Thanks to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ utter no-show over the last couple of games, the team has been pushed to the bottom of the Atlantic Division. The Ottawa Senators, on the other hand, have moved up a place and are currently basking in the glory of having outplayed Nathan MacKinnon’s Colorado Avalanche 5-2 at the Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday.
Like every other team at the moment, the Senators have been scanning the market for upgrades. They were, at one point, interested in Rasmus Andersson, but despite the failure of such a pursuit, the Senators’ hunt for a standout defenseman is still on.
The Ottawa Senators are Eyeing Calgary Flames Defenseman MacKenzie Weegar
The Senators desperately need to add a top-four blueliner. To that end, Steve Staios is interested in the Calgary Flames’ MacKenzie Weegar. Weegar has also enough time left in his eight-year, $50 million contract, which is ideal for the Senators, who do not want a rental, especially when the odds of them missing the playoffs this season are pretty high. The Senators’ move to acquire Andersson never materialized because the defenseman refused to sign a contract extension with the Sens.
Weegar could be a good fit for the Senators, but the 32-year-old has a no-move clause. Luckily for the Senators, the defenseman could be willing to waive that for the team. Weegar is an Ottawa native who could help the Senators bolster their blueline.
If Staios successfully acquires the Flames defenseman, he will be joining Jake Sanderson, Artem Zub, and Thomas Chabot. Taken together, these players have the potential to whip up some serious magic.
“But if you think of a top four that features Jake Sanderson, Artem Zub, Thomas Chabot and Weegar, that looks like a good mix on paper. Weegar has a strong two-way game. He was on the radar screen to play for Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games,” wrote Bruce Garrioch for the Ottawa Citizen.
The Senators’ interest in the defenseman is sincere, and, according to reports, dialogue has ensued between the two front offices. “League executives told Postmedia on Tuesday that the club may have held talks with the Calgary Flames about MacKenzie Weegar,” Garrioch added. However, Ottawa is not the only team working overtime to bring Weegar to its fold.
Several teams are rumoured to be interested in the blueliner because he is undoubtedly a top-four defenseman whose $6.25 million AAV is a bang for the buck given that it runs through the 2030-31 season.
While Weegar could be motivated to waive his no-move clause to head back to his hometown, there ought to be interest in the blueliner from other teams like the Boston Bruins, who missed out on Andersson by a hair’s breadth, or the Detroit Red Wings, who withdrew from the Andersson sweepstakes because there was not enough term left on the defenseman’s contract.
