As a player, Ottawa Senators GM Steve Staios wasn’t known for his fancy moves, but he managed to pull off a few beauties this weekend. By Sunday afternoon, when all the smoke had cleared, Staios and his staff had pulled off three trades, brought seven new players into the organization, and re-signed a fan favourite.

Here's your full summary of an impressive Sens weekend.

Claude Giroux Returns

After three years with his hometown NHL club, veteran forward Claude Giroux was less than two days away from unrestricted free agency before agreeing on Sunday to a one-year, bonus-laden deal.

According to Puckpedia.com, the deal includes a base salary of $2 million, with performance bonuses that could push the total value to $4.75 million.

• Base salary of $2 million
• Performance Bonuses – possible $2.75 million total:

        - $250,000 each for 20/30/60 Games
        - $250,000 to make playoffs & 50 GP
        - $500,000 to win Round 1, $250,000 to win Round 2, $500,000 to win Round 3, and $500,000 to win the Cup (minimum 50% GP)

• No movement clause

While we’re still curious why a Round Two victory is only worth half what all the other rounds are worth (maybe a typo), that’s an outstanding deal for the Senators. If they had to go to market searching for a suitable replacement, they’re not finding one who’d be willing to come to Ottawa for the deal that Giroux signed today.

The Trades (All picks were 2025 selections unless otherwise indicated)

• Trading the 21st pick to Nashville for the 23rd pick and the 67th pick
• Trading the 96th pick and a seventh-rounder (2027) for the 93rd pick
• Trading the 67th pick and a sixth-rounder (2026) for Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jordan Spence

Jordan Spence, Right Defenseman, Acquired from Los Angeles

Spence appeared in 79 regular season games with Los Angeles in 2024–25, putting up four goals and 28 points, along with a plus-23 rating. In 180 career NHL games, Spence has collected eight goals and 61 points. He is signed for the 2025–26 NHL season with a contract that carries an AAV of $1.5 million.

“We're excited about the player,” Staios said. “Twenty-four years old, mobile, smart, competitive. And any time you get a chance to acquire a player like that, you know, you really start to look at it a little bit harder.

“Depth on defense is important to teams, especially on the right side—it's always harder to find right-shot defense, it seems like. So this was something where we can continue to add to the depth throughout the organization.”

Giving up only a third-rounder that the Sens basically got for free, along with a 2026 sixth-rounder, for an NHL player that makes your team better is fantastic value.

Why Senator Newcomer Jordan Spence Makes A Fine Insurance Policy On Ottawa's Blue LineIn the early portion of the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft, Sportnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the Ottawa Senators had reached a trade agreement with the Los Angeles Kings, sending the 67th overall pick in this year's draft and a sixth-round selection, previously acquired from Colorado, in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Now onto the actual draft picks…

Logan Hensler, Right Defenseman, University of Wisconsin – 23rd Overall

On the heels of the 2024 selection of Carter Yakemchuk, the Sens took a right-shot defenseman for the second straight year, opting for Logan Hensler from the University of Wisconsin. Hensler is six-foot-two, 196 pounds and a member of the U.S. World Juniors squad that won gold.

Staios said he didn’t go into the draft necessarily targeting another right-shot defenseman.

“Yeah, not really,” Staios said. “You watch your draft list sort of unfold; this was a really good player that was sitting there with Hensler at our pick. I guess if it's a toss-up between maybe a winger and a right-shot defenseman, you'd probably lean towards (the right-shot D), just because of the value and how hard it is to find. So it's part of the consideration.”

The Hockey News’ Tony Ferrari describes Hensler as a player with excellent mobility and enough size to make it as a middle-of-the-lineup, two-way NHL defenseman.

Ottawa Senators 2025 First-Round Selection Says He Models His Game After Jake SandersonFor the second time in its franchise history, the Senators were involved in a draft day deal that involved a swap of first-round picks with the Nashville Predators.

Hensler enters his second year at Wisconsin this fall, where he'll welcome London Knights forward Blake Montgomery, Ottawa's 4th-round pick from last season. 2022 Sens pick Tyson Dyck, a forward, also plays at Wisconsin.

The Sens would wait 70 picks before making another selection.

Blake Vanek, Forward, Chicago Steel (USHL) – 93rd Overall

As they’ve frequently done in the past, the Sens went with a player who has excellent NHL bloodlines. They chose Blake Vanek, the son of former NHL player Thomas Vanek.

Like fellow Sens prospect Javon Moore (4th round, 2024), Blake spent most of his draft year ripping up high school hockey in Minnesota, where he put up 53 points in 29 games. Blake fits Ottawa’s trend of drafting bigger players. He’s already almost 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, and he doesn’t turn 18 until August.

