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Here's a snapshot of how The Hockey News' national desk views the 2025-26 Ottawa Senators...
THE OTTAWA SENATORS have exorcised their demons after making the post-season for the first time since 2016-17. Now, GM Steve Staios - with a group largely similar to the one that bowed out in a hard-fought six-game series to the Toronto Maple Leafs - will look to ensure that the playoff push was no flash in the pan.
Ottawa's off-season game plan was "less is more," looking toward the established core while fine-tuning and addressing depth. Staios re-upped trade-deadline acquisition Fabian Zetterlund and dressing-room leader Claude Giroux while trading for dependable blueliner Jordan Spence and shoring up the fourth line with veteran Lars Eller. Now, with their nucleus a year older and wiser, the Sens will look within to establish themselves as a consistent threat in the Atlantic Division.
>OFFENSE
The forward group remains largely intact, though established stars will need to up their output if the Senators hope to take the next step. Only Tim Stutzle produced more than 75 points in 2024-25. A bright spot came in the form of Jake Sanderson, who finished third in team scoring with 57 points from the blueline. Staios did well in shaking up his top six at the trade deadline with a swap that sent Josh Norris to the Buffalo Sabres for Dylan Cozens. Coach Travis Green will need to unlock the scoring potential of Zetterlund, who spent much of his early tenure with the Sens on the fourth line.
The club finished the season tied for 18th in goals per game.
> DEFENSE
The emergence of the 23-year-old Sanderson allowed the Senators to spread the top minutes between him and Thomas Chabot, who had carried too much of the load. Sanderson spent the bulk of his season opposite Artem Zub, while Chabot put up his strongest point totals since 2018-19 opposite Nick Jensen. The bottom pairing consists of Tyler Kleven, who stepped up mightily in the playoffs, and the able Nikolas Matinpalo. Spence will provide right-side depth, as Jensen is expected to miss time with injury. Lassi Thomson and Carter Yakemchuk will compete for roster spots during camp. Statistically speaking, the club ranked 13th in goals against per game last season.
>GOALTENDING
Linus Ullmark is the guy. The 32-year-old proved to be a rock for the Senators when healthy, suiting up in 44 games - 25 of which were wins - while posting a 2.72 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. Between Ullmark, outgoing backup Anton Forsberg and Leevi Merilainen, the Senators tied for the most shutouts of any team last season (10). Merilainen, who was sensational in 11 NHL starts in 2024-25, will hold backup duties to Ullmark. Mads Sogaard and Hunter Shepard will be on deck in Belleville.
›SPECIAL TEAMS
Ottawa's power play performed in the top half of the league last year, clocking in at 11th, with a 23.8 percent conversion rate. Brady Tkachuk put up an impressive 14 power-play goals - good for first on the team - followed closely by Drake Batherson with 13. On the PK, Ottawa finished 19th in the league with a rate of 77.7 percent, though the team collected a healthy nine shorthanded goals. Shane Pinto and Ridly Greig proved to be formidable penalty-killers, collecting three and two shorthanded goals, respectively.
The Hockey News PREDICTION | 4TH IN ATLANTIC
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This article was first published at The Hockey News-Ottawa
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