2017–18 Ottawa Senators season

2017–18 Ottawa Senators
Division	7th Atlantic
Conference	15th Eastern
2017–18 record	28–43–11
Home record	16–19–6
Road record	12–24–5
Goals for	221
Goals against	291
Team information
General manager	Pierre Dorion
Coach	Guy Boucher
Captain	Erik Karlsson
Alternate captains	Dion Phaneuf (Oct.–Feb.) Zack Smith (Feb.–Apr.) Mark Stone Kyle Turris (Oct.–Nov.)
Arena	Canadian Tire Centre
Average attendance	15,829 (91.1%)
Minor league affiliate(s)	Belleville Senators (AHL)
Team leaders
Goals	Matt Duchene Ryan Dzingel (23)
Assists	Erik Karlsson (53)
Points	Erik Karlsson Mark Stone (62)
Penalty minutes	Mark Borowiecki (64)
Plus/minus	Mark Stone (+9)
Wins	Craig Anderson (23)
Goals against average	Mike Condon (3.25)

The 2017–18 Ottawa Senators season was the 26th season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Senators failed to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs after advancing to game seven of the Eastern Conference Final in the 2017 playoffs.

Team business

The team moved their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate team, the Binghamton Senators, to Belleville, Ontario, becoming the Belleville Senators for the 2017–18 season. The AHL team plays in a refurbished Yardmen Arena, equipped with CA$20 million in upgrades.

The team completed some work on the Canadian Tire Centre in time for the season. The team reduced seating in the upper bowl while adding a stage and special event areas. Team president Tom Anselmi explained the changes in part as that the Centre had too many upper bowl seats and not enough lower bowl seating. The team and Senators fans had been criticized during the 2017 playoffs for not selling out every playoff game. The seating capacity was reduced to 17,000 (standing areas were retained). After the season, Eugene Melnyk stated that he thought the move was a mistake and the tarps over the seats in the upper bowl would be removed for next season.

In January 2018, the Senators reached an agreement with the National Capital Commission government agency in Ottawa to redevelop the downtown LeBreton Flats site. The site would be redeveloped for CA$3.5 billion in a partnership with private developers known as the Rendezvous Group and would include new residential buildings, a public square and tourist attractions. As part of the redevelopment, the Senators would build a new ice hockey arena to replace the Canadian Tire Centre, an arena considered by many fans to be remote and having access problems. A new arena is not expected to open before 2022.

In February 2018, team president Anselmi resigned his position with the Senators, without explanation. The same day, the Senators extended the contract of general manager Pierre Dorion by three years, given the task by owner Melnyk to rebuild the team as necessary.

A group of fans, disappointed in the team in general and owner Melnyk in particular, organized the "#MelnykOut" campaign to prod Melnyk into selling the team or otherwise not be involved with the team. Billboards promoting the "#MelnykOut" campaign were crowd-funded and located around Ottawa. Melnyk and Dorion held "town-hall" meetings with season ticket subscribers after the season in an effort to win back the fan base. The club announced a reduction in parking rates, concession incentives and the removal of the tarps from seats in the arena. Melnyk told the fans that the team was not for sale. Former captain Daniel Alfredsson later told former Ottawa Sun columnist Susan Sherring that he and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson were in agreement that "it was time for a new owner." Asked about Alfredsson's comments, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stated that the club was not for sale, that Melnyk was "committed to the Senators and is passionate about them."

In May 2018, the club announced the appointment of Nicolas Ruszkowski as its new chief operating officer. Ruszkowski has a background in public relations. Ruszkowski will be in charge of business operations and will not have a role in hockey operations.

In June 2018, Melnyk negotiated a CA$135 million refinancing of a long-term loan on the franchise. At the same time, Melnyk had to comment on rumours that he had received an offer for the franchise and turned it down, stating that the team was not for sale and no negotiations had occurred.

