Can the Ottawa Senators crack the top three of the Atlantic Division?

The Ottawa Senators just made the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 postseason. Just one win away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final, Erik Karlsson and co. were stopped by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Heartbreak indeed, however the fans were optimistic towards the future, if only they knew what was coming.

Years of miserable hockey, a rebuild that would show promise, but move incredibly slowly. Drafting the likes of Brady Tkachuk, Thomas Chabot, and Tim Stutzle, there was always hype around the team. Every October the question was, can the Ottawa Senators finally make a jump? Well, just eight season after they knocked on the door of the Cup final, the new young core lead them to meaningful April hockey.

While they were bounced by their provincial rival Toronto Maple Leafs in six games, the Sens showed heart. Originally down 3–0 in the series, they fought back to make it 3–2 before the Leafs proved to be too much for the inexperienced Sens. With the first jump finally being made the question now changes. Can the Ottawa Senators crack the top three in the Atlantic division?

Chasing down Tampa Bay

The top two teams in the Atlantic are the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Florida Panthers. Those two are also expected be ahead of everyone else in the division next season. This means that if Ottawa wants to be top three, they have to pass the regressing Tampa Bay Lightning. While it may seem a little far-fetched, it truly isn’t.

Ever since they lost in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final to the Colorado Avalanche, the Lightning have began going downhill. Losing players like Steven Stamkos certainly doesn’t help, however this is a team that is getting older and older. Ottawa has now gotten their first taste of playoff hockey, and they will be wanting their revenge. A team that young, they are only going to keep improving.

What needs to happen

This isn’t going to be an easy feat. There needs to be improvement from everyone on the roster. Brady Tkachuk, the captain, must step up, not just on the ice, but off of it too. His 55 points through 72 games aren’t enough, he has the ability to be even better. The rest of his game seems to be sound enough especially for the playoffs.

Tim Stutzle lead the team in points and still wasn’t a point-per-game. 79 through 82, if a team wants to be a top team in their division and eventually their conference and the entire league, that isn’t good enough. This is considering the fact that Stutzle has the potential to produce so much more, as well as work on his defensive game.

Dylan Cozens was brought in midseason to be the 2C behind Stutzle, and in his time in Ottawa he saw a major uptick in production. In his 21 regular season games after leaving Buffalo, Cozens registered 16 points. Come playoff time he noticed a drop in his play. His two-way game wasn’t as strong and his offensive production took a dip as well. He will need to regroup and return to the way he played over the course of those 21 games.

Jake Sanderson saw his best season yet by far. His play in the offensive zone picked up and he ironed out some problems in his own zone. This got him a spot on the USA’s Four-Nations roster. There still is room for growth as Sanderson tries to cement himself fully as a top defencemen in the game.

Bringing in former Vezina winner Linus Ullmark was a much-needed improvement in between the pipes. While not his Vezina winning numbers, he was the first goaltender that the Sens could rely on in quite some time. He may be getting older, but he has some more years of top performances in him as shown this past year.

A lot needs to go right for Ottawa next year, and continued regression from Tampa Bay needs to occur. Both of those happening means that the Senators can be a top team in the Atlantic. If not, it may only be a year longer of a wait before they’re best of the rest in the division.

Stats courtesy of NHL.com