Expectations For The Ottawa Senators' Mount Rushmore Of Old Guys

12-07-2025

Some things improve with age – like fine wine, artisanal cheese, or leather-bound books that smell of rich mahogany.
Ottawa Senators GM Steve Staios is betting that the same holds true for his club.
On the one hand, the aging and maturing of his team's youthful core and the experience from their playoff debut will be vital to improvement. But even more literally than that, since the start of last summer, Staios hopes his roster improves with the age and experience that he's pumped into it.
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'That's the plan,' he told NHL.com in December, 'to surround them with some veteran guys that have been there and done that before and are going to continue to be a good influence and also good players on the ice obviously. I talked to this group about internal growth and with Travis' help as coach, holding the players accountable and coaching them properly, there has been a great deal of internal growth.'
Not so long ago, in 2012, Staios himself was the older guy in the New York Islanders locker room. At 38, he was older than any current Sens player, and he mentored younger Isles teammates like Travis Hamonic. But he's not seeking age for its own sake: Hamonic, now an older veteran and an unrestricted free agent, was not re‑signed when his deal expired 11 days ago, a sign that Staios wants more from his veterans than just gray hair and wisdom in the room.
Four of his vets will be older than 35 this fall. Here's a look at the veterans Staios has brought on, how they got here, and what we expect from them this season.
Players, (Age on opening night this fall):
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Claude Giroux, 37
2024‑25 Stats: 81 GP, 15 G, 35 A, 50 Pts, –8, 138 SOG
Giroux signed on to come home three years ago, and after a long negotiation this summer, gave the Senators one of the great hometown discounts in club history. Giroux decided to forego free agency and sign a one-year deal worth $2 million plus bonuses.
Why He Can Shine Next Season: At 37, Giroux isn't the fastest player, never was, but he still delivers top-tier vision, faceoff dominance (61.5%), and steady scoring. He overhears the discussion about his age and the drop in his speed and stats. Between that and the Sens' below-market offer, he'll have something to prove. With a 72-point career average, he'll be highly motivated to bounce back this season. But it will depend on opportunity, linemates and what Travis Green has up his sleeve. If he's not in the top six, count on 40 points. If he is, and gets reasonable looks on the power play, 60 is a reasonable projection.
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David Perron, 37
2024‑25 Stats: 43 GP, 9 G, 7 A, 16 Pts, –7, 71 SOG
Perron signed as a free agent last summer, agreeing to a two-year deal worth $4 million a season.
Why He Can Shine Next Season: Perron remains a smart, competitive, creative player who's not afraid to pay the price of abuse to get to the net or win pucks along the boards. The Sens need more of that, not less. His friendly veteran presence complements the younger forwards beautifully. Like Giroux, he's not the fastest guy, but he also enters a new season feeling inspired. Perron missed half of last season through injury and family issues, and he'd like to show Ottawa that he's well worth the money. Also like Giroux, projecting what Perron will do next season will depend on his usage. The way that Green mixes up his lines, we're betting he runs a time share in the top six. But in a full season, a bounce back to north of 40 points isn't an unreasonable prediction.
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Lars Eller, 36
2024‑25 Stats: 80 GP, 10 G, 12A, 22 Pts, -1, 104 SOG
Eller signed on day one of free agency this month, getting a one-year deal worth $1.25 million. He's the new kid in town, but he's old.
Why He Can Shine Next Season: Eller offers two-way stability, strong faceoffs, and versatility. He's likely to be a fourth liner next season, but can move up the lineup if needed, just the way his predecessor, Adam Gaudette, did last season. But Eller is bigger and a better skater than Gaudette. Eller spend most of last season in Washington, where he got just over 12 minutes of ice time per night and put up 15 points in 63 games. That's about the pace and ice time he can expect now in Ottawa, so 22 points and more of the same is a fair outlook.
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Nick Jensen, 35
2024-25 Stats: 71 GP, 3 G, 18 A, 21 Pts, +18, 77 SOG
Jensen was acquired last summer, along with a third-round pick, for pending UFA Jakob Chychrun.
Why He Can Shine Next Season: There are reasons why Jensen might not shine next season, and they're strictly medical. Jensen underwent hip surgery after the season, so his 2025-26 outlook entirely depends on a return to full health and his usual speed and mobility. But if he gets to that place, he may be able to build on a quality first year as a Senator. He played through the last 30 games and the playoffs while dealing with pain, and that will take any player down a few notches. With fingers crossed, we think Jensen will get back go his usual 20 minutes, become an even better insulator for the roving Thomas Chabot, and scoring at the same pace as last season (21 points in 71 games) whenever it is he gets back.
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So there's the Senators' grey-bearded Mount Rushmore of older dudes, the distinguished gentlemen of the game, brought in to complement the children of the rebuild. The four vets also have the added motivation of playing for their next contracts. All four will be UFAs again next summer.
Age before beauty? In this case, it could be both, because Staios is banking on these vets to be beauties this fall, steady in the room, and shining when it matters most.
By Steve Warne
Sens Nation Hockey
Image credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
More Sens Headlines:
Key Takeaways From Senators Development Camp
Five Former Senator First-Rounders All Found New NHL Homes
Is Yakemchuk In The Sens' NHL Plans For This Fall?
Steve Staios' Top Five Trades (So Far) As Senators GM
Dissecting The Senators' Intriguing Right-Shot Defensive Depth Chart
Claude Giroux Reveals Why He Signed Back In Ottawa
Sens Nation Podcast: Sens Sign Eller and Kaliyev; Have They Sens Added Enough?

