Ottawa Senators 2025-26 Season Preview | The Steve Dangle Podcast

Ottawa Senators 2025-26 Season Preview | The Steve Dangle Podcast

The Ottawa Senators. The Ottawa Senators back in the playoffs for the first time in almost a decade. Finished with 97 points, good enough for fourth in the division. And this is a team that we have been waiting on for a long, long time to take a step forward, make it in. They took advantage of the fact that Boston and New York really fell out of the picture. And that is smart to do. You need to do it. What’s interesting though is BMGM does not have them improving all that much this year. 95 and a half is the overunder. And what’s crazy is if you pick the over, you get better odds, meaning they think it’s more likely to be under 95 a half. This is a team that Ottawa fans are justifiably very high on. How high are you, Stephen and Jesse? H real hard to gauge the Atlantic. Um I’ll take a soft under on that. No, there are no softs. Well, then it’s hard under or hard. Give me the turgid under. Okay, Jesse Blake, I got a hard under. I want the I want the I want the under. Slap me with a rock solid under. All right, so let’s start with the Ottawa Senators goending. Now, we’re we’re getting towards the end of our previews. Yeah. Yeah, we are. Um, uh, let me give me a raging under there. All right. Hey, we’re robbing people of their of their preview here. Now, we got to extend it a minute. Uh, Lena, Levy Mirin, and it looks like in net. Um, what do we think about that group? I mean, Lena has, you know, is a VZN trophy winner. This guy’s really, really good. Matt Sogard probably will play a little bit, too. Uh he played a little bit last year, but he started camp saying, “I had a terrible day. It was awful.” Blah blah blah. Lenus is one of those guys that is known to be too hard on himself. We used to hear about you remember Jack Campbell used to be like that. Yes. He’d like he’d blow a game and then he’d be like in tears at a press conference afterwards. Be like, “Jack, I love every every Jack Campbell press conference about himself. I feel I had to defend his honor against him.” Yes. And I feel like Lenus, who has more than proved himself uh at this level, is still that hard on himself. You can look at that as a good thing because he’s highly competitive, or you can look at it as a hey, he’s got to watch that because goalending is between the ears. What kind of a season are you expecting from Lena Omar on which I think a good chunk of the season rests for the Senators? Yeah, really difficult goalie to gauge. He can be incredible. We’ve seen it, but he’s off to a like all we can go off of is what we’ve seen in preseason. Well, I mean in playoffs though, like even people were like, “Well, he hasn’t proven himself in the playoffs outside of a game or two. He wasn’t all that good.” Yeah. Um and then his his camp is off to a not great start. And he’s cuz you know he’s 2 and eight in his last 10 playoff games. Jesus H. Yeah. Like, and I know we’re not judging these teams based on playoff performance right now. We’re doing regular season, but man, yeah, it’s ugly. That’s It’s not great. And he’s paid what is it? Eight or eight and a half. 8.25, I believe. He’s paid like Oh, right. I think you’re right. Paid like Jay Goter’s paid. Yeah. He’s paid like one of the best goalies in the league. He’s making more money than Connor Hobbuk. And damn, you got to live up to that. And if you don’t, like because of what the team has invested in you, if if you’re if you’re just good, um, they might miss the playoffs, right? Because of that. Does Mark concern you in that like the peak of his career when he won the VZNA Trophy in the 23 season, he did it in 48 starts where he had next to him also one of the best goalies in the league. Jeremy Swayman behind one of the best teams we’ve in the regular season we’ve ever seen. Yeah. Uh like I just I mean winning How many of those games did he win even? What was his record? Give me his card. 46 and one. Yeah. You know I don’t think that’s uh repeatable. I think that might be unsustainable. Um I do I I got to say even if he falters I do believe in Levy uh Levy Marilinan Levy uh Marilinan he he was good last season but again at eight and a quarter you’re not taking starts away from like Marilyn played because guys were hurt and he played well he did play well but it’s not going to be like Mark’s cold let’s start the kid like it’s Omar’s cold and we got to get him out of and we got to play him through it. Yeah. Right. So, he is he he’s the biggest question mark on the team in some ways just because I mean it listen it is preseason but that’s a really weird way to start camp. Um in terms of defense it’s hard not to love what what the Senators have right. I mean I think where they lack size but all of them all of them move the puck. It’s absurd. Sanderson, Shabbat, Shabbat’s 28 now. Can you believe that? No. Uh, Ardum Zub, who I’m a huge fan of because I hate him every time we play him. That’s how you know he’s a good defenseman. Uh, you’ve had the emergence. You’ve got Nick Jensen, veteran presence, obviously. Tyler Cleven was pretty awesome in the playoffs last year. Really impressed me. Really like him. And another guy that they picked up for basically nothing this year was Jordan Spence. This is a high draft pick from the LA Kings, uh, who, you know, I think was buried on the right side, kind of like Shawn Dury was when he was there. And listen, I know there’s a lot of detractors from Jordan Spence. I like this guy a lot, and I think he’s going to get great opportunities in Ottawa. Watch out for this dude. Uh, and also, let’s not forget Olympian Nicholas Matalo. See, yes, absolutely. It’s not nothing that they gave up for Spence. It was a third and a sixth, which is that’s what acid. So, I think like Jordan Spence, I’m so happy you brought him up cuz he has a role on this team. I think he’s going to be a really great depth defenseman and I think he solidifies whereas like we got six guys here that are really going to we’ll be we’ll be able to trust them in any situation. He’ll help you move the puck at five on five. I’m curious how he gets in on the power play though. Like you have Jake Sanderson. I don’t think he does. And I think you just have to say you’re not getting in on the power play, Jordan. You need to move the puck well on the back end and wait for your spots. And I think one of the other parts that I