The 2024-25 season was a special one for the Ottawa Senators after making the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in eight years.
With being eliminated in round one of the 2025 playoffs, the Senators can use it as huge motivation for the 2025-26 season. The Senators will be eager to prove that making the playoffs after eight years wasn't a fluke.
It's always a buzz when a new season arrives with excitement and anticipation. It's also never too early to predict what team will be the first opponent on the schedule for a team. For the Senators, the first game will always create a huge buzz.
3 teams we'd love to see Senators open 2025-26 season against
The season opener for any NHL team will get circled on the schedule to make a strong opening statement to begin a new season. For the Senators, having their season open up against these teams can create excitement to begin a new season in October 2025 as the 2024-25 season officially came to an end yesterday.
3. Montreal Canadiens
Two hockey rivals in Canada are the Senators and Montreal Canadiens. Having these two square off to start the season would create some buzz.
There will be buzz around the Canadiens moving forward with 2025 Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson becoming one of the fastest rising defensemen in the NHL. Another rising defenseman in the NHL is Jake Sanderson.
Having two rising defensemen and potential Norris Trophy winners facing off in the season opener would have a game circled on the schedule for both teams in an exciting way.
2. Florida Panthers
Facing the defending Stanley Cup champions is always a challenge welcomed to begin a new season. The Senators can have that challenge welcomed to them by facing off against the Florida Panthers who now have won back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Facing the Panthers to start the season would create the battle of the Tkachuk brothers between Brady and Matthew.
Ironically for the 2024-25 season, the Senators began the season against the defending champion Panthers at home on Oct. 10. The atmosphere was a great one Sens fans chanted "Brady's better" to Matthew. The excitement continued throughout the night with the Senators earning a 3-1 win in Linus Ullmark's Senators debut.
1. Toronto Maple Leafs
Opening up a new season against your most hated rival is always going to create buzz. The Senators would have a huge reason to want to open up the 2025-26 season against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Maple Leafs eliminated the Senators in the first round of the 2025 playoffs in six games. The Maple Leafs got to celebrate their series clinching win in Ottawa and silence the Sens fans at Canadian Tire Centre.
The Senators would want to get some early payback on the Maple Leafs to begin a new season after being eliminated from the playoffs. The Battle of Ontario in the first game of the season would create a buzz all throughout the province of Ontario.
The Senators and their fans will be full of excitement when the schedule gets released. It will be a matter of time when the Senators find out who they will open up against for the 2025-26 season.