This Season, the Playoffs Aren’t Enough for the Senators

The message out of the Ottawa Senators training camp this fall: simply being “good” won’t cut it anymore. The Senators broke a seven-year playoff drought last season, but now the bar is set higher. As head coach, Travis Green, made clear, this team isn’t chasing participation ribbons. “We’re here not just to make the playoffs either. We’re here to do a lot more than that,” Green said as camp opened.

The Senators Are Growing into a Strong Team

The Senators have been a solid team numerous times in their history. But have they ever been great? That’s happened only in flashes—in 2003, 2007, and 2017, when deep playoff runs lit up the city. Their lone Stanley Cup Final appearance still hangs over the franchise as both inspiration and reminder of what they’ve yet to achieve.

Green knows the challenge, admitting, “It gets harder. Everyone says they want to win a Stanley Cup. It’s hard to do. It’s not easy.” Both Green and general manager Steve Staios have been careful not to overpromise, but there’s no mistaking the shift in tone. Being a plucky, pesky playoff team isn’t enough.

The Senators Have Experienced Internal Growth

Staios has talked about “internal growth” as the key driver, and he’s right. Ottawa’s best players—Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle, Jake Sanderson—are still young, and none of them have likely hit their ceilings yet. Green echoed that point, noting that very few of his players have “maxed out” their development. For a team still among the youngest in the NHL, that growth could be the difference between merely making the postseason and actually contending in it.

The roster upgrades help, too. Trades for Linus Ullmark, Dylan Cozens, Fabian Zetterlund, and Jordan Spence have given Ottawa a deeper, stronger lineup. Spence in particular has been singled out for his two-way play and puck movement, skills that should add stability to a blue line that’s been too inconsistent in recent years. Combine those additions with another step forward from the young core, and the Senators should be in a position to take on more than just a “good team” label.