From a team perspective, the Ottawa Senators’ 2024-25 season will be remembered as the year they finally got back to the playoffs after an eight-year absence.
Individually, from iron men to snipers, playmakers to penalty-killers, the Sens had several players who rose above the rest in different areas of the game. Here's a breakdown of the Top Five performers in the standard statistical categories.
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Iron Men: The Durable Duo
Only two Senators managed to skate in all 82 games this season: Tim Stützle and Drake Batherson. That durability over the grind of an NHL season was a testament to their fitness and consistency with a dash of luck mixed in.
Just behind them were Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, Adam Gaudette, and veteran Claude Giroux, each playing at least 80 games.
The Snipers: 20-Goal Club
Scoring 20 goals in the NHL remains a strong milestone, and the Senators had five players hit that mark:
- Brady Tkachuk led the team with 29 goals.
- Drake Batherson followed closely with 26.
- Tim Stützle had 24.
- Shane Pinto posted 21.
- Josh Norris still tallied 20 goals in just 53 games before being traded to Buffalo.
A Little Help From My Friends: Assist Leaders
When it came to playmaking, Tim Stützle wasn’t just good — he was elite. His 55 assists led the team and outpaced the next best by a wide margin. It also placed him 19th in the NHL in that category. He was followed by:
- Jake Sanderson (46)
- Drake Batherson (42)
- Thomas Chabot (36)
- Claude Giroux (35)
Total Point Leaders
It's no surprise that Ottawa's assists leader was also the points leader. Tim Stützle led the way with 79 points, cementing his place as the offensive heartbeat of the team. He was followed by:
- Drake Batherson (68)
- Jake Sanderson (57)
- Brady Tkachuk (55)
- Claude Giroux (50)
Plus-Minus Standouts
Plus-minus can be a controversial stat, but it still gives a glimpse into a player's two-way impact. Only seven Senators finished in the positives, but five stood out:
- Nick Jensen (+18)
- Thomas Chabot (+17)
- Michael Amadio & Adam Gaudette (tied at +12)
- Shane Pinto (+10)
Chabot's +17 is particularly notable, considering he entered this year as a career minus 76, and has been a minus player in every season of his career. The Jensen effect?
The Enforcer: Penalty Minute Leaders
Captain Brady Tkachuk was in a league of his own here. His 123 penalty minutes more than doubled the next highest Senator. Behind him:
- Ridly Greig (60)
- Tim Stützle (46)
- Nick Cousins (41)
- Josh Norris (34)
It's shocking to see Norris in the top five here for pretty obvious reasons.
Even Strength Scoring
Five-on-five scoring has been an issue for the Sens. But Tim Stützle did his part with 19 even-strength goals. He was followed by:
- Shane Pinto (17)
- Adam Gaudette (16)
- Brady Tkachuk (15)
- Drake Batherson (13)
Power Play Goals
The Sens' power play had its go-to guys, with Tkachuk leading with 14 PPGs and Batherson right behind at 13. Also making an impact:
- Josh Norris (6)
- Jake Sanderson & Tim Stützle (5 each)
Short-Handed Scoring
Sens' shorthanded goals were scarce this season, with a total of six. That's a third of the 18 the New York Rangers put up this year in one of the greatest short-handed seasonal performances ever.
- Josh Norris & Shane Pinto (3 each)
- Ridly Greig (2)
- Noah Gregor (1)
Faceoff Kings
The Senators were strong in the dot, ranking 4th league-wide in team faceoff percentage. Leading the way (minimum 400 draws taken):
- Claude Giroux (61.5%)
- Josh Norris (53.8%)
- Dylan Cozens (50.8%)
- Shane Pinto (50.1%)
- Tim Stutzle (47.8%)
Shot Volume & Efficiency
No surprise here: Brady Tkachuk led in shots with 296. But shot volume doesn’t always equal efficiency:
- Josh Norris had a scorching 21.3% shooting percentage, the best of his career
- Adam Gaudette followed closely at 21.1%
- Shane Pinto (16.5%)
- Tim Stutzle (14.8%)
- Drake Batherson (13.5%)
Tkachuk’s 9.8% (11th) while leading the team in goals shows that he's all about quantity
Ice Time Leaders (Defense)
Jake Sanderson was an absolute workhorse, averaging 24:27 per game. The other leaders:
- Thomas Chabot (23:01)
- Artem Zub (20:38)
- Nick Jensen (20:13)
- Travis Hamonic (17:04)
Forwards:
- Tim Stützle (19:49)
- Josh Norris (18:20)
- Brady Tkachuk (18:14)
- Claude Giroux (18:12)
- Drake Batherson (18:09)
Sanderson’s leap into an undisputed number one defenseman role and top 10 in Norris Trophy voting were both great bits of news. Not bad for a kid who just turned 23 last week.
I wish I had remembered to pick up trophies and popsicles for all the winners, I'd like to say congratulations to all of this year's leaders in Ottawa.
Meanwhile, as the Senators young core continues to try and figure out the balance between defensive team play and when to floor it offensively, it will be interesting to see if these individual offensive numbers go up or down next season.
By Steve Warne
Sens Nation Hockey
Image Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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