The Ottawa Senators are looking to build off of last season's playoff appearance after an eight-year drought. With the core and talent on the roster, it's possible the Senators can become a consistent playoff team.
With captain Brady Tkachuk, long tenured Senators Thomas Chabot and Drake Batherson, 2020's draft class featuring first-round draft picks Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson and Ridly Greig, the Senators are eager to make this season better than last season.
Although the Senators finished with 97 points last season, the Eastern Conference will be tough again. However, a new article's projection can benefit the Senators in a tight Eastern Conference battle.
Three teams in East labeled likely to disappoint
Four days ago, Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report wrote an article titled "6 NHL Teams That Will Likely Disappoint During the 2025-26 Season." The three teams Richardson mentioned from the Eastern Conference that would disappoint were the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs.
This can benefit the Senators in a tight Eastern Conference with the teams Richardson named in his list. All three teams could face uncertainty in 2025-26 in attempt to be better than the Senators in the Eastern Conference.
The Red Wings enter this season as the Senators did last season eager to end their playoff drought. While the Senators made the playoffs last season for the first time since 2017, the Red Wings haven't made the playoffs since 2016.
This off-season, the Red Wings made a big splash by trading for Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson. Trading for Gibson can give the Red Wings confidence that a goaltender can win them games. However, the Red Wings defense is a concern. The Red Wings finished with the worst penalty kill last season. Gibson will be relied on deeply to help a bad defense from last season improve.
For the Rangers, the team disappointed deeply last season. The Rangers went from winning the 2024 President's Trophy to missing the 2025 playoffs. This season, the Rangers face uncertainty.
The Rangers traded away Chris Kreider to the Ducks this off-season. Trading away Kreider is a loss for goal scoring. The Rangers defense is also a concern, and Mika Zibanejad's game took a drop last season. Artemi Panarin also faces uncertainty with being a free agent after this season. If the Rangers are out of playoff contention by the trade deadline, trading Panarin could be an option to get assets in return for a player that isn't guaranteed to return to New York.
For the Maple Leafs, they are looking to defend their Atlantic Division title from last season. The Maple Leafs have a talented roster, but the offense took a hit when Mitch Marner left and joined the Vegas Golden Knights this off-season.
While some may think losing Marner could be addition by subtraction due to his playoff woes, his role is still big to fill in the lineup. Marner recorded a 102-point season last season, so filling his role will be pivotal.
Without a 102-point player in the lineup, it will be hard to fill. The Atlantic Division is tight for the Maple Leafs with the Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens in it. If Marner's offense is too big to overcome, the Maple Leafs could fall out of a top three spot in the division, and the Senators are a team that can crack a top three spot this season.
The 2025-26 season will be an exciting one to watch this season for the Senators. With a well constructed roster put together by general manager Steve Staios, the Senators can make a big jump this season and improve off their 97-point season from last year.