Off-season

On June 14, 2017, the Senators announced that long-time winger Chris Neil would not be re-signed and he became a free agent on July 1. Neil had played over 1,000 games for the Senators since being drafted by the team in 1998, accumulating 2,522 penalty minutes during this time, the 20th-most of any player in league history. Neil would not be signed by any other NHL team and he chose to retire. He was honoured by the Senators with a ceremony at the January 25, 2018, Senators' home game.

On July 1, 2017, former Senators team captain Daniel Alfredsson announced that he was stepping down in his role as senior advisor of hockey operations. He said that he wanted to take a complete break from the game to spend time with his family. Alfredsson held the role for two seasons.

The team had a significant turnover in personnel. Senators did not resign forwards Chris Kelly, Tommy Wingels or Viktor Stalberg, and lost Clarke MacArthur to long-term injury related to his ongoing issues with concussions. Defenceman Marc Methot was lost to the Vegas Golden Knights through the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. Kelly would later join the Senators' Belleville affiliate. The Senators signed free agents Johnny Oduya and Nate Thompson.

Pre-season

On June 16, 2017, the Senators announced their pre-season schedule. They played a six-game schedule starting September 18, including a home-and-home set against their provincial rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and a game against the New Jersey Devils in O'Leary, Prince Edward Island, as part of Kraft Hockeyville on September 25. The team also played two games against their closest geographical rival, the Montreal Canadiens, and one game against the Winnipeg Jets.

Regular season

The Senators' home opener was against the Washington Capitals on October 5. On November 10 and November 11, the Senators played two games against the Colorado Avalanche in Stockholm, Sweden. This marked the first time an NHL regular season game has been played outside of North America since 2011.

The Senators made a major trade on November 5, 2017. The team traded Kyle Turris, Andrew Hammond, Shane Bowers and draft picks to the Colorado Avalanche for Matt Duchene, who had requested a trade from the Avalanche. Turris was moved by the Avalanche to the Nashville Predators in a second phase of the deal. Turris had been in unsuccessful salary negotiations with the Senators and reportedly (probably not) turned down a contract offer from the Senators which was similar to one he accepted from the Predators. Hammond had been playing for the Senators' minor league Belleville team, and the Senators wanted to clear his contract. Hammond would remain with Belleville after the trade and was eventually elevated by the Avalanche. Bowers was the Senators' 2017 first round entry draft pick, playing in NCAA ice hockey.

To mark the NHL's centennial, the Senators hosted the "NHL 100 Classic" outdoor game on December 16 at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa. The game between Ottawa and the Montreal Canadiens comes nearly 100 years after the first game of the NHL's 1917–18 season, between the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens. The regular season game was also a Canada 150 event. The stadium's capacity was increased with temporary stands, which were also used for the 105th Grey Cup game to be held a few weeks earlier. The Senators had hoped to host the event on Parliament Hill, but the Government of Canada decided it was not feasible. An alumni game was held at an NHL-sized rink installed on Parliament Hill. In the 100 Classic, the Senators defeated the Canadiens 3–0. The game was preceded by controversial comments by owner Eugene Melnyk about the team's attendance, the move to Lebreton Flats and a possible move of the team.

The Senators began the season without captain Erik Karlsson, who had had off-season surgery, and he returned late in October, at less than 100%, but the team managed to have a winning record in October. After the trade for Duchene, the Senators played the games against the Avalanche in Sweden, winning both. The rest of November was unkind, as the Senators then lost seven in a row, one in overtime. December was also a losing month, as the Senators had five-game and four-game losing streaks and won only one game of eight on the road. January saw the Senators lose six in a row, the first time the team had lost six in a row in regulation since 1996.

As the trade deadline of February 26 approached, the Senators were still well outside of a playoff spot. After having his contract extended, general manager Dorion went to work to rebuild the roster. The Senators traded Chris DiDomenico to the Chicago Blackhawks and Dion Phaneuf and Nate Thompson to the Los Angeles Kings. Derick Brassard went to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a three-team swap with the Vegas Golden Knights. Defenceman Johnny Oduya went to the Philadelphia Flyers via waivers. The Senators notified other teams that they would consider offers for team captain Erik Karlsson, and also suggested a package including Bobby Ryan, but neither player was traded. GM Dorion later stated he would not trade Karlsson at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and would offer him an eight-year extension on his contract on July 1, 2018, the first day the team is allowed to do so.

