The NHL's website conducted a poll of their 14 writers and not one of them has the Senators making the postseason.
If the Senators were looking for bulletin-board material heading into the 2026-27 season, they didn't have to look very far.
They only had to visit NHL.com.
The NHL's official website released its annual predictions for the upcoming season, with 14 writers and editors selecting their division winners, wild-card teams and eventual Stanley Cup champion.
Not one of the 14 picked the Senators to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Zero.
That's a pretty notable snub for a team that reached the postseason in each of the past two seasons and only one impactful player loss.
But that's clearly the biggest reason for the national skepticism: Brady Tkachuk is gone.
The Senators finished fifth in the Atlantic Division last season with a 44-27-11 record and earned a playoff berth before being swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in the opening round.
But between an early season wrist injury, a brace he'd wear for most of the season, the distraction of podcasts and Olympics, and fading interest in being a Senator, Ottawa fans are keenly aware that losing last year's version of Tkachuk isn't all bad.
Every one of the 14 panelists selected three teams from the Atlantic Division, along with two wild-card teams from the Eastern Conference. The Sens weren't included in any of those selections.
Montreal, Florida and Tampa Bay were the three teams most frequently chosen from the Atlantic, while Buffalo, Boston, Toronto, the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils also appeared among the Eastern wild-card selections.
But the Sens don't necessarily have to look outside their own locker room for reasons to believe they can remain in the playoff conversation.
The Sens finished ninth overall in goal scoring last season. Tim Stützle scored a team-high 34 goals last season. Drake Batherson scored 33, Dylan Cozens had 28 and Shane Pinto added 23. The Senators also added William Eklund, who had 53 points with San Jose last season, and veteran Andre Burakovsky to help address the offensive loss created by Tkachuk's departure.
Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot give the Senators an excellent one-two punch on the blue line.
Then there's goaltending. The Sens made the playoffs with goaltending that was well below average in the first half of the season. And that's putting it mildly.
After the Olympics last season, Linus Ullmark went 12-4-3 with a .902 save percentage and a 2.51 goals-against average over 19 games. He carried that strong finish into the playoffs against Carolina. And he now has what the Senators believe will be better support with two new Swedish goalies directly behind him on the depth chart.
And if you like intangibles, there also won't be the level of noise and controversy that swirled around this team for a lot of last season. It's amazing that the Sens powered through all that and still made the playoffs.
Yes, some preseason injuries have certainly emerged as a cause for concern in Ottawa, but no one who's nicked up has been described as having anything that's long term. And it's goes without saying that every preseason prediction about every NHL team comes with the caveat of "if they can stay healthy."
Yes, the Atlantic is deep, just like it was last year. Some will rise, others will sink. But we'll take GM Steve Staios at his word that he "has no intention of taking a step backwards this season."
That's the prediction that will matter, because no matter how much other teams have improved, 99 points will probably get you into the playoffs.
No matter what, when the season begins on Oct. 3, the Senators won't be playing for the approval of 14 NHL.com writers. They won't be playing to stick it to their former captain.
They'll be playing for each other and a third consecutive trip to the playoffs.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
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