locked up. It would be a luxury most franchises dream of.