“There’s a lot of hockey runway ahead with him,” Sens amateur scout Dan Boeser said. “He obviously comes from a hockey family with his dad, so there’s that piece we like. He knows the game well.”

Blake also saw limited action with the Chicago Steel in the USHL, posting 5 points in 9 games. Next season, he’s committed to a scholarship and development agreement with the Wenatchee Wild of the WHL.

“He's a powerful kid,” Boeser said. “He's going to be a big man when he's all done. He competes, can shoot the puck, he scores in the dirty areas. So there's a lot to like about him. Like the path that he's going to take next year going to Wenatchee. So yeah, we're excited.”

Lucas Beckman, Goalie, Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL) – 97th Overall

Like Vanek, Beckman won’t be 18 until August, so he’s another player with lots of runway.

At six-foot-two, 182 pounds, Beckman posted a .914 save percentage and a 2.65 goals-against average this year. It also says a lot when you’re only 17 and your major junior team makes you their undisputed number one goalie. Beckman started 52 games, posting a record of 31-18-2. He also started all 11 playoff games for Baie-Comeau, putting up even better individual stats than in the regular season.

Dmitri Isayev, Forward, Avto Yekaterinburg (Russian Junior Hockey) – 149th Overall

If anyone accuses the Senators of only being interested in bigger players at the draft, they can immediately call people’s attention to their 2025 fifth-round selection of Isayev. He is 5-foot-8, 148 pounds, but he is highly skilled, fast, and has a non-stop engine. Last season with Avto Yekaterinburg in the MHL, Isayev recorded 22 goals and 23 assists for 45 points in 44 games—over a point per game.

Bruno Idzan, LW, Lincoln Stars (USHL) – 181st Overall

The 19-year-old Idzan (EE’-junn) scored a highly impressive 22 goals and 44 points in 36 games with the Lincoln Stars, the USHL team that Blake Montgomery (4th round, 2024) began the season with. Those two will be reunited at the University of Wisconsin this fall, along with fellow Sens picks Logan Hensler and Tyson Dyck.

Idzan’s path to getting drafted is as unique as it gets. He’s the first Croatian to be drafted in the NHL and started the year back home in the Alps Hockey League, a pro league with teams from Austria, Croatia, Italy, and Slovenia.

Andrei Trofimov, G, Magnitogorsk Magnitka (MHL) – 213th Overall

The 18-year-old Russian is six-foot-two, 187 pounds and had outstanding numbers in the MHL, Russia’s top junior league. Trofimov had a 2.10 GAA and a .929 save percentage in 26 games. It’s hard to figure out which is more surprising for the Senators: taking two Russians (which previous management seemed to steer clear of), or taking a second goalie in a draft where you only have six picks. Staios said that even though it was a later pick, his scouts still took it very seriously, and after much discussion the pick was decided on.

“The goalie guys won,” Staios said.

That was a great weekend for the Ottawa Senators. Let’s see what they do for an encore when free agency begins on Tuesday.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News/Ottawa

Sens First-Round Selection Says He Models His Game After Jake Sanderson
Senators Acquire Defenseman Jordan Spence From Los Angeles
Senators Select Another Right Shot Defenseman In Round One Of 2025 Draft
Sens Nation Podcast: Breaking Down the Giroux and Spence Deals and the NHL Draft
Will the Sens Go Shopping For A New Backup Goalie?
Senators UFA Claude Giroux: Still Easily A Top-Six Forward In Ottawa

The Detroit Red Wings announce full development camp details including scrimmage times, rosters and prospects to watch.

The Detroit Red Wings have announced the roster for their 2025 Development Camp, taking place from June 30 to July 3 at the BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena. The camp features 16 forwards, nine defensemen, and six goaltenders and will work as a great opportunity for some of the organization’s top prospects from recent NHL drafts to get in meaningful work with high level coaches. 

Draft ✔️
Development Camp 🔜

🗓️ » https://t.co/OCt9ZD2XHMpic.twitter.com/XfFIlUURhK

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 29, 2025

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The camp also works as a great opportunity for fans of the Red Wings to come and watch the team's future stars in the making and may even get a chance to meet some of them. Seven of the eight players Detroit selected in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft will participate, including first-round pick Carter Bear and second-rounder Eddie Genborg. Bear led the WHL’s Everett Silvertips in scoring last season, while Genborg made his professional debut in Sweden’s top league.

