Predicting where the Ottawa Senators finish the 2026-27 season

The Ottawa Senators enter the 2026-27 season with elevated expectations from their own fanbase and more of a mixed bag from analysts and pundits. Why is that? Well, the thing that everyone has been talking about all summer, the trade of Brady Tkachuk, has a lot to do with it. The Senators traded a consistent point producer and the one deemed to pull everyone into the fight in Tkachuk, who made it known to general manager Steve Staios that he would not re-sign after his contract expired and would be open to a trade. Though fans and pundits were shocked, it was a move that had felt like it was coming for some time, with Tkachuk looking disinterested for a good portion of the season.

Now the Senators have a tough test: prove that they’re still a good team without him. The fact that he missed significant time last season makes the argument that the team will be fine without him easier to make. The Senators held a 12-5-5 record in the 22 games Brady Tkachuk missed. Shockingly, this was also the team’s best stretch of save percentage all season, with a team SV% of .955 (555 saves on 581 shots).

That brings us to the largest hurdle last season and the biggest catalyst for team success in 2026-27: goaltending. Last year, the Senators had a team SV% of .878 between Linus Ullmark, Leevi Merilainen, James Reimer, Mads Sogaard, and Hunter Shepard. Four of the five goalies named are gone, with the team most recently losing Merilainen to a waiver claim by the Vancouver Canucks. Ullmark looks to be a new man this season, appearing much happier in interviews and already having better on-ice results.

A reinvigorated Ullmark is the best thing that can happen for the Senators. If he is able to play at the level he did in the playoffs and during the period after the Olympics, the Senators will be getting good goaltending. The other piece of that puzzle is new addition Samuel Ersson, and the results so far are promising. Ersson finds himself on one of the strongest defensive teams in the league, with a very ‘defence-first’ system. If he’s able to mesh well with his new goalie partner, settle into the system, and work well with new goalie consultant Maciej Szwoch, he could find a new gear.

The defence corps will be starting the season a bit differently from last season, with two rookies, Carter Yakemchuk and Hoyt Stanley, fighting for opening-night spots on the blue line. Yakemchuk comes in with a lot of pedigree and expectations placed on him, whereas Stanley was a veritable unknown to many before camp. They both caught attention for different reasons, with Yakemchuk’s offence being the highlight and Stanley’s overall defensive game being shown off. They’ll join the blue line with Jordan Spence, Tyler Kleven, Nikolas Matinpalo, Cameron Crotty, Jake Sanderson, and Thomas Chabot until Artem Zub returns from injury.

The team, for the most part, is very similar to last year, aside from two new additions in William Eklund and Andre Burakovsky. Both may find themselves playing in Ottawa’s top six this season and have already shown signs of strong chemistry. So far in training camp, the top six includes them, as well as Dylan Cozens, Drake Batherson, Fabian Zetterlund, and Tim Stützle. The top six has a bit more balance than last year, with defence being more of a priority for a player like Eklund.

The calling card for the Senators for the past few seasons has been their depth, and that starts with players like Claude Giroux, Shane Pinto, and Michael Amadio making up the third line. It was one of the best shutdown lines in hockey last year, and both Giroux and Pinto were able to contribute offensively, with Giroux scoring 49 points and Pinto scoring 23 goals.

The fourth line will have a healthy mixture of offence and defence, with players like Warren Foegele, Ridley Greig, Nick Cousins, and Stephen Halliday at their disposal. Many of them played in Ottawa’s top nine at one point or another last season and still could do so moving forward.

With newly minted team captain Chabot, the Senators have a leader for their nucleus, and frankly, there was no better choice. Players like Stützle and Sanderson are ready to take that next step alongside him, as they’ll be the two biggest factors in the team’s success this year.

Overall, the team this year isn’t too different from the one they had last season, with the biggest caveat being that everyone on the roster believes in the team and wants to be there. With several additions to the various teams around the Atlantic Division, it’s going to be a dogfight to get into the playoffs. Though the Senators’ top players may not have the star power that others around the division do, their depth is what will make the difference.

This season is a big one for the Senators, as they need to take that next step in contention as their core ages. They have the right mixture of young and veteran-level players to help them get there. Eklund will be a surprise breakout candidate, hitting the 70-point threshold this season and becoming an important piece. Ullmark will find his form as a high-end starter in the NHL. Stützle will eclipse his career high while maintaining his two-way presence, and Sanderson will earn top Norris Trophy votes.

At the end of the season, the Senators will find themselves third in the Atlantic Division on the backs of a tight-knit team that works hard at both ends and plays to its potential. What they do in the playoffs, though, is what will define them.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow