Reviewing the Best Moments From the Senators’ Rebuild

In overtime, it was Dadonov again, scoring the winner to complete one of the most epic comebacks in Senators history. Ottawa won 6-5. It was the first time in franchise history the team had come back from a four-goal deficit to win the game.

Did this game mean anything in the grand scheme of things? Absolutely not. The Senators finished with a 23-28-5 record, good for sixth in the North Division, missing the playoffs. But for Senators fans, this was blissful. After suffering copious amounts of losing to start the season, they deserved to see a win like this. Plus, it was against their longtime Ontario rivals, which makes it even more enjoyable for Ottawa fans. A Toronto choke resulting in an Ottawa comeback is about as sweet as it gets.

A Rebuilding Bobby Ryan Returns Home

As the Senators were rebuilding, so was forward Bobby Ryan. Their situations were quite different, but in November 2019, Ryan entered the NHL/NHLPA assistance program. He was struggling with alcohol abuse, and with the support of his teammates, coaches, and family, sought treatment.

Ryan was a fan favorite in Ottawa. At the time, he was the third longest-tenured Senator behind Craig Anderson and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who was traded later that season. He was most beloved for his clutch performances in the Senators’ 2017 run to the Eastern Conference Final where Ryan notched 15 points in 19 games. One of the leading veteran voices of the group, Ryan’s absence was difficult for the group. He missed approximately three months of the season while in the player assistance program.

By the time Ryan rejoined the Senators in late February, their season was all but over. In his first game back with the club, a road game in Nashville, the team lost to move their record to 21-31-12. But, in Ryan’s first home game back two nights later against the Canucks, something incredible happened.

In a 5-2 win for the Senators, Bobby Ryan scored a hattrick in only his second game back from treatment. It was a powerful night, with fans chanting “Bobby! Bobby! Bobby!” to a visibly emotional Ryan on the Senators bench after his third goal. It was a moment that was bigger than the game, and a beacon of light for fans and players in an otherwise very dark season for the team. Arguably, it’s the most memorable regular-season hattrick in Senators history.

Rolling Over the Red Wings

The closest that the Senators have been to the playoffs over the course of their rebuild was the 2022-23 season. Ultimately, they finished with a record above .500 for the first time since the rebuild began. It still wasn’t enough to make the postseason, but it provided fans, for a brief period during the season, with some hope.

Heading into a back-to-back with the Detroit Red Wings on February 27th, the Senators were only seven points back of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Detroit was above Ottawa in the standings, but a couple of victories would catapult them above their division rivals, putting the playoffs realistically in reach for the first time in over half a decade.

This mini-series was the only semblance of a tense, playoff atmosphere Senators fans have experienced throughout this rebuild. In the back-to-back, Ottawa ran the Red Wings right out of the building. Twice. A 6-1 win in game one and a 6-2 win in game two were enough to really get the city going. Brady Tkachuk was flexing on Detroit defenders after goals, the Senators were dominating every aspect of the game, and chants of “We want playoffs!” echoed around the Canadian Tire Centre.

It was a beautiful time to be a Senators fan. It felt like this is what the rebuild was leading up to. The team was going to make a push. They were finally going to prove that they were for real. After their two victories against Detroit, they rallied off two more, now only four points out of a playoff spot.

Of course, it didn’t get any better from there. Ottawa would drop six of their next seven games, completely erasing themselves from playoff contention. But, for a short time, Senators fans were able to really believe. For that market, that goes a long way. There hasn’t been much of anything to believe in over the last seven seasons. That demolition of Detroit gave the city and the team real hope, and fans can look back at that time fondly. It didn’t amount to anything real, but a little taste is better than nothing.