Are the Ottawa Senators ahead of the Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings in their NHL playoff pursuit? Adam Proteau thinks so, but that's just one of the team's top issues.
This is the newest file in THN.com’s series where we focus on important issues facing every NHL team.
In this edition, we’re examining three key issues the Ottawa Senators are dealing with.
1. Can goaltender Linus Ullmark be Ottawa’s most consistently good goalie since Craig Anderson?
The Senators haven’t had a truly consistent difference-maker in net since Anderson patrolled the pipes for them from 2011 to 2020. But new Sens GM Steve Staios hopes he’s properly addressed the issue with the off-season acquisition of veteran Ullmark.
The 31-year-old Ullmark hasn’t posted a save percentage lower than .915 in the last five seasons, and he won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top netminder in 2022-23 with a terrific .938 SP and 1.98 goals-against average. If he can post numbers anywhere close to those this coming season, the Sens will almost certainly be a playoff team.
Ullmark is entering the final season of a contract that pays him an average annual value of $5 million, but Ottawa will gleefully give him a raise on that number if he helps deliver a post-season berth this year and wants to return.
The Senators’ defense corps should provide ample support to him, and his biggest challenge will likely come in the playoffs, as Ullmark’s career post-season numbers (including an .887 SP and 3.59 G.A.A. in 10 career appearances) are far from ideal. But for starters, at least, Ullmark is tasked with providing above-average netminding, and we suspect he’ll be able to do that this season and in the long term if he's happy there.
2. What will “accountability” be besides a buzzword in Ottawa?
After so many years of letdowns, “accountability” is often heard in Sens Land. That was a big theme when bringing in new coach Travis Green.
But what does that mean in practical terms?
Will Green lay down the law for his players and discipline them if they don’t deliver a solid two-way game? Ottawa’s youngsters haven’t had that type of responsibility and consequence for years now, but constructing a country club atmosphere won’t serve Green or anyone else well.
With captain Brady Tkachuk wanting to lead in a way that brings about a playoff spot, the Sens must hold one another accountable to the team. Talk is cheap, of course, but if there’s an internal standard of expectation in Ottawa’s dressing room that Green and the players enforce – the 2024-25 campaign will be fruitful for the Senators.
New addition David Perron wants to help the culture in that regard as well, saying it sometimes must get uncomfortable before it gets better.
But that means staying focused and intense throughout the game and not allowing more than 100 goals in the second period like last season. That means not losing games when leading after the first period, which they did seven times last season, the second-most of any NHL team. That means not taking careless penalties. And those who meet the standard and help the team reach these goals get more playing time.
If the Senators fail to live up to expectations, “accountability” could result in bigger changes down the line yet again.
3. Will the Senators be better than Buffalo, Detroit and the other wild-card playoff berth-chasers in the Eastern Conference?
Much could depend on the health of franchise cornerstones Thomas Chabot and Josh Norris – who both missed more than 30 games last season – but Ottawa has the depth and talent to be a playoff team in the Eastern Conference. They just have to realize their potential and do it because it hasn't been straightforward.
They’ll probably have to settle for a wild-card slot, but that’s as good a starting point as any for the Senators as they start the Staios era in earnest.
It won't be easy. Not only do they have the Red Wings and Sabres to battle with, but they must outduel the Metropolitan Division teams that missed last post-season and pass at least one team that did make the playoffs. It should be as competitive as it gets.
Certainly, the Sabres and Red Wings will push the Sens to be their best, but Buffalo and Detroit have more flaws than Ottawa, in this writer's opinion. Staios has about $65.2 million in cap space next season, giving him more than enough money to make changes at that point. But we feel very good about the Senators’ chances to establish themselves as a group to reckon with.
If Ullmark thrives, Ottawa’s younger players continue to develop and the veterans do their part, the Sens will put the rest of the conference on notice. This team can be a different Senators squad than the fans and media have been accustomed to since it last made the playoffs in 2016-17.
The best days are still to come for this franchise, and the good news for the organization starts now.
Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.