One of the most notable prospects that will be attending camp will be Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, the Red Wings' 2024 first-round pick, who returns after an impressive season with Skellefteå AIK in the SHL and a brief stint with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. He also represented Norway at the 2025 IIHF World Championship. Other notable prospects include college standouts and recent signees adding depth to the camp roster.

It all starts tomorrow! #DRWDC

📰 » https://t.co/JNAXDkR7cJpic.twitter.com/N7ItwBT0Yy

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 29, 2025

The camp will be divided into Team Howe and Team Lindsay, featuring daily on-ice skill development and off-ice workouts led by Red Wings player development coaches. The event concludes with a four-on-four game on Thursday, July 3, which will be streamed live on DetroitRedWings.com as well as the Red Wings’ Facebook and YouTube channels. Fans can watch the game starting at 10 a.m., with exclusive interviews and commentary throughout.

While only on-ice sessions will be open to media, fans and followers can stay up to date with full Development Camp coverage at www.DetroitRedWings.com/Prospects. The live streams and updates offer a great way for fans to experience the camp remotely and get a first look at the future of Detroit hockey.

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While Kent Hughes was able to make a big splash on draft day by landing Noah Dobson in a trade with the New York Islanders, the hunt to bolster the Montreal Canadiens’ top six continues. It’s no secret that the Tricolore would have liked to find that ever elusive second-line center. Still, pivots of that pedigree are few and far between on the market, and many teams are looking for that kind of gem, which has prompted the GM to widen his search to include top-six wingers that fit a specific profile.

Does that mean the Canadiens should try to keep hold of Christian Dvorak? Marc Bergevin acquired the pending UFA after they had lost Jesperi Kotkaniemi to an offer sheet and Philip Danault to the Los Angeles Kings in free agency. It wasn’t so much that Dvorak was what the Canadiens needed, but rather, he was one of the rare centers available on the market.

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Four years down the line, the 6-foot-1 and 190-pound left-shot center only managed to play a complete season once in Montreal, and during that campaign, he only put up 33 points. After nine years and 534 NHL games in which he gathered 249 points, it’s evident that the offensive upside he showed in junior hockey was brought on by linemates Mitch Marner and Matthew Tkachuk. Dvorak is not the man who could center the Habs’ second line.

Should Hughes bring him back to keep centering a veteran line with Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson? After all, they were an efficient line for the Sainte-Flanelle last season. We have to look back at the GM’s season post-mortem to find a clue to answer that question. While he wouldn’t speak about specific players, Hughes did say that he needed to be wary of blocking the development of his young players by signing free agents.

Hughes is trying to build a perennial contender and wants to favour organic development. This past season, the Canadiens had two rookies who stuck around all season long: Lane Hutson and Emil Heineman. Both players had a more than satisfactory season and were well surrounded by veterans. Next season, it seems evident that Ivan Demidov will be one of the rookies, but there could be another spot up front up for grabs, which Oliver Kapanen and Owen Beck should be contending for.

Bringing back Dvorak could make them wonder why a veteran has just filled a spot they have in their crosshairs. If Hughes signs a veteran center, it must be an impact player with top-six upside, not one for the bottom six. Jake Evans is already penciled in down there, and you’ve got to keep a spot which the kids can contend for.

Sure, Dvorak was experienced and could play on the penalty kill, but Kapanen did that in the Swedish league and even played on the man-advantage as well. The whole point of sending him back to Europe was to allow him to gain experience in areas he wouldn’t have the opportunity to work on in the NHL. Now, with Dvorak gone, he does have that opportunity. If it turns out he cannot do it, Captain Nick Suzuki can always go back to playing on the penalty killing unit, although that would be less than ideal with his already heavy workload, but the option is there if needed.

In other words, signing Dvorak to a new contract would send the wrong message to the youngsters; it would tell them that the organization does not believe they are ready to take the next step, and it could have a profoundly negative impact on their motivation.

Of course, going with youth will bring its share of growing pains; there will be times when the team may miss the veteran, but that’s a regular part of the process. It was the same with Hutson last season; as the calendar progressed, the turnovers and hazardous decisions decreased. That’s just normal - young players need to learn and grow in an NHL setting. Gaining experience in the AHL is all well and good, but it remains a lower league, and what works there may not work at the highest level. They need to be allowed to find that out for themselves.

Could it backfire? Not really, the worst thing that can happen is that there are more growing pains than the Habs thought there would be, between that and being stuck with a veteran who has become surplus to requirements and is almost impossible to trade because of a contract that is either too long or too generous. This doesn’t strike me like a trap Hughes is likely to fall into. Dvorak performed well for the Canadiens in a bottom-six role last season, but room must be made for youth, and that means there’s no room for him anymore.

Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

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