Ottawa Senators rookies blown away by Kasper Halttunen's release: 'He's got a bomb'

Among the array of visceral emotions Brady Tkachuk’s abandonment made Ottawa Senators fans feel this summer was panic.

With only picks — no roster players — coming back in a franchise-altering trade with the Florida Panthers, who would fill the goal-scoring void left by the former captain?

Scoring wingers are hard to come by in the National Hockey League — teams typically hold onto those players.

In the past decade, only two Ottawa wingers have notched 30-plus goals in a season. Drake Batherson accomplished the feat in 2025-26. And if he hadn’t torn a ligament in his thumb in the home opener, Tkachuk surely would’ve had his fourth 30-goal season.

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

Forty-eight hours following Tkachuk’s departure, the William Eklund acquisition helped calmed the faithful. The 23-year-old Swede wasn’t exactly known for sizzling snipes from the slot — he has a career high of 17 goals — but perhaps another player involved in the deal could soon be of some assistance in that department.

Shortly after being acquired from the San Jose Sharks, Kasper Halttunen became aware of the franchise’s scoring demand.

“I got the message,” Halttunen told the Ottawa Citizen at rookie camp on Friday. “I think it’s a good opportunity for me. It’s kind of a good thing to know that that’s what I’m working for. I want to be that guy. Just trying to give my everything every day, just trying to get better and be that guy one day for the Sens.”

Across the two seasons he played with the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights, Halttunen led the team in playoff goals, scoring 32 in 35 games en route to back-to-back championships. Toronto Maple Leafs 2023 first-round pick Easton Cowan had 23 in as many contests.

In his first period in a Sens uniform on Saturday during the Prospect Challenge at Slush Puppie Centre in Gatineau, Halttunen gave his new NHL team a peek into what he’s capable of.