think management did to take some sometimes you got to take a coach’s toys away, removing the ability for Travis Green to play Travis Hamick is, and I think Sans fans will back me up on that one. I think it was time. Uh, no disrespect to Hamick. He’s had an incredible career, but I think it’s over. And I was as surprised as anyone when he ended up in Detroit. Like, I just I think that this team needs to run on this defense, which looks to be so strong for the next few years. Detroit falters, you could always go out and get him again. Yeah, you you could. Sandra and Shabbat is comparable to any top two on the left side around the entire league. Yeah, I mean Sanderson, Shabbat, Cleven. Yeah, it’s that’s ridiculous. It’s a great left side. Uh up front, we all know the characters. These guys have been together a while and they’re all still so young. Stutza 23. Kachchuck 26. Dylan Cousins obviously traded for Josh. Full season. He’s still only 24. Bath’s only 27. Zetterland who came over from uh full season of him. I like him. David Prawn was a bastard in the playoffs last year. And that is what he’s so good at. By the way, when David Prawn was on agent provocator, we talked about the fact that at his first training camp, Keith Kachchuck used to absolutely whack the [ __ ] out of him with his stick because he was like, “This guy tries too hard in practice and he’s pissing me off.” That’s what I love about David Pon. Uh Ridley Grigg, total dick. You got to love it. Shane Pinto, full season of him. Yeah. You see the theme? Yes. Budoo is back with a bonus laden deal. You got Lars Eller also a dick. Nick Cousins also a dick. Like there’s there is this team is this team’s got a lot of pesky sense about them. They’re a tough out. They’re like this is a regular season video and they’re being evaluated that way. It’s just not a fun night. Like win or lose, it’s a terrible night. You will not enjoy this team if you have to play them in the playoffs either. No, there is no soft nights against the Ottawa center. Jesse, you look at that four group. What stands out to you? I love the center depth that they have. I love Stutsla, Cousins, and Pinto. I think you have a chance to have a really great trio there up the middle. Um I I love too how like you mentioned the the grinders and the guys who can get in the dirty areas. The way that those guys plays, it kind of trickles down to me from like Michael Anlau and how he treats ownership of this team. Like Ridley Grigg feels like an Ottawa senator and somebody who embodies what Michael Anlau is trying to put on the ice there. And I feel like David Pon’s the same way and Cousins is the same way. This isn’t supposed to be a high-flying team, even though they have the ability to do that with the guys I outlined down the middle. This is supposed to be a hardworking team that’s also going to score. And I feel like they have a perfect mix there amongst the forward group. There’s a lot of [ __ ] you up front. Yeah. Like I I hate to be that upfront, but that’s how it is. Do all of that without mentioning Brady Kachchuck because that’s that’s the obvious free space. Like he him and his brother are the ultimate I’m going to get in your [ __ ] people in the entire league and he’s the captain and everything comes down from him. He’s violence personified. Yeah, it’s it’s an exciting I mean you got to be pumped if you’re a Sens fan. This is cool. He doesn’t have another gear. Like like when we talk about players having another gear for the playoffs, he doesn’t know how to play down to the regular. No. No. He’s like that on a Tuesday in Nowhere’sville. He’s just We saw him do the preseason. Yeah. He’s the Pazetta. Yeah. Now, one one thing I do want to point out here is the top six seems to be solidified, but the but Zetterland, who we were impressed with when we were in San Jose, very much so. He has a lot to prove. He was not fantastic in terms of scoring when he came. I think it was five points in 20 games, but it’s not good enough. It’s kind of like but it’s a new system. Well, it’s like Lton in Toronto. Like people think that’s just what he is. And I hope Sans fans don’t think that’s what Zeterland is. The majority of his career, he’s proved proven to be a far better player than that. And he’s big chungus. Like he’s he he lays a lot of hits, man. The difference with Zetterland though is he’s now playing for a team that that is going to make the playoffs. And he’s a good fit for them. Yeah, but but he does have to prove there. Pressure is so much different. Jesse, uh any last before we uh before I go to the predictions here? I think we need to get big chungus shirts. Yes, we do. Big zetter chungus. Okay. Uh who wants to go first? Making me regret the rock hard under with this team. Give it a stiff under. Um all right. So what do we think here? Where do you have them in the division? the get that. Could you try again? Oh, there’s your Siri. All right, shut that off. Um, the middle Siri, shut up. Anyway. Okay. Oh, man. When the AI takes over, I’m in big trouble. Yeah, it’s my phone. No, but Hey Siri, that wasn’t me. Um, anyway. Hey Alexa, play Siri. Hey Siri. Hey Google. You’re ruining a lot of people’s drives right now. Uh, I Yeah, but they’re all Sens fans, so who cares? the send. Hey Siri. Hey Google. Hey Alexa. Sorry. Go. You have I’m in fifth. I have the sends in fifth as well. You have the sends in fifth. I have them in third. Oh, I would be shocked at all if that happened honestly. Uh but can I just say this? I almost had All Mark gave me the yips. I almost had them in second after I wouldn’t be surprised if the Sens won the division. If you’re sitting there and you’re a Sens fan right now, you have the chance of winning the Atlantic or finishing like fifth. Leafs are going to have a hard time winning more games than they did. So are the Lightning. So are the Panthers. Yes, but we deserve a Panthers sends first round. We do. I’m sorry. It’s [ __ ] that they keep going to each other’s games. Yeah. Yeah. They need to start hating each other. Play each other. Yeah. Yeah. I want to see a Kachchuck versus Kachchuck fight center ice that organize that in the group chat. Get that going. That is your Ottawa Senator season preview.

Steve Dangle, Adam Wylde and Jesse Blake preview the 2025 Ottawa Senators. Is it time for them to take the next step and compete for the Atlantic Division crown?

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