3 questions facing Ottawa Senators

NHL.com is providing in-depth analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, three important questions facing the Ottawa Senators.

1. How quickly will the Senators and their fans move on from the Brady Tkachuk era?

Circle Oct. 21 on the calendar for one of the must-see games of the 2026-27 NHL season. That’s when former captain Brady Tkachuk makes his first visit back to Canadian Tire Centre as a member of the Florida Panthers. On June 21, Ottawa sent him to Florida, where we will play with his brother, Matthew, to fulfill his request to be traded. 

There’s a lot of heated emotions toward Tkachuk in the Canadian capital these days, especially after the 26-year-old had stated on numerous occasions that he didn’t want to leave. 

It’s probably a good thing that Brady’s return comes so early in the season. The distraction of the circus surrounding the game itself will be over and done with before the end of October, allowing the Senators and their fans the ability to look ahead to the rest of the season.

In terms of leadership, expect veteran forward Claude Giroux and defenseman Thomas Chabot to pick up the slack. As for replacing Tkachuk’s offense (he’s scored at least 20 goals in seven of his eight NHL seasons), it will have to be done by committee as opposed to one player, meaning players like Dylan Cozens (28 goals last season), Drake Batherson (33), Shane Pinto (23) and newcomer William Eklund (50 goals in 252 career NHL games) must continue to ascend.

2. Will there be consistency between the pipes?

The Senators showed how much they wanted to address their roller-coaster goaltending issues by hiring Maciej Szwoch, a friend and mentor of starting goalie Linus Ullmark, as coordinator of goaltending scouting and development. It was a move set to improve the standard throughout the organization at the position, not just at the NHL level.

Szwoch first came in to work with Ullmark when the veteran goalie took a sudden 35-day leave of absence for personal reasons last January. It likely was one of the reasons why his play improved down the stretch when he came back after struggling during the first half of the season. His 12-4-3 record with a .902 save percentage and 2.51 GAA when the regular season resumed Feb. 26 after the Olympic break was a prime example of that.

Still, the Senators ranked near the bottom of the League for the season with an .870 save percentage and 2.96 goals-against average as a team. They’re hoping that a more consistent Ullmark, coupled with the addition of former Philadelphia Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson as backup, will stabilize their situation in the crease.

3. Can the Senators finally make it to the second round after two consecutive first-round exits?

Ottawa ended a seven-year Stanley Cup Playoff drought by qualifying for the postseason in 2025, but they were eliminated in six games in the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

They followed that up by making the playoffs again last season, only to be swept in four games by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.

Given how stacked the Atlantic Division is, making the playoffs a third consecutive time will be be a feat, let alone winning a round.

The Panthers added Tkachuk; the Tampa Bay Lightning brought in defenseman John Carlson; the Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, defenseman Darren Raddysh, forward Nick Paul and No. 1 draft pick Gavin McKenna; the Montreal Canadiens are coming off a spot in the Eastern Conference Final; and the Buffalo Sabres will try to build on their first playoff berth in 15 years.

Add it all up, and it shows how difficult the division stands to be.