Senators Enter 2026-27 With a New Identity and Open Questions

Ottawa made the playoffs in 2025-26, was swept in the first round by the eventual champion Carolina Hurricanes, and then watched its captain walk out the door. Trading Brady Tkachuk hurts, but the front office moved quickly to add pieces, locked up Drake Batherson to the richest contract in franchise history, and enters camp with a legitimate roster. The uncertainty around Linus Ullmark and a vacant captaincy keep this from being a stronger grade.

Last season in review

The Senators finished 44-27-11 for 99 points, fifth in the Atlantic Division. They scored 278 goals and allowed 246, a positive differential that reflects a team built on defensive structure. Tim Stutzle led the way with 83 points (34 goals, 49 assists), and Batherson posted career highs with 33 goals and 71 points. Tkachuk added 59 points before his departure.

The goaltending picture was complicated. Ullmark's season was dragged down by a rough first half in which he was dealing with panic attacks, as he later revealed publicly. After the season resumed following the Olympics on Feb. 26, he was outstanding, going 12-4-3 with a .902 save percentage and 2.51 goals-against average, and he carried that form into the playoffs. The team ranked 29th in the league in save percentage for the full season and 29th on the penalty kill at 75.7 percent. Their even-strength defence, however, was among the best in the Eastern Conference.

Ins and outs

• In: William Eklund (acquired from San Jose with Kasper Halttunen and Brandon Svoboda rights for the No. 9 pick in the 2026 Draft)
• In: Andre Burakovsky (acquired from Chicago for a sixth-round pick in the 2027 Draft)
• In: Samuel Ersson (acquired from Toronto for a fifth-round pick in the 2027 Draft)
• In: Claude Giroux (re-signed, one year, $2 million)
• In: Sammy Blais (signed as a free agent, two years)
• In: Maciej Szwoch (hired as coordinator of goaltending scouting and development)
• In: Ben Hutton (professional tryout at training camp)
• Out: Brady Tkachuk (traded to Florida for No. 9 and No. 25 picks in 2026 Draft, a conditional first-round pick in 2029, and a second-round pick in 2027)
• Out: Daniel Alfredsson (left coaching staff; joined Toronto as associate coach)
• Extended: Drake Batherson (eight years, $86 million, richest contract in Senators history)
• Injury note: Artem Zub is not expected to play in the season opener Oct. 3 at Toronto after a lower-body injury ended his playoff run

The big question

Who wears the C? Tkachuk held the captaincy for five seasons, and coach Travis Green has not named a replacement heading into camp. Stutzle, Thomas Chabot, and Jake Sanderson have all been mentioned, and whoever gets the letter will be asked to lead a room that is younger and less battle-tested without Tkachuk anchoring it.

X-factor

Linus Ullmark. When he is right, this team has a chance to go deep. His second-half performance last season and his playoff showing against Carolina proved what he can be. Ottawa has gone as far as to hire a dedicated goaltending development coordinator, Maciej Szwoch, who spent time working with Ullmark in Sweden before camp opened. If Ullmark stays healthy and avoids the struggles that plagued his first half in 2025-26, the Senators' defence-first structure gives them a real floor. If he regresses, the backup situation behind him is thin.

Bold prediction

Ottawa makes the playoffs again as a wildcard, but the Tkachuk-shaped hole in the lineup keeps them from threatening the Atlantic's top four.

The outlook

The Senators are not rebuilding. They are reorienting. Batherson is signed long-term, Stutzle is the offensive engine, and Eklund brings legitimate top-six upside at 23. Losing Tkachuk is a real blow, on the ice and in the room, and Alfredsson left the coaching staff in the same summer. But this is a team with a defensive identity, a capable starter in net, and a coach in Travis Green who has built something real over two seasons. They open Oct. 3 in Toronto with plenty still unsettled, including who leads them out of the tunnel.