Losing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs during the Spring can put a long Summer ahead. For the Ottawa Senators, the long Summer began when the team was eliminated in the first round of the 2025 playoffs by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
With tasting playoff experience for the first time in eight years, the Senators are determined and hungry to return to the playoffs in 2026. The Senators will be eager to prove that 2025 wasn't a one-year fluke.
When a team is eliminated from the playoffs, that team can look for any kind of motivating factor as a new season draws closer. There's one popular talk all throughout Canada that the Senators can use as motivation for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
Senators can use Blue Jays postseason chase as motivation for 2025-26 season
In a city, it's not uncommon for the sports teams to root one another on. As an example, take the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The NHL's Philadelphia Flyers will root on their other fellow sports teams from Philadelphia: the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, the MLB's Philadelphia Phillies and the NBA Philadelphia 76ers.
However, it's different in the country of Canada. In Canada, there is only one MLB and NBA team: the MLB's Toronto Blue Jays and the NBA's Toronto Raptors. Although the Maple Leafs have the advantage of having the Blue Jays and Raptors play in the same city they do, it might not be uncommon for Canadians throughout the country to come together and root on their only professional sports teams in their country.
The Blue Jays have been the talk of the Summer in Canada thus far. At one point in 2025, the Blue Jays had a 26-28 record in late-May. Now, the Blue Jays are eager to win their first division title for the first time since 2015 with holding a 64-46 record as August has now arrived, and the Blue Jays are tied for the most wins in the MLB. That is where the Senators can use motivation from the Blue Jays.
2025 was a step in the right direction from the Senators. Brady Tkachuk guided the Senators back to the playoffs for the first time in eight years as Senators captain. Along with Tkachuk, the Senators have more promise.
Along with veteran presence Thomas Chabot and goaltender Linus Ullmark, Ottawa's young core is destined to grow more. With Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, Ridly Greig, Dylan Cozens and Leevi Merilainen all under 25 years old, their play and growth in 2025-26 can be stronger.
The Blue Jays' 2025 postseason chase is the talk of Canada. With Canadians pulling for the Blue Jays from all over the country, it can help be not only a motivating factor for the Senators to capture their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, but to return the Stanley Cup to Canada since 1993, which was ironically the same year the Blue Jays last made and won the World Series.
The Blue Jays begin August play today, and the Senators will be eager for their 2025-26 season opener against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Oct. 9.