Ottawa Senators Stanley Cup Checklist – 2025 Offseason Update

The sky is the limit for Tim Stutzle. Over the first few seasons of his career, he has shown that he can be dominant offensively, he has made big steps defensively, and he can take over any game. He is just 23 years old, has three straight 70-point seasons, and continues to get better and more well-rounded each season. There isn’t much of an argument to have Stutzle outside of the top-15 centers in the league right now, and he is only getting better.

An Elite First-Line Winger – 

After a down season in 2024-25, there are sure to be some people who disagree with Brady Tkachuk filling out this role. With just 29 goals and 55 points, everybody can admit it was a down year offensively, but he was still dominant with his chances, physicality, and leadership. Tkachuk got a taste of the playoffs, and it is fair to expect him to do everything in his power to get back there next season.

Two More Top-Line-Caliber Wingers in the Top Six – 

Outside of Tkachuk, the Senators are a bit weak on the wings in terms of high-end talent. There is certainly an argument for Drake Batherson, but I think on an ideal team, Batherson is better suited for a second-line role.

The only other options for this category would be Claude Giroux and Fabian Zetterlund. A few seasons ago, Giroux could be here for sure, but he is starting to slow down, and while he is still a very good player, he isn’t a top-line-caliber player anymore.

Zetterlund could find himself in this conversation, but not yet. He will have every opportunity to prove he can be a top-line player this season.

One More Top-Line-Caliber Center for the Second Line – 

Is there a world in which Dylan Cozens can break into a top-line-caliber center? For sure, but he just isn’t there yet. In Buffalo, he had shown signs of being that, scoring 68 points a few seasons ago. Odds are, he doesn’t reach this height, but on a team with success around him and the chemistry he started to develop with Batherson, there is a chance.

Two More Top-Six-Caliber Forwards in the Middle Six – 

This is where we can talk about Batherson, Giroux, and Zetterlund.

Batherson set a career-high of 68 points this past season, he has shown time and time again that he can be a strong offensive threat. The only hole in his game that has concern is the defensive side of the game. During the playoffs, his defensive IQ and decision-making were exposed, but those can be developed further with more experience.

Giroux is Giroux. He is still a great two-way winger, can take the faceoffs, and certainly qualifies as a top-six player to play in the middle-six.

As for Zetterlund, it looks like the Senators have a lot of faith in him. He played very well on the San Jose Sharks, but in 20 games with the Senators last season, he only scored five points.

An Elite No. 1 Defenseman to Play in the Top Pair –

Like Stutzle, this is an easy one. Jake Sanderson has broken into the league and become one of the top options, especially among the wave of youth in the league. He is fairly physical, excellent defensively, one of the best skaters, and has developed a strong offensive game. There isn’t much to criticise Sanderson on. He had a slump during November/December last season, but turned that around.

One More No. 1-Caliber Defenseman to Play Behind Him – 

There is a large group of people who like to criticise Thomas Chabot and don’t fairly rate him or appreciate his skills. He is a great defenseman who can provide offense, but isn’t strong enough defensively to be a true number-one caliber defenseman.

A Top-Pairing-Caliber Defenseman for the Second Pair – 

Chabot could fit into the top-pairing caliber spot for sure. He hasn’t shown he can be the go-to guy all the time, but he is certainly good enough to be trusted on a top pair. Playing behind Sanderson takes a lot of weight and pressure off of him, and he has performed much better in his current role.

A Top-Pairing-Caliber Defenseman for Soft-Minutes Third Pair – 

Depending on the way the roster shakes out, there is a chance we see one of Nick Jensen or Artem Zub on the third pair for points of the season, and in that case, yes, both can be top-pair caliber players on the third pair, but odds are, Jordan Spence, Nikolas Matinpalo, or even Carter Yakemchuk will take on that job on the third pair.

A Top-10-Caliber Starting Goaltender –

Since acquiring Linus Ullmark, the carousel around the Senators’ goaltending seems to have finally been solved, while this only accounts for the starter, Leevi Merilainen has made Ullmark’s job just a bit easier, too. Ullmark won the Vezina not long ago, has been one of the most consistent goalies, at least for the regular season, and was great for the Senators in his first season.

Staios On Track to Build a Contender

The Senators are closer than last year. They have playoff games under their belt, they are all a year older, and they just keep getting better. They have a fairly young team, they are deep at most positions, and they have added some quality veterans to help out.

For many of the categories marked off, there are young players on the roster who could fill that role as soon as this season. Shane Pinto, Ridly Greig, Zetterlund, and the rest of the core are all so young and still improving, and could make for a very strong group this season.