Losing to your most hated rivals in the playoffs isn't the best way to make your postseason return, but the Ottawa Senators know that contention is a marathon, not a sprint. The Senators made the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17 last season, but a first-round elimination to the Toronto Maple Leafs left them with a sour taste in their mouths. However, the 2025-26 season promises to be a compelling one for the Senators and their breakout candidates.
The Atlantic Division was due for a shakeup after years of domination by the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and Tampa Bay Lightning. The Maple Leafs have always been a substantial regular-season threat and will likely continue to be that, but the Lightning and Bruins appear to be on a slight downturn. It opens the door for some of the rebuilding teams to take the next step, which we saw last season with the Senators and Montreal Canadiens claiming surprising playoff berths.
There is nowhere to go but up for those teams with their young rosters and players on the verge of entering their prime. The Eastern Canadian squads will make even more noise in the Atlantic this season, and the emergence of some surprising players could be the difference between being bubble teams or playoff participants. Let's take a look at a couple of players who the Senators could lean on to fill that role.
Linus Ullmark's new tandem mate: Leevi Merilainen
The Senators have a deep roster when it comes to their goaltending, but Leevi Merilainen looks ready to take his place as Linus Ullmark's backup. Ullmark has some injury issues in his past, which puts the need for a reliable backup at the top of Travis Green's to-do list this preseason. In Merilainen, he has a goaltender who can fill that role and possibly even steal some starts from their star netminder.
Merilainen had been proving his worth in the minors for the Senators over the past few seasons. Still, it took a series of injuries to thrust him into a starring role for Ottawa last season as they made their push for the playoffs. He showed no signs of the moment being too big, as he posted an 8-3-1 record with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.
No one expects Merilainen to replicate those numbers over an entire NHL season, at least not in his first full year. The Senators' goaltending room has been a revolving door over the past decade, so the main thing the fans would like to see is some stability, which Ullmark and Merilainen should be able to bring. If Ullmark's injuries do rear their ugly head, Merilainen is a capable starter in the interim, with Mads Sogaard getting the recall as the backup.
Merilainen's value to the franchise is two-fold. It provides the team with a reliable backup goaltender while also allowing Ullmark to be at his best. Everyone knows that the reason Ullmark is such a hot commodity is due to his success with the Bruins, where he didn't start more than 50 games in a season because of the emergence of young goaltender Jeremy Swayman as his tandem mate.
History is repeating itself with Merilainen, and if the Senators can get the same type of production from each of their goaltenders, things could get very interesting in Canada's capital.
Jordan Spence brings different element to Senators' blueline
It was hard for Jordan Spence to find a home on the Los Angeles Kings' blueline with Brandt Clarke filling the same type of role. It isn't easy for a team to employ two defensemen who are dominantly offensive-minded, which made one of the two expendable. Luckily for the Senators, they needed a blue liner to fill that role, and the Kings were willing to make the deal.
The Senators have some defensemen who do bring an offensive element, namely Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot. Sanderson played over 24 minutes per game last season, locking down the first powerplay spot ahead of Chabot and looking very good doing it. It's hard to see Spence dethroning him as the quarterback of the first powerplay, but he could find a home on the second unit.
Chabot is still a valuable defenseman for the Senators, especially given that he missed only two games last season after a lengthy injury history. However, Spence gives Ottawa the chance to lighten Chabot's load and bring more depth to the lineup. It'll also help Sanderson, who plays every situation and could benefit from some added rest some nights, so that he doesn't run out of steam by the postseason.
The Senators have some elite offensive players up front, and if Spence gets the opportunity to play alongside them, he could show the offensive upside that brought him to the NHL in the first place.
