Senators predicted to have disappointing 2026-27 season

The Ottawa Senators are one of the hardest teams to predict this season. The club looks good, but could go either way. There is enough talent to fuel a prolonged playoff run. However, that talent may prove insufficient, causing the Sens’ season to go sideways.

As far as early predictions go, the Senators could be in for a disappointing 2026-27 season.

According to the 2027 NHL Draft order by the folks at Tankathon, the Senators are projected to land the 15th-overall selection.

So, what does that mean?

The first 16 picks in the first round go to the non-playoff teams of that season. As such, if Ottawa lands the 15th pick, it means the club missed the playoffs.

And that ranking means that they would miss the playoffs by a hair.

The early draft order shows that five teams will make it out of the Atlantic Division: Buffalo, Toronto, Montreal, Tampa Bay, and Florida are all projected to finish ahead of the Senators. The Leafs and Sabres likely capture the two wild card spots in the East.

If that’s the case, the Senators could be looking at a good regular season, but it won’t be enough to squeak into the 2027 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Competition in Atlantic Division should be fierce

The early projections by Tankathon are hardly set in stone. They have no material bearing on what’s happening. If anything, they’re just predictions based on offseason moves and so on.

That’s why the Senators have an opportunity to prove that these predictions are wrong. They may be a snapshot of the situation right now. But there are 84 games to be played before the predictions come to fruition.

Regardless of data and algorithms, the fact of the matter is that the competition in the Atlantic Division should be fierce. It seems like six teams will all have playoff-caliber rosters. Only the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings figure to be non-factors throughout most of the season.

That’s why the Senators can’t afford to get off to a lukewarm start. The playoff berths will likely be decided in October and November. Teams getting off to hot starts will have a bit of an easier time as the season wears on.

If the Senators fail to make any significant headway, it could become a long season for Ottawa as they look to get back into the playoff race later in the season.

So, it’s just better to lock up a spot sooner rather than later.