In spite of a four-game sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, the Ottawa Senators actually made the series a lot closer than a four-game sweep would suggest. According to NHL insider Elliot Friedman, the Sens were actually the Hurricanes' toughest opponent en route to becoming Stanley Cup champions.
A lot of underlying data shows that the Sens really pushed the Hurricanes to the limit, despite not winning a single game. But with that knowledge, the Senators have to be thinking that they are much closer to their ultimate goal than their just recently completed postseason run would suggest.
With this in mind, president of hockey operations and general manager Steve Staios needs to take full advantage of their current salary cap situation and go for it within this window. That's the suggestion from Friedman on his latest 32 Thoughts podcast as he brought up the fact that two of the franchise cornerstone players are on extremely team-friendly deals.
Friedman points to the contracts of Tim Stützle and Jake Sanderson as the main catalysts for this thinking. Stützle carries an $8.5 million cap hit through the 2030-21 season, while Sanderson is locked in at $8.05 million through 2031-32. He says that contracts are only going to get more expensive, and both of these deals are beginning to look like the best paths for Ottawa to become a true contender.
WHAT A PLAY FROM STUTZLE 🤯
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 4, 2026
Tim Stutzle finds Drake Batherson at the backdoor to put the Sens back on top. pic.twitter.com/3pSM1hQMBO
Stützle was drafted in the first round (No. 3 overall) by the Sens in 2020 and has played 447 games since then, scoring 149 goals and 409 points. Sanderson was taken two picks later in that same draft (No. 5 overall), and the 24-year-old defenseman has produced 39 goals and 181 points in 303 games since his debut in the 2022-23 season.
Senators in a slight period of transition but the window to win is open
The Senators no longer have Brady Tkachuk, but they still have plenty of talent. Dylan Cozens solidified himself as a top six forward, scoring 28 goals and 59 points. Drake Batherson was second on the team with 33 goals and 71 points. They've also got Claude Giroux returning, who finished the year as the team's sixth highest scorer.
Meanwhile, former first-round pick (No. 7 overall, 2021) William Eklund will be looking to take a big step this year with his new team. Eklund came over to the Senators from the San Jose Sharks in June. He's posted back-to-back 50+ point seasons, but he has never scored more than 17 goals in a single year, and the Sens would love to unlock a way for him to become an even better point producer.
That's what makes this current iteration of the Sens so interesting to watch. It seems like the group is trying to form a new identity on the fly—which is what happens when your captain leaves. But the feeling in the locker room is they might be better off without him. And in spite of having the unlucky task of going up against the eventual champions in the first round, the Senators don't really have to change a whole lot about what made them successful in 2025-26.
But they do have to add. Staois doesn't have to be reckless, but there should be some urgency to take advantage of some very team friendly contracts and see if it can push the Senators further than the last two seasons.
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