With the ball about to drop on 2025, The Hockey News Ottawa looks back on some of the biggest Senators news of the calendar year. The biggest news of all was the Senators finally returning to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in eight years. Unfortunately, as they have so many times in the distant past, they came out on the wrong end of the Battle of Ontario. While the return to the playoffs was the year’s biggest news, it certainly wasn’t the only big news. Here’s a review of some of the big Senators' moments over the past year, starting with January through April. January Ridly Greig Re-signs Back in March of 2025, Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discussed the Josh Norris-Dylan Cozens deal. The Senators signed Greig to a four-year extension worth $3.25 million (AAV). The 22-year-old was scheduled to become a restricted free agent in the summer. “Ridly has established himself as a key member of our team going forward,” GM Steve Staios said in a club statement. “He brings a good mix of versatility and tenacity to our forward group.” Greig was part of a lucrative 2020 NHL Draft for the Senators, who currently have six players on their roster from that draft: Tim Stützle, Jake Sanderson, Tyler Kleven, Leevi Meriläinen, and Cole Reinhardt. “I am grateful to the Senators for the opportunity to spend the next four years with this group,” Greig said. “I am looking forward to continuing to develop and to the chance to win with this team.” Leevi Meriläinen Becomes the Emergency Starter With injuries to veterans Linus Ullmark and Anton Forsberg, 22-year-old Leevi Meriläinen was forced into action as Ottawa’s starting goalie. Meriläinen was brilliant in 12 games with the club, posting an 8-3-1 record, a 1.99 goals-against average, and a .925 save percentage. Sens Announce Preseason Games in Quebec City Ottawa announced they would play a pair of preseason games in Quebec City in September against the New Jersey Devils and the Montreal Canadiens. The club felt like there might be Quebec City hockey fans who are undecided on their NHL allegiances. However, the Sens came away red-faced when they trotted out their mascot, Spartacat, wearing a jersey that was half Senators and half Nordiques. Some Sens fans were already annoyed that the club was promoting itself in front of a fan base that is starving to get its NHL team back. The mascot wearing the Nordiques crest only amplified the fan base’s annoyance. Nick Cousins Suffers Knee Injury In a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nick Cousins suffered a serious knee injury after a knee-on-knee collision with Jacob Quillan. Cousins missed the next 30 games following knee surgery, returning just before the playoffs. Senators Announce Quarter-Century Team The NHL announced the Senators’ Quarter-Century First and Second Teams. The First Team was made up of the Pizza Line with Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, and Daniel Alfredsson. The defencemen were Erik Karlsson and Wade Redden, with Craig Anderson in goal. The Second Team was Brady Tkachuk, Marian Hossa, and Mark Stone up front. Chris Phillips and Zdeno Chára were the defence, and Patrick Lalime was the goaltender. February Meriläinen Sent Down Despite outplaying the Senators’ two older goaltenders, Meriläinen was sent down to the minors when Ullmark and Forsberg got healthy. It was becoming apparent that the Senators would not re-sign Forsberg as a pending RFA, but the Senators wanted to protect their goaltending depth for the rest of the season. If they had sent down Forsberg, they may have lost him on waivers. Meriläinen was waiver-exempt, so down he went. Hamburglar Anniversary The Senators celebrated the 10th anniversary of the famous Hamburglar run, inviting him to town for a pregame ceremony at Canadian Tire Centre. Andrew Hammond played out of his mind filling in for the injured Craig Anderson in the second half of the 2015 season. With masked Ottawa fans happily hurling hamburgers onto the ice after every win, the Hamburglar’s record that spring was a stunning 20-1-2 with a .941 save percentage and a 1.79 goals-against average, propelling the Senators into the playoffs. Hartman Slams Stützle Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman was suspended for 10 games for slamming Senators forward Tim Stützle to the ice face-first during a faceoff. A couple of weeks later, Gary Bettman swept in and reduced Hartman’s suspension to just eight games. Senators at the Four Nations February marked a return of a best-on-best event as the NHL’s Four Nations Face-Off made its debut. Team USA had the highest Senators content, with both Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson suiting up. Linus Ullmark made Team Sweden, and Nikolas Matinpalo got the call to fill in for injured Finnish defenceman Rasmus Ristolainen. March The Norris Trade March will best be remembered for a pair of Senators deals at the NHL trade deadline. The biggest was Josh Norris heading to Buffalo in a deal for fellow centre Dylan Cozens. The Senators also received defenceman Dennis Gilbert and a second-round draft pick in 2026. Heading to the Sabres with Norris was defenceman Jacob Bernard-Docker, who had suffered a leg injury in January but was now healthy and having a hard time cracking Ottawa’s starting six. The Zetterlund Deal That was one of two big deals the Senators made that day. They also acquired winger Fabian Zetterlund from the San Jose Sharks, along with forward Tristen Robbins and a 2025 fourth-round draft pick. In return, the Sharks got Noah Gregor, Zack Ostapchuk, and a 2025 second-round draft pick. March Madness Senators head coach Travis Green hit a major coaching milestone, appearing in his 400th game behind an NHL bench. After the NHL’s Four Nations Face-Off, the Senators crafted their own version of March Madness with a 7-0-1 record, which translated to a smooth .938 points percentage. That streak saved the season, because as March began, the Senators were on a five-game skid and trailed both the Detroit Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets by four points for the two wild-card spots. Those are some of the highlights from the first quarter of 2025. Coming up next? We're looking back at April to June, which was the best part of 2025 for the Ottawa Senators. By Steve Warne The Hockey News - Ottawa Senators Year In Review Part Two, April-June: The Stanley Cup Playoff Drought Finally Ends [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators/latest-news/ottawa-senators-year-in-review-part-two-april-june-the-stanley-cup-playoff-drought-finally-ends] Senators Year In Review Part Three, July-September: Free Agency, A Big Change For Sens Radio [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators/latest-news/ottawa-senators-year-in-review-part-three-july-september-free-agency-a-big-change-for-sens-radio] Senators Year In Review Part Four, Oct-Dec: Tkachuk Has Surgery, Ullmark Takes Leave Of Absence [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators/latest-news/ottawa-senators-year-in-review-part-four-october-december-tkachuk-has-surgery-ullmark-takes-leave-of-absence]
