The Ottawa Senators’ season has gone off the rails after what once looked like a hopeful start. Sunday’s ugly 7-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights felt like a breaking point, a game that summed up just how far things have slipped. Ottawa now sits seven points outside a playoff spot, and the pressure is starting to mount fast.
This hasn’t just been a run of bad luck or close losses. The Senators have looked flat, fragile, and short on answers. If Ottawa is going to stop the slide, something has to change, and it needs to start with goaltending.
Linus Ullmark was supposed to be the answer. When the Senators handed him a $33 million contract extension last season, the expectation was stability in net. Instead, the position has turned into a revolving door, and the results have been nothing but disappointing.