For the first time since the Paul MacLean era, the Ottawa Senators have made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The last time this franchise strung together consecutive playoff appearances, Jason Spezza was centering the top line with Daniel Alfredsson, and Erik Karlsson was just beginning his dominance in the league. Now, Spezza is the assistant general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, also having Karlsson on the team.
That happened in 2012-13; a lot has changed since, and it came with a lot of pain. They traded away elite fan-favourite talent while completely gutting the team. Which resulted in them taking a massive step back for a number of seasons. While it sucked, it was needed. We don't need to reopen that wound to understand that this has been a long time coming.
Last season was a big jump for the club. Even though they were eliminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, the Sens finally achieved the playoffs for the first time in this era. Despite losing, they learned a lot. Often times, one needs to learn to lose so they can learn how to win.
However, we are here now. The Senators are set to take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. This year, we're better than last year and far better than 2012.
Let's look back at that squad. It was a good team, good enough to reach the playoffs. Milan Michalek and Alfie flanked Spezza on the top line. Fan favourite Kyle Turris centred Jakob Silfverberg and Cory Conacher. Chris Neil was bullying anybody in his way, protecting the rest of the team in the process. And there were Karlsson and Marc Methot, who formed one of the best defensive pairings in franchise history.
One thing I'll mention is while that team had some legit firepower, they lacked depth; Silfverberg was just starting his NHL career. Colin Greening was playing in a higher role than he was capable of, and there were no real injury replacements.
Now, they have one of the best young centers in the game in Tim Stutzle centering a line with 33-goal scorer Drake Batherson and future Hall of Famer Claude Giroux. Team captain Brady Tkachuk is the heartbeat of this team and was still a point per game despite missing 20 games to injury. Dylan Cozens has had a great season, scoring 28 goals while also registering over 200 shots and hits.
Forward depth alone is much stronger. While Spezza and Stutzle are on similar playing fields, Cozens, Shane Pinto, and Lars Eller are much deeper. On the wing, Tkachuk, Batherson, and Giroux really round out the top 6.
On the back end, they have one of the best young defensemen in the NHL in Jake Sanderson. There are also Thomas Chabot and Artem Zub, who are reliable defensemen. As well as Jordan Spence, who has shown how valuable he can be to the lineup this year.
On top of that, Travis Green has proved why he was one of the best coaches in the league. He helped Ottawa achieve a 200-foot game. This has resulted in his club having some of the best defensive metrics in the NHL, while also scoring goals in the process. Which has made them more of a complete team.
The rebuild has finally reached its next step. The pieces are in place; they are all performing. But more importantly, they are proving that last year wasn't a fluke.
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