1. The Senators are committed to winning and have a better future
What the Senators easily did by extending Linus Ullmark is they sent a message that they are committed to win now and for the future. After being a door mat for the past seven seasons, the Senators are now committed to have success.
The Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division are extremely tough to play in, and the Senators needed to make a move to show they need to be taken serious. Extending Ullmark will help them send a message to the rest of the NHL that they care to win.
2025 can be a year that the Senators could make the playoffs, but they now have a better future because of Ullmark getting an extension. With Ullmark on board, the rest of the young core can now contribute to help bring winning back to Ottawa.
Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Josh Norris, Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot will be core pieces for years. The Senators can now find other pieces to add to the young core.
Drake Batherson and Shane Pinto are destined to take big steps this season, and David Perron recently spoke how he wants to be part of Ottawa's core. Claude Giroux, Nick Cousins, Travis Hamonic and Nic Jensen are also good veteran players to have on a young team.
Ullmark's extension helps the Senators be more committed to winning because Ullmark is an elite goaltender that can win games, now the pressure is on the Senators to putting the right supporting cast around him.
With opening night tomorrow, the excitement around the Senator fans and team have been skyrocketed with Ullmark signing an extension. This season offers more reason to be a special one for the Senators with Ullmark between the pipes.