Playoffs

The Senators were eliminated from playoff contention on March 22, 2018.^[1]

Standings

Atlantic Division

Pos	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	ROW	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	z – Tampa Bay Lightning	82	54	23	5	48	296	236	+60	113
2	x – Boston Bruins	82	50	20	12	47	270	214	+56	112
3	x – Toronto Maple Leafs	82	49	26	7	42	277	232	+45	105
4	Florida Panthers	82	44	30	8	41	248	246	+2	96
5	Detroit Red Wings	82	30	39	13	25	217	255	−38	73
6	Montreal Canadiens	82	29	40	13	27	209	264	−55	71
7	Ottawa Senators	82	28	43	11	26	221	291	−70	67
8	Buffalo Sabres	82	25	45	12	24	199	280	−81	62

Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot; z – Clinched conference

Eastern Conference Wild Card

Pos	Div	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	ROW	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	ME	x – Columbus Blue Jackets	82	45	30	7	39	242	230	+12	97
2	ME	x – New Jersey Devils	82	44	29	9	39	248	244	+4	97
3	AT	Florida Panthers	82	44	30	8	41	248	246	+2	96
4	ME	Carolina Hurricanes	82	36	35	11	33	228	256	−28	83
5	ME	New York Islanders	82	35	37	10	32	264	296	−32	80
6	ME	New York Rangers	82	34	39	9	31	231	268	−37	77
7	AT	Detroit Red Wings	82	30	39	13	25	217	255	−38	73
8	AT	Montreal Canadiens	82	29	40	13	27	209	264	−55	71
9	AT	Ottawa Senators	82	28	43	11	26	221	291	−70	67
10	AT	Buffalo Sabres	82	25	45	12	24	199	280	−81	62

Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot

Schedule and results

Pre-season

The pre-season schedule was announced on June 16, 2017.

2017 pre-season game log: 3–3–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 1–2–0)
#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Recap
1	September 18	Toronto	2–6	Ottawa		Anderson	14,931	1–0–0
2	September 19	Ottawa	5–2	Toronto		Condon	18,847	2–0–0
3	September 23	Montreal	1–5	Ottawa		Anderson	14,818	3–0–0
4[a]	September 25	New Jersey	8–1	Ottawa		Condon	–	3–1–0
5	September 27	Ottawa	3–5	Winnipeg		Condon	15,294	3–2–0
6	September 30	Ottawa	2–9	Montreal		Anderson	21,288	3–3–0
Notes: a Game was played at Consolidated Credit Union Place in Summerside, Prince Edward Island.

Regular season

The regular season schedule was released on June 22, 2017.

