Senators Post-Mortem: Back To Drawing Board After First-Round Sweep Vs. Hurricanes

The Ottawa Senators entered the 2025-26 NHL season intending to improve upon their 2024-25 campaign, one in which they made the Stanley Cup playoffs but lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round.

While the Senators made a valiant late-season push to squeeze into the final wild-card position in the Eastern Conference, they squandered the goodwill from it by being swept in a first-round loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. 

Since Jan. 25, the Sens went 21-6-4 through the remainder of the regular season. That ultimately gave them the second wild-card berth by only four points, with only two more wins than the ninth-place Washington Capitals. That gives you an indication of how thin the line was that separated Ottawa from other playoff contenders.

They had the NHL’s eighth-best offense at an average of 3.35 goals per game, starting goalie Linus Ullmark rebounded from an in-season leave of absence to be one of Ottawa’s best playoff performers, and there’s a great foundation in place for the Sens.

The fact is, the way the series went south against the Hurricanes colored the season in a way that reflects how much of a work-in-progress the franchise is right now.

Let’s start with the obvious. Not only did the Senators not win a single playoff game against the Canes, but the Sens did not have a single lead at any point in any game of that first-round series.

That’s a sobering statistic indeed. So, while Ullmark did follow through on his end of the bargain with Ottawa – posting a .932 save percentage and a 2.03 goals-against average against the Canes – it made no difference, as the Senators generated only five goals-for in the entire series. When you don’t produce more than two goals in a single game, you almost guarantee you’re going to lose.

Thus, the majority of the blame for the Sens’ loss to Carolina falls at the feet of Ottawa’s regular point-producers. Right winger Drake Batherson had three goals and four points in four games against the Hurricanes, but he was the only Senator who was a point-per-game player, and only three players – defensemen Jake Sanderson, Carter Yakemchuk, and center Dylan Cozens had two points. 

That means Sens stars Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle stand out in particular, and not in a good way. Stutzle had one point in four playoff games, while Tkachuk was held off the scoresheet completely, which is unacceptable.

Stutzle’s $8.35-million annual salary combined with Tkachuk’s $8.2-million annual salary means the Senators are committing more than $16.5 million to two players who have to be considerably better in 2026-27. The duo coming up virtually empty on offense this spring will only make Senators fans more bitter as Ottawa’s feeble playoff exit sinks in this summer.

Sens fans can be happy with the team’s second half of the regular season while also being dismayed about their post-season results. But when Senators GM Steve Staios sits down to address his team’s weaknesses, their biggest weakness is clear – and that’s all about producing better playoff results by scoring more. 

This is the second straight season that Ottawa has been ejected in the first round without enough of a fight. And while a playoff position for them in 2027 is still very much within the Sens’ grasp, there can no longer be satisfaction simply making the post-season. 

The Senators are projected to have approximately $17.3-million in cap space to use this summer. And although some of that cap space may have to go to veteran Claude Giroux if he decides to return for another season, it’s not fair to the 38-year-old pending UFA to be asked to do all the heavy lifting.

Giroux’s offensive totals have been essentially the same last season and this season – from 15 goals and 50 points in 81 games in 2024-25 to 14 goals and 49 points in 82 games this season – and he did not have a single point in the playoffs.

Still, given that Ottawa will probably want Giroux to come back on a salary on or close to the $2-million-plus-bonuses deal he signed for this year, that will leave Staios plenty of cap space to go out either in trades or free agency. The Senators don’t need a star defenseman, although replacing veteran and looming UFA Nick Jensen is a must. And they don’t need a star goalie, although replacing veteran and looming UFA James Reimer is also important. 

The real need for the Sens is up front – and in particular, at wing. Tkachuk and Drake Batherson are legitimate top-six wingers, but Warren Foegele is not. Neither is Ridly Greig. So ideally, you’d want Staios to use his cap space to acquire a veteran with playoff experience as a reliable offensive contributor. 

Otherwise, Senators management needs to fill out the lineup this summer with as much veteran know-how as necessary. You never know when the injury bug will take a major bite out of your roster, and considering how close the playoff race promises to be for the foreseeable future, you want as much of a safety net for the team as you can provide.

The Sens have plenty of talent to build around. But Staios has to tweak with his team. Because this year, the Senators proved they still have a long way to go before they’re a legitimate Cup contender.

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