4 Senators Who Won’t Be Back Next Season

With 20 games remaining in the 2022-23 season, the Ottawa Senators are focused on making the playoffs. They sit just six points behind the New York Islanders and have a game in hand, but the remaining schedule will make it challenging to make up those wins.

Next season, the Senators should be in a much better position to fight for a playoff spot, but they’ll have to take care of a few things first, namely signing Alex DeBrincat to an extension that could be as high as $9 million. That will eat up a significant portion of their projected $16 million in cap space, so a few familiar faces will be forced to pack their bags. Here are the four most likely players who won’t return in 2023-24.

Cam Talbot

Last season, the Senators’ crease was a mess. Matt Murray, who was supposed to give the team a serious boost, struggled with injuries and consistency, and although Anton Forsberg and Filip Gustavsson stepped up to form a competent tandem, it still wasn’t enough to give the team a winning record.

This season, Cam Talbot was brought in and expected to provide some leadership and stability, but things have progressed almost exactly like last year. The 35-year-old has struggled with injuries and consistency, posting a .905 save percentage and a 2.85 goals-against average after 32 games, which is slightly worse than Murray’s .906 save percentage in 20 games last season.

With Talbot’s $3.67 million contract expiring at the end of the season, he’ll need to make a strong argument that he’s worth keeping around for a similar price point. The 35-year-old is certainly not getting any younger, and the injuries are starting to pile up; after returning from injury reserve on Feb 24, the team announced on Mar 6 that he’ll be out for three weeks. The current tandem isn’t much stronger, especially after Forsberg suffered a season-ending knee injury on Feb 12, but at least they’re cheaper.

Nick Holden

Since arriving last season, Nick Holden has been a perfectly average depth defender, providing a bit of offence without too many mistakes. He blocks shots, dishes out hits, and has one of the better Corsi scores on the team. At 35 years old, it’s expected that he’ll start slowing down, but this season, he’s on pace to record his highest point total since 2016-17. Better yet, he currently costs the team just $1.3 million, which is surely not expected to increase in 2023-24.

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