2017–18 game log (Record: 28–43–11; Home: 16–19–6 ; Road: 12–24–5)
October: 5–2–5 (Home: 2–2–4 ; Road: 3–0–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 5 Washington 5–4 Ottawa SO Anderson 17,009 0–0–1 1 2 October 7 Detroit 2–1 Ottawa SO Anderson 14,883 0–0–2 2 3 October 10 Ottawa 3–2 Vancouver SO Anderson 17,273 1–0–2 4 4 October 13 Ottawa 6–0 Calgary Anderson 19,289 2–0–2 6 5 October 14 Ottawa 6–1 Edmonton Condon 18,347 3–0–2 8 6 October 17 Vancouver 3–0 Ottawa Anderson 13,430 3–1–2 8 7 October 19 New Jersey 5–4 Ottawa OT Anderson 13,364 3–1–3 9 8 October 21 Toronto 3–6 Ottawa Anderson 17,455 4–1–3 11 9 October 24 Los Angeles 3–2 Ottawa SO Condon 14,034 4–1–4 12 10 October 26 Philadelphia 4–5 Ottawa Anderson 14,926 5–1–4 14 11 October 27 Ottawa 4–5 New Jersey SO Condon 13,763 5–1–5 15 12 October 30 Montreal 8–3 Ottawa Anderson 15,069 5–2–5 15 November: 3–7–1 (Home: 2–3–1 ; Road: 1–4–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 13 November 2 Detroit 1–3 Ottawa Anderson 14,724 6–2–5 17 14 November 4 Vegas 5–4 Ottawa Anderson 16,824 6–3–5 17 15 November 10 Ottawa 4–3 Colorado* OT Anderson 13,396 7–3–5 19 16 November 11 Colorado 3–4 Ottawa* Anderson 13,396 8–3–5 21 17 November 16 Pittsburgh 3–1 Ottawa Anderson 17,144 8–4–5 21 18 November 18 Arizona 3–2 Ottawa OT Condon 16,471 8–4–6 22 19 November 19 Ottawa 0–3 NY Rangers Anderson 17,524 8–5–6 22 20 November 22 Ottawa 2–5 Washington Anderson 18,506 8–6–6 22 21 November 24 Ottawa 2–5 Columbus Anderson 17,084 8–7–6 22 22 November 25 NY Islanders 2–1 Ottawa Anderson 17,276 8–8–6 22 23 November 29 Ottawa 1–2 Montreal Condon 21,302 8–9–6 22 December: 4–8–2 (Home: 3–2–0 ; Road: 1–6–2) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 24 December 1 Ottawa 6–5 NY Islanders Condon 11,797 9–9–6 24 25 December 3 Ottawa 0–5 Winnipeg Condon 15,321 9–10–6 24 26 December 6 Ottawa 0–3 Anaheim Anderson 15,890 9–11–6 24 27 December 7 Ottawa 3–4 Los Angeles OT Condon 18,230 9–11–7 25 28 December 9 Ottawa 0–5 San Jose Anderson 17,562 9–12–7 25 29 December 12 Ottawa 2–3 Buffalo Condon 17,454 9–13–7 25 30 December 13 NY Rangers 2–3 Ottawa Anderson 13,212 10–13–7 27 31 December 16 Montreal 0–3 Ottawa Anderson 33,959 (outdoors) 11–13–7 29 32 December 19 Minnesota 6–4 Ottawa Anderson 13,804 11–14–7 29 33 December 21 Ottawa 3–4 Tampa Bay SO Anderson 19,092 11–14–8 30 34 December 23 Ottawa 0–1 Florida Condon 13,694 11–15–8 30 35 December 27 Ottawa 1–5 Boston Anderson 17,565 11–16–8 30 36 December 29 Columbus 4–5 Ottawa Condon 17,031 12–16–8 32 37 December 30 Boston 5–0 Ottawa Condon 17,579 12–17–8 32 January: 3–7–1 (Home: 2–4–0 ; Road: 1–3–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 38 January 3 Ottawa 1–2 Detroit OT Anderson 19,515 12–17–9 33 39 January 5 San Jose 5–6 Ottawa OT Anderson 16,061 13–17–9 35 40 January 6 Tampa Bay 3–6 Ottawa Anderson 16,247 14–17–9 37 41 January 