NHL
Thomas Chabot's injury has Ottawa on the hunt for a left-shot defender. Claus Andersen / Getty Images
OTTAWA — Imagine if the Ottawa Senators were down both Thomas Chabot and Nick Jensen entering this week.
Thankfully, it’s only Chabot on the injury list as the Senators avoided a scare when Jensen didn’t finish last week’s game against the Boston Bruins. But the Senators remain short a left-shot defender — to the point where they have Jensen playing on his off side with Nikolas Matinpalo. And even when Chabot was healthy, you could argue the Senators were in need at that position, given the limited playing experience of any potential AHL reinforcements.
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It’s been a week since Senators GM Steve Staios told the media the team would “continue to explore that market,” and acknowledged losing Donovan Sebrango on waivers at the beginning of the season “hurts their depth.”
The market isn’t bountiful for left-shot defenders, nor should the Senators break the bank on a defender who could serve as a No. 7 or No. 8 at best. The Toronto Maple Leafs recently grabbed defenceman Troy Stecher, a mobile but small defender with a right shot and familiarity with Sens head coach Travis Green from their days together in Vancouver, off waivers.
It might mean being crafty (or patient) to acquire a lefty, or pluck one through waivers. But here are a handful of left-shot targets worth keeping an eye on.
Also, for everyone about to run to the comments to say the Senators need a top scoring winger, I hear you and I share that opinion. Hold your fire.
Ville Heinola, Winnipeg Jets
The Jets’ 2019 first-round pick is in the AHL, with prospect after prospect bypassing him on the depth chart. His injury history has played a role in that. Heinola told colleague and friend Murat Ates he’s “just waiting for my opportunity.” There could be one in Ottawa, and he might benefit from a change in scenery. More importantly, his 53 NHL games are an upgrade considering the Senators’ lack of depth on the left side.
Egor Zamula or Dennis Gilbert, Philadelphia Flyers
Speaking of change in scenery, it sure sounds like Zamula might be interested in a new team, too. Rumours have surrounded him since the beginning of the season. Zamula has size at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds and boasts over 160 games of NHL experience at the age of 25. He has some skating ability and has contributed on the power play for the Flyers. It might be worth looking into a depressed asset like Zamula.
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Gilbert is in the AHL right now, but he’s familiar with the Senators. He was part of the Dylan Cozens trade that also netted them a second-round pick in the 2026 draft. The defender has already played the role of depth defenceman for Ottawa, and there’s reason enough for it: he has some size and mobility to his game, and can fight. No one’s wearing his No. 6 either, so it could be just like he never left.
Ilya Solovyov, Colorado Avalanche
A big body waived by the Calgary Flames after training camp. He filled in for the Colorado Avalanche in a handful of games this season, but has since been a healthy scratch for about two weeks. What he lacks in limited NHL experience (24 career games), he makes up for in physical profile: 6-foot-3, 208 pounds.
Spencer Stastney, Nashville Predators
If the Predators are on the verge of another lost season, it could be worth giving GM Barry Trotz a phone call to pluck a depth defenceman off his hands, especially if one is obtainable at a relatively affordable cost. Despite the Predators being in the NHL’s basement, Stastney’s advanced metrics aren’t too bad. He holds a 54.76 percent Corsi rating at five-on-five and a 52.25 expected goals percentage, while mostly playing alongside Justin Barron.
Erik Gustafsson, Detroit Red Wings
The most veteran of all the defencemen mentioned on this list. Gustafsson has yet to play a game this season for the Red Wings and it’s been years since he reached the 60-point plateau. But it could be worth a flier if he shows he’s still capable of providing offence from the back end.
Lars Eller has taken over 12,000 faceoffs in his 17-year NHL career across six teams, winning over 50 percent. When he explains how to win a draw, he’s worth listening to.
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But even the long-time veteran has been impressed with the work of his new Senators teammates in the faceoff dot.
“I think it’s the best I’ve ever been a part of,” Eller told The Athletic last week.
The Senators remain atop the league in faceoff percentage at 58.2, an early improvement on their 53.1 percent rate from last season, which ranked fourth-best in the NHL.
Again, it’s early. But Eller’s 56.4 percent is above his career average. He’s never finished a season higher than 53.7 percent, which he did in the 2022-23 season for Washington and Pittsburgh. But the most startling development is Tim Stützle’s win rate of 61.1 percent. The German has never finished a season with a win rate above 50 percent in his career. Among forwards who’ve taken at least 120 faceoffs this season, Stützle’s percentage is fourth-best in the NHL.
“I just try and dial in on every faceoff like it’s a must-win,” Stützle said. “I understood what it takes to win more faceoffs.”
Even coming off a season where they finished in the league’s top five, the Senators were intentional about improving in the faceoff dot. Assistant coach Ben Sexton says his team was challenged, “individually and collectively,” to be the best in the league in faceoffs.
“I think it kind of falls back to who our group is,” Sexton told The Athletic. “We’re highly competitive. We value the small details in the game.”
Shane Pinto said it helps learning from veterans like Eller and Claude Giroux. But paying attention to details like body positioning has helped Stützle improve significantly in the faceoff dot.
“He just knows now he’s strong enough, he’s good enough to win these draws,” Pinto said. “He’s just keeping it more simple, and he’s not trying to overextend himself. He’s just keeping it tight. And when you keep it tight, sometimes you miss it, but you get that second swipe, too.”
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This faceoff against Utah last week is a perfect example of that, with Stützle’s positioning getting the better of an opposing centre, allowing him to get to the puck first after his initial swipe.
Stützle won 50 percent of his draws against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, including one faceoff win against Anze Kopitar. But that win was as clean as you could get, again with no overextension or wide movements. A perfect faceoff win against one of the league’s best, following Eller’s advice to a tee.
“This force you’re putting into the stick is going down into the ice and back,” Eller explained. “So that’s how you have to think, like down and back. And usually less is more with the motion. Big swings and a wide motion, you think it might (be) stronger. But the further you get away from the body, the weaker you are. So you want to (have) a short motion. Quick, short and heavy is the way to think about it.”
Safe to say that the German’s hard work at improving his faceoffs has paid off. But he still trails his OG in Giroux and his 69.3 percent rate, the league’s best among forwards who have taken at least 120 faceoffs this season.
It sure helps when you’ve taken over 20,000 of them in your career.
“Every year, he’s so good, so consistent,” Stützle said. “Especially on draws. He takes a lot of big faceoffs. I have the feeling when he actually wants to win one, he’s going to win it at 100 percent.
“I haven’t practiced faceoffs with him, because he’s pretty strong, so I don’t want to hurt my wrist.”
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Julian McKenzie is an NHL staff writer and contributor to the NHL’s news and enterprise team for The Athletic. McKenzie also hosts The Chris Johnston Show with The Athletic’s Chris Johnston. McKenzie is also the writer of the upcoming book, Black Aces, on Black hockey players and people. McKenzie’s work can also be found in The New York Times, FiveThirtyEight, the Montreal Gazette, the Canadian Press, TSN 690, CTV Montreal and more. Follow Julian on Twitter @jkamckenzie
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