If the Ottawa Senators were ever going to take a marked step forward in their rebuild, the improvements would have to come from within.
Management obviously felt obligated to address the goaltending position in the offseason by acquiring Linus Ullmark, but the majority of the offseason was spent focusing on identifying and acquiring players who were better fits.
Michael Amadio, David Perron and Nick Jensen are fine players, but any evolution in becoming a sustainable winner within the Eastern Conference was predicated on the defensive growth of its youngest and most talented players.
At the forefront of this evolution was Tim Stützle.
The 23-year-old, German-born centre is unquestionably the team's most dynamic player. Every time he steps on the ice, his ability to skate and process the game at extremely high speeds allows him to take over shifts and tilt the ice in the Senators' favour.
He may not wear a letter within the Senators' publicly displayed leadership structure, but there is no mistaking how essential it was to get Stützle's buy-in. Even without a letter, his ability to influence the actions and behaviours of his teammates speaks to how powerful of a position he is in.
He recognizes his situation.
"Our leadership group goes far beyond this group," Stützle said. "A lot of guys we have here, not just wearing letters, but also the guys behind this group.
"We have done a great job, with everybody sticking together, whether it's good or bad. I always try to be a leader. I try to show it on the ice. Sometimes, I say things in the room, but obviously not as much. I bring my energy on the ice. I have worked a lot on my body language, too."
It is a responsibility he does not take lightly.
Stützle met with Travis Green several times over the offseason. The newly appointed head coach outlined his expectations for his franchise centre.
"He told me what he expects from me," Stützle recalled while describing those conversations. "(His expectations) were a lot, but I expect a lot from myself, too. I want to get better every day and listen to what the (coaches) say."
Throughout the offseason, Stützle's conversations with the well-decorated and respected veteran Claude Giroux resonated with him.
"I talked to (Giroux) about it last year," Stützle said. "It doesn't really matter what system you play defensively or offensively. If everybody buys in and everybody's on the same page, you have a chance to win every night.
"I really thought about that a lot because it makes a lot of sense. Whatever coach you have, maybe you disagree with (the staff's philosophies), but as long as everybody buys in with it and everybody does the same thing, you're not always on the winning side (every night), but most nights (you can win)."
That buy-in was paramount and noticed immediately by the aforementioned Giroux.
"When your top guys are doing the right things, other guys don't have a choice but to do so, too," explained Giroux. "It starts with him and Brady (Tkachuk).
"He has bought into what we're trying to do. He's also one of our best players, and offensively, he's dynamic. He's fun to watch, but you can see (the defensive growth). He has taken a big step defensively, and he's a kid who wants to win. (His defensive effort and numbers) reflect that."
The work began during the first week of training camp.
"It is something we have harped on since Travis (Green) and the new staff (arrived)," Drake Batherson said while reflecting on the team's defensive improvements. "It came right from the first week or so of training camp. We did not do much offensive stuff. It was a lot of detailed defensive work."
With Stützle, that work has continued on and off the ice. He acknowledged that a lot of time is spent watching and breaking down videos to identify areas or moments where he can improve. That video work is done with the coaching staff, but he is also quick to credit his teammates for developing a hardened mindset.
"It's not just the coaches, it's the players," he said. "We push each other every day in practice. It's a lot of video, for sure, but (we spend time learning) how to win stick battles and puck battles. There's a lot of mindset involved in that, too. But the willingness to do it is the biggest part."
There is a maturity in the way that Stützle speaks about his and his team's commitment to defence.
"It obviously helps when everybody's on the same page, and everybody's doing things like backchecking," Stützle remarked. "It makes it easier for our defencemen and for our goalies.
"They know where the puck is going if we all track the same way or come back together. As a centre, everybody looks at him as a defensive kind of guy, but when the wingers do a great job coming back, it makes everything easier. We have it this year that everybody's actually coming back; everybody's blocking shots. So, it's been a fun experience and really shows how our group has matured over the years."
From a qualitative standpoint, it is impossible to watch the Senators play without noticing Stützle's efforts on the defensive end. There is a commitment to creating backpressure on the opposing puck carriers and working deep in the defensive zone to create turnovers and transition the puck out of harm.
The numbers also reflect that this is Stützle's best defensive season.
Using Evolving-Hockey's proprietary data and modelling, their 'Total Defence' statistic that captures a player's defensive contributions at five-on-five and while on the penalty kill and puts it into one value, the 2024-25 campaign has been Stützle's best defensive season. Looking at its 'Wins Above Replacement' (WAR) metric, Evolving-Hockey's data also believes the 2024-25 season is where he has accrued the most value - which is more impressive, considering the Senators still have 25 games left for him to add to his numbers.
HockeyViz.com provides even more compelling visuals of how the Senators fare with Stützle on and off the ice.
When Stützle is on the ice, the Senators produce offence at an above-average clip (+4%). They generate offence at a below-average rate (-6%) when he is off it. On the defensive side of the puck, the Senators are a relatively decent defensive team (-2%) when Stützle is off the ice, but they fare exceptionally well when he is on the ice (-13%).
His teammates' 'With or Without You' (WOWY) numbers also reflect this phenomenon. When they play with Stützle, they benefit from the experience.
Even looking at the Senators' five-on-five rate stats when Stützle is on the ice, NaturalStatTrick's data shows that the team is giving up far fewer shots (CA/60), shots on goal (SA/60), goals (GA/60) and expected goals (xGA/60) when the centre is on the ice.
2020-21: 60.06 CA/60, 34.95 SA/60, 3.59 GA/60, 2.70 xGA/60
2021-22: 56.05 CA/60, 30.87 SA/60, 2.79 GA/60, 2.60 xGA/60
2022-23: 56.29 CA/60, 30.63 SA/60, 3.32 GA/60, 2.74 xGA/60
2023-24: 59.73 CA/60, 31.39 SA/60, 3.40 GA/60, 2.82 xGA/60
2024-25: 53.68 CA/60, 25.71 SA/60, 2.54 GA/60, 2.12 xGA/60
Stützle's efforts are notable because his improved play has come while facing tough competition.
"With Timmy, he's going to play either against the checking line or one of the top lines," Batherson described. "He is going to obviously be forced to play in our (defensive) zone for a bit, and he has done a great job of it - going head-to-head against some top lines and being able to shut those guys down while still producing (offensively). I know it has been a huge growth, and it has been fun to watch."
The work is paying off.
"I put a lot of time in it every day working on (defence)," Stützle admitted. "I just try and get better every day in practice. There's still a lot to improve, especially my defensive game, but in the end, I would rather play good defensively and try and (help the team) get as far as we can and hopefully make the playoffs.
"As a group, if we all have 90 points and don't make the playoffs, (it sucks). It's fun scoring goals, but it's even better winning. We've competed really hard this year so far. Hopefully, we can keep it going."
By Graeme Nichols
The Hockey News Ottawa
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