Competing Internationally Will Benefit Senators’ Core

With the Ottawa Senators ending their seven-year playoff drought and pushing the Toronto Maple Leafs to a competitive six-game first round series, it’s safe to say this season was a success. Not only did the new ownership group step in and give the starving fanbase hope and a product to embrace and get behind, but many of the Senators’ young stars got a taste of playoff hockey and the success they’re capable of having. Brady Tkachuk showed his fearless leadership abilities, Jake Sanderson established himself as a franchise defenceman, and Tim Stützle showed the potential he possesses to perform on the biggest stage.

While these three stars showed their playoff potential this season, the international stage is a perfect training ground for them to get reps in an intense hockey setting where not only team pride, but country pride is on the line. With the wildly competitive 4 Nations Face-Off taking place in February, the IIHF World Championship underway, and the 2026 Winter Olympics on deck for next February, the Senators’ core should have their footprints all over international competition for the next year, and it should contribute to future playoff success.

Tim Stützle

Stützle is currently playing for Germany at the World Championship, and with Leon Draisaitl in the middle of yet another lengthy playoff run with the Edmonton Oilers, it’s clear who Germany’s leaning on for success. This is great news for Stützle. The opportunity to lead his country in a highly contested international tournament is a challenge he has certainly embraced. Most young stars would head for the beach as soon as their team’s playoff run ended, but the fact that he hopped on a flight to Sweden to compete with his fellow countrymen shows his will to win and improve his leadership skills. While Stützle had a few shining moments in the first round, his inexperience did come to light at times against the Maple Leafs with some poor turnovers and complaining towards officials. The chance to be a main contributor in this tournament and potentially the Olympics allows him to get more reps in high-leverage games where these mistakes will cost his team.

It’s clear the Senators view Stützle as Tkachuk’s running mate for years to come, and while the talent is there in abundance, he has the opportunity to mature and lead at the same time while playing for his country. Germany isn’t exactly a powerhouse, but they’re a scrappy and competitive hockey nation that continues to improve, much like the Senators. With the amount of games Stützle is expected to play for his country in the near future, you can almost guarantee he’ll improve in each playoff run going forward because the playoff stage and intensity will become less foreign to him while competing in international competition.

Brady Tkachuk & Jake Sanderson

2024-25 seemed like Ottawa and their captain’s coming-out party. Tkachuk lit up the hockey world in February, battled back from injury to close out the regular season, and scored four times in six games in the team’s first playoff appearance in nearly a decade. That wasn’t by accident. Tkachuk is built for high-leverage hockey, and the more chances he gets on that stage, the more success the Sens can expect. The emotion he showed in the two tilts against Canada or his postgame comments after losing Game 6 at home show how much he cares and how long he’s waited to play on the biggest stage.