The Ottawa Senators took care of their remaining restricted free agents over the last couple of days. Xavier Bourgault and Tyler Boucher, both 2021 first-round picks, were signed to one-year, two-way contracts at the league-minimum $850k salary. Bourgault’s AHL salary will be $265k, while Boucher’s will be $90k. Both will be eligible for waivers prior to being assigned to the AHL, and I don’t think either is likely to be claimed.
Both forwards played on the right wing last season with Belleville and posted career highs – Bourgault had 25 goals and 57 points in 70 games, while Boucher managed to stay relatively healthy for the second year in a row, with 12 goals and 26 assists in 47 games. Both could easily find their way onto a fourth-line at the NHL level at some point in their careers, but are unlikely to play more than a couple of games in Ottawa without significant injuries, not just at the NHL level but also to some of their new AHL signings, such as Sammy Blais and Philip Tomasino.
Woz, The Great and Powerful
After announcing new deals for Rebecca Leslie and Fanuza Kadirova last week, the lone RFA (outside of the 2026 draftees) remaining on the Ottawa Charge’s roster was winger Sarah Wozniewicz. A third-round pick of the Charge in 2025, she tied for third among rookie forwards in points with 13 in 30 games, and added 4 points in 8 playoff games, including an assist on Leslie’s winning goal in the Game 3 victory over Montreal in the Walter Cup final.
A three-year deal was announced on Friday, which for a player of Wozniewicz’s upside is fantastic news for the Charge – both in terms of on-ice value, as well as a much-needed boost to fan morale. After the mass exodus we saw following last year’s Finals appearance, having a player commit to Ottawa for three years is huge.
No Fowl Play Detected Here
The Eastern Conference can breathe a sigh of relief – the Philadelphia Flyers won’t be getting Leo Carlsson. The Anaheim Ducks officially matched the five-year, $18M/year offer sheet, keeping their most valuable player in the fold, albeit on a contract that is virtually impossible to age all that well. The end result is the Flyers remain an otherwise solid team that desperately needs a first-line center to hold onto a playoff spot, and the Ducks have just $9M in cap space to sign key RFA Cutter Gauthier. For fans of the Sens and pretty much every other team in the league, it’s the best-case scenario.
Links, News and NotesHead coach Travis Green has been inducted into the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame as part of its 2026 class. In his draft year (1989) with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs, Green posted 51 goals and 51 assists prior to being selected 23rd overall by the New York Islanders. After his playing career, and before he began coaching NHL teams, he served as a coach and GM for the Portland Winterhawks.Here’s the B-Sens schedule for the 2026-27 AHL season – the action begins on October 2nd against the new Hamilton Hammers.Interviews with the Senators’ new offseason acquisitions – Sam Ersson and Andre Burakovsky – are available on the Senators’ website.