9 Chicago 8–2 Ottawa Anderson 14,007 14–18–9 37 42 January 10 Ottawa 4–3 Toronto Anderson 19,117 15–18–9 39 43 January 18 St. Louis 4–1 Ottawa Anderson 14,002 15–19–9 39 44 January 20 Toronto 4–3 Ottawa Anderson 17,768 15–20–9 39 45 January 22 Ottawa 1–3 Minnesota Condon 18,907 15–21–9 39 46 January 23 Ottawa 0–3 St. Louis Anderson 18,505 15–22–9 39 47 January 25 Boston 3–2 Ottawa Condon 15,232 15–23–9 39 48 January 30 Ottawa 1–2 Carolina Anderson 11,448 15–24–9 39 February: 6–7–1 (Home: 5–2–0 ; Road: 1–5–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 49 February 1 Anaheim 1–2 Ottawa OT Condon 13,759 16–24–9 41 50 February 3 Ottawa 4–3 Philadelphia SO Anderson 19,729 17–24–9 43 51 February 4 Ottawa 1–4 Montreal Condon 21,302 17–25–9 43 52 February 6 New Jersey 3–5 Ottawa Anderson 13,991 18–25–9 45 53 February 8 Nashville 3–4 Ottawa OT Anderson 14,632 19–25–9 47 54 February 10 Ottawa 3–6 Toronto Condon 19,477 19–26–9 47 55 February 13 Ottawa 3–6 Pittsburgh Condon 18,448 19–27–9 47 56 February 15 Buffalo 2–3 Ottawa OT Anderson 13,371 20–27–9 49 57 February 17 NY Rangers 3–6 Ottawa Anderson 17,259 21–27–9 51 58 February 19 Ottawa 2–5 Nashville Anderson 17,177 21–28–9 51 59 February 21 Ottawa 2–3 Chicago SO Condon 21,532 21–28–10 52 60 February 22 Tampa Bay 4–3 Ottawa Anderson 16,204 21–29–10 52 61 February 24 Philadelphia 5–3 Ottawa Anderson 16,128 21–30–10 52 62 February 27 Ottawa 2–3 Washington Condon 18,506 21–31–10 52 March: 6–9–1 (Home: 2–5–1 ; Road: 4–4–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 63 March 2 Ottawa 5–4 Vegas Anderson 18,269 22–31–10 54 64 March 3 Ottawa 1–2 Arizona Condon 10,955 22–32–10 54 65 March 5 Ottawa 3–2 Dallas OT Anderson 17,110 23–32–10 56 66 March 8 Buffalo 4–3 Ottawa SO Anderson 13,377 23–32–11 57 67 March 9 Calgary 2–1 Ottawa Condon 14,498 23–33–11 57 68 March 12 Ottawa 5–3 Florida Anderson 11,585 24–33–11 59 69 March 13 Ottawa 7–4 Tampa Bay Condon 19,092 25–33–11 61 70 March 16 Dallas 2–3 Ottawa OT Anderson 15,842 26–33–11 63 71 March 17 Ottawa 1–2 Columbus Condon 17,612 26–34–11 63 72 March 20 Florida 7–2 Ottawa Anderson 14,434 26–35–11 63 73 March 22 Edmonton 6–2 Ottawa Anderson 16,538 26–36–11 63 74 March 24 Carolina 5–2 Ottawa Condon 16,555 26–37–11 63 75 March 26 Ottawa 1–4 Carolina Anderson 10,817 26–38–11 63 76 March 27 NY Islanders 4–3 Ottawa Condon 15,284 26–39–11 63 77 March 29 Florida 2–3 Ottawa OT Anderson 15,095 27–39–11 65 78 March 31 Ottawa 0–2 Detroit Condon 19,515 27–40–11 65 April: 1–3–0 (Home: 0–1–0 ; Road: 1–2–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 79 April 2 Winnipeg 6–5 Ottawa Anderson 17,122 27–41–11 65 80 April 4 Ottawa 4–2 Buffalo Anderson 18,919 28–41–11 67 81 April 6 Ottawa 0–4 Pittsburgh Anderson 18,633 28–42–11 67 82 April 7 Ottawa 2–5 Boston Taylor 17,565 28–43–11 67
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Players

