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Early into the 2024-25 NHL season, the Ottawa Senators' season hasn't gone according to plan.
Coming off seven straight years without a postseason appearance, there's some pressure for progress in Ottawa. But through 25 games, the Senators carry a 12-12-2 record, sitting 10th in the East in points percentage.
With a lot of season left, below, we take a look at reasons for hope and concern.
Senators are generating offense
Despite their struggles over recent years, Ottawa's offense hasn't really been the problem. The majority of the Senators' top forwards have been producing as expected. Currently, the Senators sit 14th in the NHL at 3.1 goals per game.
Tim Stutzle leads the team with 32 points, while Brady Tkachuk holds the team lead in goals, at 13. Meanwhile, Drake Batherson is on pace for the most productive season of his career, with nine goals and 27 points. Josh Norris and Claude Giroux have also been chipping in, with 17 and 18 points respectively. Adam Gaudette has notably been a great surprise, with 12 goals already. Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot and even Nick Jensen have also been contributing from the blue line.
Secondary scoring has been a little more quiet, though. Ridly Greig and Shane Pinto are both off to fairly slow starts, and Ottawa hasn't gotten a ton of offense from down the lineup. But with the Senators' top stars producing as they have been, Ottawa has generally been able to get a consistent stream of offense.
Ottawa often still can't keep the puck out of its net
Over the last few years, it's seemed like the Senators have tried everything to reduce the number of goals they're allowing. Just in net alone, we've seen the team bring in Matt Murray, Joonas Korpisalo, and now, Linus Ullmark.
Ullmark was a key offseason addition, who had been one half of the NHL's top tandem in Boston. He's one year removed from a Vezina Trophy in 2023, and posted a .915 save percentage last season. Before the season, Ottawa also extended Ullmark on a four-year contract.
Early into the 2024-25 season though, Ullmark's numbers haven't been great. He's managed just an .898 save percentage across 16 games, which are similar numbers to those of Anton Forsberg.
Obviously though, it's not all on Ullmark. Despite a good blue line on paper, the Senators' defensive efforts have been inconsistent. But despite the consistent changes year over year, Ottawa still hasn't been able to keep the puck out of their net.
Senators are still built for long-term success
Despite the lack of success, there's a lot to like about Ottawa's roster on paper. Mainly, the core of the team is still quite young.
Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Jake Sanderson and Josh Norris are all still just in their early-to-mid 20s. Essentially, the majority of their top players could have an impact for a very long time before there's any risk of a decline. So the Senators are building around players who could be around long-term.
Meanwhile, many of their top players are locked up long-term. Both Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot are under contract until 2028, while Linus Ullmark is signed until 2029. Meanwhile, all of Norris, Sanderson and Stutzle are signed until at least 2030.
It's a much better situation than if they were struggling with an aging roster and expiring contracts. So while the Senators aren't in the spot they'd like to be, the pieces are still in place for long-term success.
Despite strong roster, Senators can't get over the hump
As well as the Senators have set themselves up on paper though, at a certain point, you need results. Heading into each of the last couple seasons, it's seemed like Ottawa was in position to be in the playoff mix. But despite consistently making changes and additions, they haven't been able to actually take that step.
The Senators have made off-ice moves, firing head coach DJ Smith during the 2023-24 season, as well as general manager Pierre Dorion. They brought in both Alex DeBrincat and Jakob Chychrun, but their respective tenures in Ottawa were short-lived. They've tried making additions at just about every position, and it hasn't helped. We're at the point where there's now speculation about the Senators possibly making major changes to their core already. It's not an ideal position, for a team that should be a lot better than they have been.
It's a little tough to even really pinpoint why things aren't working. Artem Zub's absence a major blow to the defense group, but Ottawa's season shouldn't really be determined by a single key injury.
So despite the Senators looking very formidable on paper, it hasn't come together. The team is still struggling to make meaningful progress, and it seems like a major trade at this point could end up being a sideways move. But the pressure is clearly continuing to mount, and if the Senators end up well outside the playoff picture once again, it would be tough to roll back the same core again.
