There are mixed opinions about the Ottawa Senators' chances of making the playoffs and winning some playoff rounds. The Hockey News Yearbook projects Ottawa to finish fourth in the Atlantic Division and make the playoffs. BetMGM [https://sports.betmgm.ca/en/blog/league/nhl/?utm_source=thehockeynews&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=nhl_blog_page] gives them 1.57 (-175) odds [https://betmgmsporton.onelink.me/otUl/4rkbpwij] for making the playoffs and 2.40 (+140) for missing it. But not everybody has the Senators making the playoffs [https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/nhl-expert-picks-predictions-stanley-cup-favorites-division-winners-award-finalists-for-2025-26-season/], let alone winning a playoff round [https://moneypuck.com/predictions.htm]. Not picking the Sens to (a) be a playoff team and (b) at least win their first-round series is a measure of disrespect to Ottawa [http://thn.com/ottawa], which can't afford a competitive step backward. The Senators are far from a flawless group, but after they were handled with relative ease by the arch-rival Toronto Maple Leafs [http://thn.com/toronto] in their opening-round playoff series last season, the Sens will be raising the bar on expectations in 2025-26. Effective immediately, it’s no longer good enough for Ottawa to make it into the playoffs and lose in Round 1. Getting dumped again in the first round would be seen as a disappointment for Senators management and ownership. Of course, a lot must go right for them to win one or more playoff rounds this season, but that’s what usually happens to legitimately good teams – they prove, over time, they’re a team worthy of big expectations. The Senators have built their team into a young, talented group that just scratched the surface of their capabilities last season. Stars Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot would be integral parts of whatever team was fortunate enough to employ them. Under coach Travis Green, the Senators averaged the fewest goals against since 2016-17, and they had the best power-play percentage (23.8) in franchise history. You can’t convince us that the Senators made it this far just to make it this far. They have to come out of the gate with purpose and urgency in the upcoming days and weeks, knowing full well that the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division will have no shortage of teams that figure to have a lock on a playoff spot. Somebody is bound to come away disappointed. Thus, Ottawa will have to earn its due respect again this year. We’re not suggesting the Sens are going to steamroll their opponents. That would be a little too generous to Ottawa at this point. But climbing from fourth place into third, maybe second place in the division – well, that’s not a crazy possibility, right? There can also be improvements for each player. Stutzle and Tkachuk have been point-per-game players before, but they weren't last year, with 79 and 55 points, respectively. They should return to that mark. Linus Ullmark had some great stretches in net last year, but he can improve his consistency; he had some rough stats in November and February of last season. Jake Sanderson had a breakout season, with 57 points, and he has the potential to continue his upward trajectory and potentially earn Norris Trophy votes. Sure, every team in the battle for a playoff spot will be confident and say this roster looks better than before. But Ottawa is clearly on the rise, and it must capitalize on its momentum to turn into a stalwart contender. Fairly or unfairly, that means the Senators must have something to show for a post-season berth this time around. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