Statistics

Final Stats

Skaters

Regular season

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/−	PIM
Mark Stone	58	20	42	62	9	10
Erik Karlsson	71	9	53	62	−25	36
Mike Hoffman	82	22	34	56	−20	32
Matt Duchene†	68	23	26	49	−23	14
Ryan Dzingel	79	23	18	41	−17	35
Derick Brassard‡	58	18	20	38	−1	30
Bobby Ryan	62	11	22	33	−12	14
Jean-Gabriel Pageau	78	14	15	29	−14	36
Thomas Chabot	63	9	16	25	−12	14
Tom Pyatt	81	7	15	22	−12	10
Cody Ceci	82	5	14	19	−27	12
Zack Smith	68	5	14	19	−32	54
Dion Phaneuf‡	53	3	13	16	−8	34
Alex Burrows	71	6	8	14	−8	59
Nate Thompson‡	43	4	7	11	0	10
Mark Borowiecki	52	3	8	11	−6	64
Chris DiDomenico‡	24	6	4	10	−4	8
Kyle Turris‡	11	3	6	9	−3	2
Magnus Paajarvi†	35	6	2	8	−8	4
Johnny Oduya‡	51	4	4	8	2	32
Chris Wideman	16	3	5	8	5	6
Marian Gaborik†	16	4	3	7	−7	6
Fredrik Claesson	64	1	6	7	−7	35
Colin White	21	2	4	6	1	8
Max McCormick	30	3	2	5	−5	37
Filip Chlapík	20	1	3	4	−5	4
Christian Wolanin	10	1	2	3	−4	0
Gabriel Dumont‡	23	1	1	2	1	2
Nick Paul	11	1	0	1	−4	0
Patrick Sieloff	1	1	0	1	−2	0
Ben Harpur	41	0	1	1	−21	21
Jim O'Brien	10	0	1	1	−1	0
Nick Shore‡	6	0	1	1	1	0
Erik Burgdoerfer	2	0	1	1	2	0
Logan Brown	4	0	1	1	0	0
Andreas Englund	1	0	0	0	1	0
Jack Rodewald	4	0	0	0	−1	2
Alex Formenton	1	0	0	0	0	0
Ben Sexton	2	0	0	0	−1	0
Mike Blunden	1	0	0	0	0	0
Christian Jaros	2	0	0	0	0	0

Goaltenders

Regular season

Player	GP	GS	TOI	W	L	OT	GA	GAA	SA	SV%	SO	G	A	PIM
Craig Anderson	58	55	3,250:32	23	25	6	180	3.32	1,768	.898	2	0	0	2
Mike Condon	31	26	1,625:55	5	17	5	88	3.25	898	.902	0	0	2	0
Danny Taylor	1	1	58:29	0	1	0	4	4.10	34	.882	0	0	0	0

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Senators. Stats reflect time with the Senators only.
^‡No longer with team.
Bold denotes team leader in that category.

Awards

Regular Season

Player	Award	Awarded
Jean-Gabriel Pageau	NHL Third Star of the Week	October 30, 2017

Milestones

Player	Milestone	Date
Logan Brown	1st career NHL game	October 5, 2017
Alex Formenton	1st career NHL game	October 7, 2017
Christian Jaros	1st career NHL game	October 10, 2017
Thomas Chabot	1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point	October 13, 2017
Johnny Oduya	800th career NHL game	October 14, 2017
Alex Burrows	200th career NHL goal	October 19, 2017
Logan Brown	1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point	October 21, 2017
Filip Chlapik	1st career NHL game 1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point	October 26, 2017
Chris DiDomenico	1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point	October 26, 2017
Jack Rodewald	1st career NHL game	October 27, 2017
Chris DiDomenico	1st career NHL goal	October 27, 2017
Mike Condon	100th career NHL game	October 30, 2017
Mark Stone	200th career NHL point	November 2, 2017
Alex Burrows	400th career NHL point	November 4, 2017
Cody Ceci	300th career NHL game	November 11, 2017
Mike Hoffman	100th career NHL assist	November 25, 2017
Thomas Chabot	1st career NHL goal	December 1, 2017
Matt Duchene	600th career NHL game	December 9, 2017
Derick Brassard	400th career NHL point	December 12, 2017
Mike Hoffman	200th career NHL point	January 5, 2018
Bobby Ryan	700th career NHL game	January 6, 2018
Zack Smith	500th career NHL game	January 6, 2018
Mike Hoffman	300th career NHL game	January 6, 2018
Alex Burrows	200th career NHL assist	January 10, 2018
Erik Karlsson	600th career NHL game	February 1, 2018
Colin White	1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point	February 3, 2018
Colin White	1st career NHL goal	February 6, 2018
Jean-Gabriel Pageau	300th career NHL game	February 8, 2018
Mike Hoffman	100th career NHL goal	February 8, 2018
Derick Brassard	700th career NHL game	February 19, 2018
Mark Stone	300th career NHL game	February 22, 2018
Erik Karlsson	500th career NHL point	February 27, 2018
Magnus Paajarvi	100th career NHL point	March 8, 2018
Fredrik Claesson	100th career NHL game	March 12, 2018
Alex Burrows	900th career NHL game	March 13, 2018
Erik Burgdoerfer	1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point	March 13, 2018
Christian Wolanin	1st career NHL game	March 22, 2018
Bobby Ryan	500th career NHL point	March 22, 2018
Filip Chlapik	1st career NHL goal	March 22, 2018
Tom Pyatt	400th career NHL game	March 24, 2018
Ben Sexton	1st career NHL game	March 26, 2018
Christian Wolanin	1st career NHL goal 1st career NHL point	April 2, 2018
Matt Duchene	200th career NHL goal	April 2, 2018

