As a ravenous consumer of online Ottawa Senators content, it’s always interesting to me to hear and read the various opinions on what the club’s roster and line combinations might look like for the 2025–26 season.

Naturally, the only opinion that matters belongs to Sens head coach Travis Green, and he’s a world-famous tinkerer, happy to mix things up if certain combinations go cold. Heck, he doesn't mind a nice shuffle when things go lukewarm. 

But the thing about summertime prognostications is that the fantasy lineups fans and media put together are often more of a ranking of who they think the best players are. Naturally, the best guys get plugged into the top lines.

So when NHL.com released its projected Sens lineup this week, it was intriguing to see David Perron casually slotted in on the fourth line, alongside newcomer Lars Eller and the newly re-signed Nick Cousins.

It stood out to me. It's a notion I hadn't considered.

Perron is set to make $4 million this season. He’s a veteran of 1,174 NHL games and has averaged 55 points per season throughout his career. That doesn't exactly scream “prototypical fourth-line forward.”

Sure, he’s 37 and coming off a tough year. He battled injuries and, more importantly, dealt with health issues in his family, and those two issues limited him to just 43 games played. But until last season, he had consistently hovered near the 50-point mark throughout the back half of his career.

At Perron's age, and it's the same with Claude Giroux, people wonder if it's the beginning of the end. I don't have PuckPedia open at the moment, but if I recall, Father Time has a pretty slick won-loss record.

Whether you agree with the league's official website or not, the slotting isn't outrageous by any means. You could potentially argue that Michael Amadio should drop down to the fourth line instead, but there’s also plenty of logic in keeping him with Shane Pinto and Ridly Greig. That trio had good two-way chemistry for much of last season. Like, really good.

Whether it's Perron or not, someone is going to end up lower in the batting order than they deserve to be, and it's the kind of problem good teams have. While the Sens may not have anyone likely to crash the Art Ross Trophy conversation, they suddenly have some very nice depth. They can roll their lines a little more evenly – without damage – during the long grind of the regular season.

Here’s how NHL.com aligned things:

Projected Forward Lineup

Brady Tkachuk – Tim Stützle – Claude Giroux
Fabian Zetterlund – Dylan Cozens – Drake Batherson
Ridly Greig – Shane Pinto – Michael Amadio
David Perron – Lars Eller – Nick Cousins

It's a good bet that the Sens will, like many teams, keep forward pairs together and rotate wingers around like wild cards. The likely candidates for those moving parts include Giroux, Zetterlund, Amadio, and Perron. Any of them could be on any line on any given night.

The top two lines will probably be anchored by the duos of Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle, and Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens. There’s on-ice chemistry and off-ice friendship in both pairings. Down the lineup, expect Shane Pinto and Ridly Greig to stick together, as well as Lars Eller and Nick Cousins.

Make no mistake, Perron couldn't care less what's being said online in the summer. He'll just be pushing hard to improve on last year, where his issues weren't just about games missed.

He also admitted that transitioning to a new team has never been easy for him.

"Changing teams is always tough," Perron said back in May. "It is for me, it always has been, I don't know. Maybe it's my style of play. Like, what I do on the ice, it takes a little bit of time to get the trust and maybe understanding of the coaches, even players who I'm playing with, the chemistry on the ice. Honestly, maybe even you guys (referring to the media) or the fans.

"It's nice when you feel like your game is respected and you feel appreciated for what you do. And then you just go out there and put in an honest effort. And it felt like I was able to build on that a little bit better towards the end of the year, and it's fun. But again, like my other (NHL) moves, I would say it's been similar at the start. It's always a little bit tough for sure, (leaving aside) the personal stuff."

Perron acknowledges he’s never been the flashiest player, but he was glad to show what he could do later in the season and into the playoffs. His game has always been about hockey sense, board battles and puck work, and like any player in the league, success will always depend heavily on opportunity and ice time.

"Obviously, you always want more [ice time]," Perron said. "And I also understand where I’m at in my career. So it’s all of those things. I’m also battling inside on a daily basis. The fire is fully there to want more, but also understanding the situation around me."

Right now, Perron may well be viewed as a potential fourth-line option. But with nearly 1,200 NHL games under his belt, and that fire still burning, don’t be surprised if he forces his way into a bigger role than some expect.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
Image Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

This article orginally appeared at The Hockey News Ottawa, where you'll find all the latest Senators news:
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