It’s time to get back to work.
The weather has turned cool, and the Ottawa Senators have had plenty of time to cool their heels.
Hopefully, everybody had a nice, quiet, relaxing summer and had the chance to kick back for a while. As the kids in the Ottawa area return to school on Tuesday morning, the action in these parts on the hockey front will finally heat up with the Senators holding a media gathering on Wednesday to preview the upcoming season
The last time we saw the Senators, they were shaking hands with the Toronto Maple Leafs and waving to their faithful as they left the ice at the Canadian Tire Centre following a first-round series loss in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup playoffs on May 2.
After playing the playoffs for the first time in eight years, what do the Senators do for an encore?
A lot of time has passed since then, and changes have been made during the off-season, but as most of the players arrive in town this weekend to prepare for the opening of training camp, the goal is to take another step in the right direction this season.
The players will report to camp for medicals on Sept. 17 and then hit the ice on Sept. 18 at the CTC. The annual golf tournament will be held on Sept. 8 because the Senators want to focus on getting ready for the season when training camp opens.
The rookies will hit the ice on Sept. 11 and Sept. 12 before heading to Laval for a small tourney against the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets.
Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, had a quieter summer than he did before the 2024-25 campaign, but he’s hopeful the pieces are in place for more success after the Senators got to the post-season.
Travis Green, heading into his second year behind the bench after helping the club make the post-season, will have to hope that the players learned from their playoff loss to the arch-rival Leafs and know the challenge ahead will only be more difficult.
This will be a tough season because the schedule will be compressed with the NHL shutting down in February so players can attend the Winter Olympic Games.
CORE MUST CONTINUE TO GROW
Captain Brady Tkachuk and top centre Tim Stutzle, along with Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson, Drake Batherson, Ridly Greig, and Shane Pinto, all had their first opportunity to compete in the playoffs.
They learned the hard way that it takes a lot of time, energy and effort to get to the post-season, but once you get there, you have to dig down deep because in the end, the Leafs were able to use their experience to find a way to win the series 4-2.
Ottawa Senators’ Brady Tkachuk (7) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks with Tim Stutzle (18) and Drake Batherson (19) during third period NHL hockey action in Ottawa, on Saturday, March 1, 2025.
The Senators finished with a 45-30-7 record and compiled 97 points to lock up the first wildcard spot in the East. Five teams in the Atlantic Division — Toronto, Florida, Tampa, Montreal, and Ottawa — made the playoffs, and the Panthers won their second straight Stanley Cup.
Many believe the Atlantic might be one of the strongest divisions in the NHL, and it’s not a stretch to say that when you look at the way last year played out. The Panthers haven’t gotten any worse this summer, and they look like a force to be reckoned with again.
That means Tkachuk, who leads this club into battle every night, will have his work cut out for him this season to push this group to be at its absolute best. Tkachuk, 25, has 191 goals and 213 assists for 404 points in 512 career NHL games and plays with a fearless style.
Stutzle, the No. 3 overall selection in the 2020 NHL draft, has made a steady improvement yearly. He was the club’s top point-getter with 24 goals and 55 assists for 79 points in 82 games last season. Thirty-three points came on the power play, but only five of those were goals.
Sanderson had a breakout season last year, and he’s only going to improve. He’ll be on the roster for the United States at the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, in February because it just feels like there won’t be any chance for his country to deny him a spot.
Chabot, the longest-serving player on the Ottawa roster, played the kind of consistent hockey we have always expected last year, and that has to continue. Veteran blueliner Nick Jensen was the perfect partner, but it’s doubtful he’ll be ready to start the season.
Veteran defenceman Artem Zub has to be better.
Valuable experience was gained last year, but that path must continue with top goaltender Linus Ullmark, who is making a whopping $8.25 million this season, to help make the Senators a playoff contender.
Ullmark, 32, has to carry the ball. He started 44 games last season and missed six weeks with a back injury. His numbers were strong with a 25-14-3 record and a .910 save percentage. He’s being paid to be a top goalie, and that has to be the case.
CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE
Nobody can blame Staios for not making major changes. There was no need to overhaul this roster.
Former general manager Pierre Dorion put the pieces of the puzzle in place by drafting the core, and former coach D.J. Smith did his part in the development department, but Staois made the necessary changes to put the right people around Tkachuk and Co.
Acquired from the Washington Capitals before last season, Jensen was a solid addition to the club’s top four. Veteran winger David Perron had personal issues at home that required his attention, but he also suffered from a back ailment. However, he stepped up in the playoffs.
This year, Staios didn’t make any major moves because it really wasn’t necessary. He cleaned up the roster last summer and brought back the players he wanted. This year, centre Adam Gaudette left as a UFA because he got a better contract offer with the San Jose Sharks.
Defenceman Jordan Spence was acquired on Day 2 of the NHL draft in exchange for a couple of selections from the Los Angeles Kings. He isn’t the biggest player, but he’s a right-shot that should be able to play in the top four.
Veteran centre Lars Eller was signed as an unrestricted free agent from the Pittsburgh Penguins to play in the top four. He won a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals, so he’ll bring that valuable experience, which is an absolute necessity.
The Senators did let veteran goalie Anton Forsberg walk away as a UFA. That was the right decision because the time had come to move on, and Leevi Merilainen proved during a stretch in early January that he’s more than capable of being an NHL goalie.
Centre Dylan Cozens, acquired from the Buffalo Sabres at last year’s NHL trade deadline, is essentially getting a fresh start this season. Yes, he played with the club down the stretch, but the expectation is that he should be a more consistent contributor.
If you look at the actual roster, there really shouldn’t be much in the way of a battle for jobs in camp. Settling where veteran winger Claude Giroux fits into the club’s top nine will be one of the big questions because of the emergence of Fabian Zetterlund.
The Senators signed Zetterlund to a three-year contract extension that will pay him $4.275 million per season through the 2027-28 campaign.
Acquired from the San Jose Sharks only 27 seconds before the NHL’s 3 p.m. trade deadline in March, Zetterlund, 25, will have the chance to be a top-six forward next season.
Since Staois was unable to address the need for secondary scoring, the answers will have to come from within. At that kind of money, Zetterlund has to be one of the answers. He had only two goals and five points in 20 games with Ottawa.
The Senators ranked 22nd in the NHL in five-on-five scoring last season. The club has $4.25 million in cap space, which it expects to be able to use at the trade deadline.
THE INJURY FACTOR
People have gotten excited seeing the videos of, 34, skating and rollerblading near his home in Minnesota in the off-season.
He had hip surgery in late May that came with an uncertain timetable, except for the fact that he wouldn’t be ready for camp. There was also some question as to whether he would play at all this season, but by all accounts, his recovery is ahead of schedule.
It has only been just over three months since Jensen had the major surgery on the hip issue he played through most of the second half of last season. Most players are in the four to six-month range in their recovery, which means it’s doubtful Jensen will start the year.
Ottawa Senators defenceman Nick Jensen spoke to media at the Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday, May 3, 2025.
If he does, that’s a bonus, but it sure sounds like that will be wishful thinking. The Senators will have to rely on their depth in the organization, and the expectation is that the 2024 top selection, Carter Yakemchuk, will push for a spot on the blueline.
He is scheduled to spend most of the season with the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville, and will face stiff competition to make the Ottawa roster from the likes of Nikolas Mantipalo and Lassi Thomson.
Staios brought back Thomson after he spent last season playing in Sweden.
Thomson, who was selected No. 19 overall by the Senators in 2019, finished with 17 goals and 29 points in the SHL and should push for a spot.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Senators left their fans with hope when they wrapped up the season with a loss in the Battle of Ontario
It was a sign that there are better days ahead, and as they prepare to open camp later this month, it will be time for the organization to continue its path to victory.
bgarrioch@postmedia.com
Related