Transactions

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
November 5, 2017 (2017-11-05)	To Colorado Avalanche Kyle Turris Shane Bowers Andrew Hammond Conditional 1st-round pick in 2018 or 2019 3rd-round pick in 2019	To Ottawa Senators Matt Duchene
February 13, 2018 (2018-02-13)	To Los Angeles Kings Dion Phaneuf Nate Thompson	To Ottawa Senators Marian Gaborik Nick Shore
February 15, 2018 (2018-02-15)	To Chicago Blackhawks Chris DiDomenico	To Ottawa Senators Ville Pokka
February 23, 2018 (2018-02-23)	To Vegas Golden Knights Derick Brassard	To Ottawa Senators PIT 3rd-round pick in 2019
February 23, 2018 (2018-02-23)	To Pittsburgh Penguins Vincent Dunn 3rd-round pick in 2018	To Ottawa Senators Ian Cole Filip Gustavsson 1st-round pick in 2018
February 26, 2018 (2018-02-26)	To Columbus Blue Jackets Ian Cole	To Ottawa Senators Nick Moutrey 3rd-round pick in 2020
February 26, 2018 (2018-02-26)	To Calgary Flames Nick Shore	To Ottawa Senators 7th-round pick in 2019
June 19, 2018 (2018-06-19)	To San Jose Sharks Mike Hoffman Cody Donaghey 5th-round pick 2020	To Ottawa Senators Mikkel Boedker Julius Bergman 6th-round pick 2020

Free agents acquired

Date	Player	Former team	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
July 1, 2017	Nate Thompson	Anaheim Ducks	2-year, $3.3 million
July 1, 2017	Tyler Randell	Providence Bruins (AHL)	1-year, $700,000 two-way
July 1, 2017	Ben Sexton	Albany Devils (AHL)	2-year, $1.45 million two-way
July 1, 2017	Max Reinhart	Kolner Haie (DEL)	1-year, $650,000 two-way
July 1, 2017	Erik Burgdoerfer	Rochester Americans (AHL)	2-year, $1.3 million two-way
July 1, 2017	Danny Taylor	Sibir Novosibirsk (KHL)	1-year, $850,000 two-way
July 24, 2017	Johnny Oduya	Chicago Blackhawks	1-year, $1 million
September 19, 2017	Parker Kelly	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)	3-year, $2.24 million entry-level contract
October 24, 2017	Jack Rodewald	Belleville Senators (AHL)	2-year, $1.415 million entry-level contract
December 26, 2017	Aaron Luchuk	Barrie Colts (OHL)	3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract
February 25, 2018	Jim O'Brien	Belleville Senators (AHL)	2-year contract, $1.3 million two-way
March 28, 2018	Andrew Sturtz	Pennsylvania State University (Big Ten)	2-year, $1.85 million entry-level contract

