The Ottawa Senators ended an eight-year playoff drought past season, and the team is hungry to continue that trend in 2025-26 with its core group intact and the star players ready to contribute. But with very few offseason tweaks, questions arise about whether this team will sink or swim when it comes to building on last year's success.
GM Steve Staios decided to hold steady over the summer, showing a commmitment to the team's core defined by the likes of captain Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, and Tim Stützle on offense and Jake Sanderson on defense.
It's been a long time coming for this group, many of whom just making their playoff debuts in the spring of 2025 as the Senators eventually lost to the rival Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round.
The Senators made exponential progress with this core from 2023-24 to this past season, jumping 19 points in the standings, improving from a 7th-place Atlantic Division finish to a Wild Card berth, and allowing 47 fewer goals in 2024-25. There were sweeping improvements across the board.
Now, the question remains: can Ottawa continue the trend and make another leap in the standings -- or at the very least remain steady in their progress? All signs point to yes based on the construction of the roster and the high ceiling for potential among the core skaters.
The Senators' core poised to carry the team back to the playoffs
The forward group is young and exciting, but has gained enough experience at this point to confidently lead the team. Offensively led by Stützle, who is "knocking on the door of superstardom" according to The Athletic, the 23-year-old already has a 90-point season under his belt and is certainly primed to outpace the 78 points he scored in 82 games from 2024-25.
Trailing not far behind on the scoresheet is linemate Drake Batherson, who is coming off of a career-best season with 68 points in 82 games. That dynamic duo has proven to hold up against some of the NHL's most elite competition, impressing with their smart, clean puck movement and ability to create chances for one another in a responsible way.
Perhaps the most exciting player to watch on the team, though, is 23-year-old Jake Sanderson who is still coming into his own as a top-pairing defenseman and doing so with phenomenal success. He finished third on the team in scoring with 57 points across 82 games thanks to his effective decision-making skills that allow him to spring his teammates with outlet passes, or even jump in on the rush when a situation calls for it. The offensive-minded defender has proven himself as a rising star in the league who is also capable of solid play in his own zone, leading all Ottawa skaters with 163 blocked shots.
"We feel like we have a good plan in place for this group, mindful of this group and their growth and their development. I can't emphasize that enough, (the young core) are taking hold of it. Managers are there to support... I don't think that they need so much support around them to continue to grow and develop together."GM Steve Staios (via NHL.com)
Complementing the young core is the veteran presence offered by experienced skaters like Claude Giroux and even fourth liners like free agent signing Lars Eller and David Perron, who are both expected to chip in with depth scoring. Eller is capable of contributing 30 or more points in a full season, where Perron has topped 40 points in eight of his last nine campaigns (he totaled 16 points in 43 games after being hampered by injuries this past year).
The supporting cast of the Senators was one of the major upsides of the team last season, with nine different players tallying at least 30 points. Compare that to the Cup-winning Florida Panthers, who are highly touted for their depth contributions and had a grand total of 10 players with 30 or more points. Based on that alone, Ottawa has the necessary support that makes an NHL club successful.
With Dylan Cozens also factoring in on the top six, the Sens are primed to build on last season's 18th-place finish in the goals-for category. Cozens got off to a hot start after being acquired at the trade deadline in March, scoring 16 points in his first 21 games in Ottawa.
All things considered, the Senators are carefully crafted top to bottom with one goal in mind: going on a playoff run. With the way this group proved themselves and got some much-needed postseason experience in 2024-25, Ottawa seems up to the challenge.