Ottawa Senators, 2025/2026 review
Ottawa finished the season with 99 points and a playoff spot for a second straight year, but the route there was anything but smooth. The team sat at the bottom of the standings in January, despite losing six defensemen to injury along the way, before clawing back to grab the final available berth in April. Their postseason, though, was over almost as soon as it started, with Carolina sweeping them in four straight in the opening round.
Key numbers
2025-2026 record: 44-27-11 (278 goals for, 246 against)
2025-2026 NHL ranking: 5th in the Atlantic Division
Top scorer in 2025-2026: Tim Stutzle (34)
Top playmaker in 2025-2026: Mathew Barzal (49)
Top point-getter in 2025-2026: Mathew Barzal (83)
Average age of the roster (2026-2027): 27.5 years
Available cap space (2026-2027): $4.20M
Recent moves (off-season)
Additions:
- William Eklund (F)
- Samuel Ersson (G)
- Andre Burakovsky (F)
Departures:
- Brady Tkachuk (F)
- Nick Jensen (D)
- Lars Eller (F)
Franchise outlook
Ottawa Senators, future contracts and draft picks
Ottawa’s off-season story boils down to one move: Brady Tkachuk, the team captain for the past five years, asked to be traded so he could join his brother Matthew in Florida, leaving Steve Staios with no choice but to act. The return brings plenty of draft capital, including two first-rounders and an extra second-round pick, but none of that replaces Tkachuk’s presence in the room or the bite he brought on the ice.
Staios has been firm: this is not a step backwards. Ottawa quickly used part of that haul to land William Eklund, acquired from San Jose with one of the picks from the deal. The rest of the core remains under control on the contract front: Tim Stutzle locked in through 2030-31, Linus Ullmark in goal, and Jake Sanderson giving the blue line a proper foundation for the next six years.
The real test is whether Ottawa can replace its former captain’s production and leadership from within, with Stutzle, Eklund and a depth chart that still needs proving, without letting the loss of Tkachuk stall the momentum built over the last two playoff seasons.
Ottawa without its captain
There is something unsettling about watching a team lose its captain at the peak of his powers, right after back-to-back playoff trips. Brady Tkachuk was not just Ottawa’s most punishing goal threat, he was the heartbeat of the side, the sort of player who set the tone from the opening faceoff. His exit, driven by his own wish to join his brother in Florida, leaves a hole no draft pick can fill in the short term.
Staios can repeat all he wants that the team is not going backwards, but the picture is more complicated: Ottawa is now relying on Tim Stutzle to carry the attack, on William Eklund to bring a different look, and on center depth built around extensions such as Shane Pinto and Stephen Halliday. The defensive core, meanwhile, is still intact and looks encouraging, with Jake Sanderson continuing to push toward franchise cornerstone status. But Tkachuk’s physical edge and intimidating presence are not easy to replace, and the room will need a new face to take charge.
So the big question this season is not just whether Ottawa can make up the numbers after losing its captain, but whether it can keep the identity and winning culture he helped build, just as it finally seemed to have shaken off years of misery.
Player to watch: William Eklund (F)
Eklund arrives in Ottawa with the awkward label of “Tkachuk replacement”, even though his game has little in common with the former captain’s. More skillful than snarling, more creator than bruiser, the 23-year-old Swede put up 53 points last season in San Jose while operating in the shadow of a young forward group on the rise.
In Ottawa, he finally gets the role that was promised when he went seventh overall in 2021: a prime spot beside Tim Stutzle on the top line. He has already said he wants to take another step in his career. The real test is whether Eklund can turn raw ability into steady output in a bigger role, rather than simply filling the statistical gap left behind by Tkachuk.
2026-2027 target
Projected Ottawa Senators lines 2026-2027
The party line is ambitious enough. Staios talks about bringing a championship to Ottawa, while Green says his team is closer to winning the Stanley Cup than the other way around. But that kind of talk jars with what has actually happened this summer: the organisation let go of its captain and most intimidating player, the one who embodied that hard-nosed identity.
A more realistic target would be to prove last year’s playoff spot was no fluke, and to chase a first series win since 2017, without getting carried away with talk of instant conquest. If Eklund and the center depth do not plug the gap left by Tkachuk quickly, the gap between management’s words and what happens on the ice could become a real issue with the fans.
My prediction
The goals are lofty, but this division is brutal. I think losing Tkachuk will hit this group harder than people expect. In another division, they probably would not have finished last. In this one…
Photo credit: wallpapersafari.com | vsmith
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