Back in April, after a furious end-of-season charge to make the playoffs, the Senators' 2025-26 season ended disappointingly with a four-game sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes.

But when Travis Green addressed his players afterward, disappointment wasn't all he was feeling.

He was proud.

"It's not very often after you get swept 4-0 that you look at it and you're proud of your group. But I did," Green said this week on 100% Hockey with Millard and Shannon. "I told them I was proud of them."

More importantly, Green came away from the season believing the Senators are significantly closer to where they ultimately want to be.

"I also felt like we were closer to winning a Stanley Cup than not," Green said. "And when I first got (to Ottawa), I didn't think we could say that."

The progress wasn't necessarily obvious in the standings. Green noted that his team improved by only one point, but he thinks the Senators actually took a way bigger step than that.

"I felt like our team game was a lot better, a lot stronger," Green said. "We really kind of came into our own as far as our identity and how we wanted to play."

Green also loved how his team handled its business. There were stretches when the Sens played well without getting the results, but instead of letting that frustration derail their season, they stuck with it.

"We had a much better season, I felt like mentally, than we did the year before as well," Green said. "And I think our team learned how to believe in themselves."

One brief stretch in late March really stood out for Green during the Sens' playoff push.

Already shorthanded on defence in a road game against the Rangers, he then lost Thomas Chabot about five minutes into the game, then Lassi Thomson also went down, leaving the Senators with just four defencemen for most of the night.

They not only found a way to win, but somehow, with only four D, they only allowed the Rangers nine shots, the fewest shots against in franchise history.

"You don't do that without a whole team effort," Green said.

With no rest, the Senators then travelled to Detroit for another crucial game the next night against a rested Red Wings team they were chasing in the standings. Ottawa had to call up two more young rookie defencemen, Carter Yakemchuk and Jorian Donovan.

Once again, they found a way to win.

"Those are pivotal, pivotal moments in the season, I felt," Green said. "Not only point-wise, but I think confidence-wise with our group."

For Green, those two nights demonstrated the focus, strength, and character that teams need if they're going to be great. It's also why he isn't letting four losses to the eventual Stanley Cup champions completely define their season.

"The things didn't go our way in the playoffs," Green said. "But we learned a lot of lessons along the way this year. And that's part of winning. That's part of progressing.

"We've still got a really young group. But I told them that I was proud of them. Not just for the playoffs, but for the season, really."

It's easy to see why.

The season was a stream of adversity and distraction: injuries, shaky goaltending, not getting rewarded for good performances, bizarre social media rumours, and all the needless noise around their ex-captain, who, as it turns out, no longer wanted to be here.

Through all that, while playing in the best division in the league, the group still managed to finish as the ninth-best team in the league and make the playoffs.

What might they accomplish next season if, say, only half of last year's adversity is dumped on their doorstep?

Beyond that, the players we called "kids" five years ago now have the battle scars and a fuller understanding of what it takes to succeed. All those lessons learned are a highly underrated reason why the Senators may be a lot better than people think next season.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was first published in The Hockey News. For more Sens coverage at The Hockey News, click on one of the Sens headlines below:

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