Free agents lost

Date	Player	New team	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
July 1, 2017	Tommy Wingels	Chicago Blackhawks	1-year, $750,000
July 1, 2017	Matt O'Connor	Nashville Predators	1-year, $650,000
July 1, 2017	Phil Varone	Philadelphia Flyers	2-year, $1.3 million
July 11, 2017	Viktor Stalberg	EV Zug (NLA)	2-year
July 11, 2017	Ryan Rupert	Indy Fuel (ECHL)	1-year
October 2, 2017	Casey Bailey	Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL)	1-year
April 26, 2018 (2018-04-26)	Danny Taylor	Sibir Novosibirsk (KHL)	Unknown
May 8, 2018 (2018-05-08)	Ville Pokka	Avangard Omsk (KHL)	1-year

|}

Claimed via waivers

Player	Previous team	Date	Ref
Gabriel Dumont	Tampa Bay Lightning	November 22, 2017 (2017-11-22)
Chris DiDomenico	Tampa Bay Lightning	December 1, 2017 (2017-12-01)
Magnus Paajarvi	St. Louis Blues	January 26, 2018 (2018-01-26)

Lost via waivers

Player	New team	Date	Ref
Chris DiDomenico	Tampa Bay Lightning	November 24, 2017 (2017-11-24)
Gabriel Dumont	Tampa Bay Lightning	February 21, 2018 (2018-02-21)
Johnny Oduya	Philadelphia Flyers	February 26, 2018 (2018-02-26)

Player signings

Date	Player	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
June 26, 2017	Tom Pyatt	2-year, $2.2 million
June 27, 2017	Max McCormick	2-year, $1.3 million
June 28, 2017	Mike Condon	3-year, $7.2 million
July 5, 2017	Chris Driedger	1-year, $735,000 two-way
July 11, 2017	Patrick Sieloff	1-year, $650,000 two-way
July 17, 2017	Jean-Gabriel Pageau	3-year, $9.3 million
July 21, 2017	Ryan Dzingel	2-year, $3.6 million
September 29, 2017	Craig Anderson	2-year, $9.5 million contract extension
October 2, 2017	Alex Formenton	3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract
October 3, 2017	Drake Batherson	3-year, $2.4 million entry-level contract
October 5, 2017	Mark Borowiecki	2-year, $2.4 million contract extension
February 9, 2018	Ben Harpur	2-year, $1.45 million contract extension
March 21, 2018	Christian Wolanin	2-year, $1.85 million entry-level contract
May 22, 2018	Patrick Sieloff	2-year, $1.4 million two-way contract extension
May 30, 2018	Magnus Paajarvi	1-year, $900,000 contract extension

Suspensions/fines

Suspensions/fines

Player	Reason	Length	Salary	Date issued
Fredrik Claesson	Illegal check to the head of Boston Bruins forward Noel Acciari during NHL game no. 558 in Boston on December 27.	2 games	$6,989.24	December 28, 2017
Alex Burrows	Illegal knee to the head of New Jersey Devils forward Taylor Hall during NHL game no. 816 in Ottawa on February 6, 2018.	10 games	$134,408.60	February 7, 2018

Draft picks

See also: List of Ottawa Senators draft picks

The Senators participated in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on June 23–24, 2017 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Round	Overall	Player	Position	Nationality	Club team
1	28	Shane Bowers	Centre	Canada	Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
2	471	Alex Formenton	Left Wing	Canada	London Knights (OHL)
4	121	Drake Batherson	Centre	Canada	Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL)
6	183	Jordan Hollett	Goalie	Canada	Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)

Draft notes:

1. The Calgary Flames' second-round pick went to the Ottawa Senators as the result of a trade on March 1, 2017 that sent Curtis Lazar and Mike Kostka to Calgary in exchange for Jyrki Jokipakka and this pick.

Notes

1.^ The Senators did not play in the 2004–05 season due to the lockout.