Why the Senators need to add a top four defenseman at the trade deadline.

OTTAWA — Ottawa Senators fans have been discussing this all season. What’s more important: a top-six forward or a top-four defenseman?

The answer is clear. Top 4 defenseman.

While the future of the Senators at right defense is uncertain now and into the future, most of Ottawa’s young forward group is under contract for the next decade, with the exception of captains Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson.

Sure, the puck might find the back of the net more often, but collectively, the Senators have the 10th best shooting percentage in the league. The problem is that their defense is imperfect.

In an ideal world, the Senators would upgrade in both areas, but this season has been anything but ideal for Sens Nation.

Ottawa’s top four defenses are in place, with the exception of unrestricted free agent Nick Jensen, who has played better recently but has struggled overall. It’s clear that Jensen is not the solution. He scored 53 goals in 5-on-5 games. This is the 13th most goals among players who have played more than 800 minutes this season, and the third most goals per 60 minutes in the league at 3.54. Adding to the right side of the top four could mean the Senators have one of the best defenses in the league, led by Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, Artem Zub, and (insert trade deadline acquisition).

Also, the narrative that Ottawa is having trouble scoring is deceptive. The Senators are 11th in goals, 8th on power plays, and 23rd in goals allowed per game.

Additionally, Dylan Cozens, who was Ottawa’s biggest question mark offensively, has found his game.

It would be naive to think Ottawa’s forward group is championship-caliber. But a top six elite forwards won’t solve the problem of finding a partner for Chabot. In the NHL, most of the time you defend your way out of trouble, not outrun it. General manager Steve Staios will eventually have to find a winger to score, but probably not before Friday’s trade deadline.

Ottawa centers Cozens, Tim Stutzle and Shane Pinto are all under contract through 2030, while only Sanderson is under contract on Ottawa’s blueline beyond 2028. The defense needs reinforcements.

We all know why the Senators’ season has been disappointing. Every Senator goalie has been shaky this season, especially Linus Ullmark, who has a save percentage of .884. But on Tuesday in Edmonton, the senator’s defense team disappointed Ullmark.

We know the Senators are six points out of a playoff spot, but moneypuck.com The odds of making the playoffs are 39%. They have points in eight of their last nine games and in games Ullmark has started and finished, he is 7-0-3 in his last 10 games (he was pulled against Toronto on December 27). They are getting close enough to make the playoffs.

If Ullmark’s play continues, Senators management will have more reason to believe in the roster.

The Senators need to go all in, a bold deadline to strengthen this season, but importantly, the next few seasons as well.

You need to take advantage of the window in which Tkachuk is signed and sign Sanderson and Stutzle to bargain deals to earn him nearly $8 million or more per season. In theory, the next few seasons should be when the Senators become contenders.

Meanwhile, Staios clearly recognizes the need for a right-handed defenseman, as his first two first-round picks as GM have filled that very role in Carter Yakemchuk and Logan Hensler.

The underrated storyline is that Zub becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2027, when he turns 31. Zub created one of the best defensive partnerships in Senators history with Sanderson in the same stratosphere as Erik Karlsson-Marc Methot or Zdeno Chara-Chris Phillips. It puts the Senators’ hierarchy in a precarious position as the younger Yakemchuk and Hensler are unlikely to be impactful contributors in the near term. Ottawa’s lack of draft capital, prospects and impending free agency for Zub means they will have to plan to fill out the right side of the defense for 2027-28.

All of this indicates that Ottawa needs a right-handed defenseman in the Sanderson-Stutzle-Tkachuk era of Senators hockey.

The Sens could trade just one of their prospects for a ready-to-win version of what they hope Yakemchuk and Hensler will one day be, but not both.

Elite right-handed defensemen are difficult to acquire, but not impossible. There are a lot of right-handed defensemen with periods on Nick Kypreos’ trade board.

There’s MacKenzie Weegar. He gets paid until he’s 38, but he’s from Ottawa and he’s a really good NHL defenseman. Imagine a top four team with Sanderson-Zub and Chabot-Weegar. It’s pretty good now and next season as well.

Additionally, Kypreos’ board of directors includes the likes of Tyler Myers, Justin Faulk, Dougie Hamilton, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Braeden Schneider, all of whom remain in control of the team until at least the end of next season.

There is no perfect solution, but some would be clear upgrades for this Senators franchise.

Staios’ No. 1 priority at the deadline should be elevating the Senators’ lineup for 2026-27 and beyond while also pushing Ottawa to a playoff spot.

This will also protect Yakemchuk’s future next season, meaning he won’t move into the top four too soon.

We acknowledge that the Senators will have to be cautious to avoid unnecessarily trading picks for short-term gain, as former GM Pierre Dorion did when he traded away first-rounders each for Alex DeBrincat and Jakob Chychrun, who combined for two and a half years in the Canadian capital.

At the same time, senators are not as far away as they were then. Rather than trying to fuel a rebuild with short-sighted, short-term swings at the wrong time, as Staios’ predecessor did, they are now poised to win.

To be clear, every move must have a duration. Ottawa is not a free agent destination, has no first-round picks this season and only has two elite prospects at its disposal. Staios has one chance at this.

Taking smart, calculated gambles is in order.