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Roughriders soar past Alouettes 34-6 in CFL power clash

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Roughriders soar past Alouettes 34-6 in CFL power clash

MONTREAL — A dominant defensive performance and explosive plays allowed the Saskatchewan Roughriders to walk away from Montreal with a 34-6 win on Saturday. It was billed as a clash between the CFL's top two teams, but the Roughriders proved a class above the Alouettes, improving to 7-1 and moving four points up on the 5-3 Calgary Stampeders in the West Division. The Saskatchewan defence held the Alouettes (5-3) to 169 yards and did not allow them to pass their 46 yard-line. They also forced three turnovers, although it could have been even more. 'Through and through that was our best game as a defence,' said Saskatchewan head coach and defensive coordinator Corey Mace. 'I told them, that being said, we dropped so many potential interceptions and turnovers. Really, really proud of those guys.' 'It makes it pretty easy to win football games,' quarterback Trevor Harris said about his defence's performance. 'If they don't get into the red zone and they only kick two field goals, it's tough to lose games. "It's on us as an offence to make sure we extend our leads and they don't get close. We did that, but obviously still wish we would have done a little more offensively.' 'They're a good team,' said Montreal quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson. 'We have to give them credit, but we came out absolutely terrible tonight, myself included. You come out against a good team and play badly, it looks like that.' Harris threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns against one of his former teams and Dohnte Meyers had 182 all-purpose yards in the win as well but the common refrain from the Riders coaches and players was that they were capable of even more. 'We're just going to continue to keep climbing and getting better. Just because you're 7-1 after eight games, it doesn't mean anything,' Harris said. A crowd of 21,654 at Percival Molson Stadium in Montreal witnessed the Riders improve to 4-0 on the road. It was the Roughriders first win in Montreal since Oct. 30, 2021, snapping a two-game losing streak in Quebec and three games against the Alouettes overall. 'The environment was everything that we thought it was going to be,' said Mace. 'Their crowd showed up, the energy was crazy, but as a football team we were able to keep them quiet.' 'Anytime you get a win on the road in the CFL, it's nothing to sneeze at, especially against a team like this,' Harris said. Montreal was playing its fourth game of the season without starting quarterback Davis Alexander. They are 1-3 in those games. Bethel-Thompson, Alexander's replacement, went 15 for 26 for 126 yards and an interception and was briefly replaced in the third quarter by Caleb Evans. Maas said he tried to find a spark by going to Evans but when it wasn't there, he returned to Bethel-Thompson. The loss drops Montreal two points behind the East-leading Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Saskatchewan opened the scoring with short-yardage quarterback Tommy Stevens' one-yard touchdown run on an opening drive aided by a 46-yard return on the opening kickoff by Meyers and an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Alouettes. It was the only scoring in the first quarter. The Roughriders doubled their lead on their first drive of the second quarter, a nine-play, 69-yard drive ending with a Harris touchdown pass to Tommy Nield with 8:35 remaining. Montreal finally got on the board with 5:15 remaining in the first half when Jose Maltos connected for a 56-yard field goal. Saskatchewan answered right back with a field goal of their own, set up after a long 58-yard pass and catch from Harris to Meyers. Meyers is in his second season with the Roughriders and came into the game among the league leaders with five explosive plays, which is categorized as receptions over 30 yards and kickoff returns over 40 yards. On Saturday, he added three more. 'He's a big-play guy and he's able to help us stretch the field,' said Harris. 'The reputation is that we only throw the ball short, but we've been throwing the ball deep over people's heads quite a bit this year with Dohnte and KeeSean (Johnson).' 'He's an explosive receiver,' Mace said. 'He runs routes as smooth as ever, he's got great hands, and he's got some top-level speed to be able to break away. The kid's just a ballplayer, man, and I think everybody in the country's starting to figure that out.' The game's second half was delayed close to 30 minutes due to a thunderstorm in the area, and the rain continued to start the third quarter. Both teams were dealing with key players missing. Saskatchewan was missing receiver Samuel Emilus. In addition to Alexander, Montreal was without receivers Austin Mack and Tyler Philpot, while defensive back Kabion Ento was a late scratch and safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy left the game with an injury. Montreal head coach Jason Maas did not give an update on Dequoy's status, saying he will be re-evaluated this week. 'Injuries are part of the game,' said Maas. 'At times they're harder to overcome than others. Obviously, you don't ever want to start a game losing a guy and then lose a couple extra guys at those positions.' 'What I give more credit to than anything is them,' he said about his opponents. 'They played very well tonight, whether we were injured or not.' UP NEXT Roughriders: Host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday, Aug. 16. Alouettes: Host the Edmonton Elks on Friday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 2, 2025. Jared Book, The Canadian Press