Well folks, we have made it to the start of the NHL season! In the world of the Ottawa Senators, this is the most hopeful the fanbase has been to start a season since the Erik Karlsson days. Without further ado, let’s dive into the details on what to make of the 2025-26 Ottawa Senators!
READ MORE: Predicting Shane Pinto’s Next Contract
The Forwards
Tkachuk-Stutzle-Zetterlund
Perron-Cozens-Amadio
Greig-Pinto-Giroux
MacDermid-Eller-Cousins/Lycksell
IR: Batherson
Quick Thoughts
This is one of the deeper groups of forwards the Senators have put together in quite some time. Once Batherson is healthy, one of Perron, Giroux or Amadio will likely end up on the fourth line. That’s quite a fourth liner.
To elevate this team from playoff contender to Stanley Cup contender, the centre position will be key. Either Stutzle will need to up his game to true superstar status, or Cozens and Pinto can both collectively improve, which would give the Senators three really good lines.
The Defense
Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Sebrango-Matinpalo/Spence
IR: Kleven
Quick Thoughts
Just as Stutzle improving his play would make a huge difference for the forward group, the same could be said with Sanderson on defense. If he could work his way into the Norris conversation, that would be a huge boost to this group. The depth of Kleven, Spence and Matinpalo is a group that has a fair amount of upside. The big question marks for the Senators back-end? Can Zub and Jensen stay healthy, and can Jensen hold off father time?
Goalies
Ullmark
Merilainen
Quick Thoughts
No surprises here. There is a big question mark with both goalies, though. For Ullmark, the question is how many games is he going to be able to play? He played 44 last year, battling through an injury partway through the season. Over the last four seasons, he has averaged 43.5 starts. Now that his new contract has kicked in, paying him $8.25 million per season, the Senators need him to handle a larger workload.
As for Merilainen, the question is how fast can he overcome what was a dreadful preseason? Let’s face it, as great as he was last season (he quite literally saved their season when Ullmark was injured), it was a small sample size of just 12 games. Of course, his preseason struggles were an even smaller sample size.
Final Thoughts
This has the looks of a playoff team. It’s a Senators team that has a nice mix of skill and physicality. If I was to nitpick, I wonder if they are truly great enough in either of those areas to compete for a Stanley Cup. That will likely come down to health, the growth of their young players, and how Steve Staios will improve this team as the season moves along. Their first test comes tonight, against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
