The Ottawa Senators last made the playoffs in 2017, when they were one goal in overtime away from advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. The fans believed it was the beginning of a successful run, but they dropped to a 28-43-11 record the following season. It started a streak of four straight seasons without eclipsing 30 wins. The Senators finally had a season above .500 in 2022-2023 but regressed to a 37-41-4 record in 2023-2024. The Senators still have a long way to go to be a contender, and it won't get any easier with some of their roster concerns this season.
Ottawa's win/loss record wasn't the only thing that regressed last season. Tim Stutzle exploded for 90 points in 78 games in 2022-23 but had just 70 last season. Brady Tkachuk also went from 83 points to 74. A rebuilding team would like to see their young players grow every season before eventually peaking. However, there must be concerns that the Senators have already seen their young players at the top of their games in 2022-23.
Can the Senators show they're ready to climb the ranks in the Atlantic Division?
Linus Ullmark joins long list of Senators goaltenders
The Senators have been here before, entering a season with a new goaltender to elevate them to the playoffs. The Senators acquired Linus Ullmark this offseason from the Boston Bruins. The move was an admission from the Senators' front office that a $4 million annual deal to Korpisalo wasn't the answer to their issues. However, the question is whether Ullmark is the answer or if he will join the list of goalies who struggled in a Senators jersey.
Korpisalo had a successful 2022-23 season, recording a .913 save percentage with a 3.17 goals-against average on the Columbus Blue Jackets. The statistics showed he was getting a ton of shots and was stopping most of them despite allowing over three goals per game. The Blue Jackets traded him to the Los Angeles Kings, where he tallied an even more impressive .921 save percentage and 2.13 goals-against. It didn't last in 2023-24, regressing to a .890 save percentage and a 3.27 goals-against average in the Senators crease.
It was eerily similar to the Cam Talbot situation in 2022-23. The Ontario native had a .911 save percentage and a 2.76 goals-against average with the Minnesota Wild in 2021-22 before struggling to find his game in Ottawa the following season. Talbot left the Senators to join the Kings in 2023-24 and had one of his best seasons and an All-Star game appearance.
The issue also dates back to Filip Gustavsson, who the Senators cut bait with after a poor 2021-22 season, and he became one of the top goaltenders in the league in 2022-23 with the Wild.
Will the former Vezina Trophy winner Ullmark become the goalie the Senators were looking for? Or will he become the latest victim of Ottawa's poor defensive structure?
Does Ottawa have a winning mentality?
The Senators have no excuses this season. The front office acquired a starting goaltender, a valuable defenseman in Nick Jensen, and some veteran leadership in David Perron. They have just $300,000 in cap space remaining, a number unheard of with past ownership. The new owners have given them every opportunity to succeed. So, why is there still no confidence they can compete in the Atlantic Division?
The Senators have plenty of young talent that can elevate their games in 2024-25 and get them over the hump. Stutzle is rising the ranks toward superstar status in the league, and Tkachuk is a great leader. It's unfathomable that the Senators continue sitting near the bottom of the league every season, and they'll have no one else to blame but themselves if this season goes south.
Some bad times could be ahead in Ottawa if they don't perform this season. Shane Pinto's name was already in trade rumors this offseason, and Tkachuk's name also pops up sometimes. The Senators seemingly have an above-average top-six forward and top-four defense group, but there are concerns they may not be the right fit of players for a winning core.
It'll be an unfortunate end to this era for a team that looked to be on the rise. New general manager Steve Staios will have no choice but to tear it down if they don't come close to the playoffs this season, which seems likely. The Senators' division doesn't help, as the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and Tampa Bay Lightning aren't going anywhere.
Their difficult division leaves the Senators to battle it out with the Detroit Red Wings and the Metropolitan's fourth and fifth teams for that final spot in the Wild Card.
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