This has been a season in which the Ottawa Senators have made a major move up the Eastern Conference ladder in the NHL. Instead of planning for the 2025-26 season, the Senators are hanging on to a spot inside the playoff structure. They are in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference and head coach Travis Green has a team that has shown it can put the puck in the net with consistency and can compete with the best teams in the league — at least on occasion.
Consistency is not the Senators’ strong suit, but the Senators have players that will fight on an every-night basis. They certainly have a powerful first line with Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle and Claude Giroux, and that’s a unit that can compete with the best in the league. The Sens also have a top defensive pair in Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub.
Tkachuk was the best player on the United States team in the recently completed 4 Nations Face-Off. That performance certainly raised his profile on a national basis, but it was clear that Tkachuk has been a dominant player for the Senators throughout his 7 seasons with the team. He has all the skills needed to be a top-drawer player and he also plays with a noted physical edge.
Stutzle is a great skater who sees the ice well and will make pinpoint passes for his teammates. Giroux is a sharp veteran who may have lost a step since his prime days with the Philadelphia Flyers, but he has the savvy to make plays that other may not even consider.
Sanderson is one of the most skilled offensive defensemen as he potted 6 goals and 36 assists. Zub is not a great offensive threat with 2 goals and 6 assists, but he is adequate defensively.
Senators need to add secondary players on offense and defense
But if the Senators are going to earn a spot in the playoffs and have a strong chance to advance, they need other players who can put the puck in the net besides the top line.
One of the key players they can make a run at is Ryan Donato of the Chicago Blackhawks. Donato has shown great improvement this season.
The 28-year-old Donato has become a legitimate scorer in his eighth year in the league. He can find the soft spots on the ice and let go of a shot that regularly causes major problems for opposing goaltenders.
Donato is having the best season of his career with the Blackhawks. He has 23 goals and 23 assists for a career-high 46 points with nearly 25 percent of the season remaining. Adding Donato to their roster would be a great move for the Senators
Brandon Tanev would be an even bigger get. The Seattle Kraken have demonstrated that they are in the sell mode at the trade deadline, and the hard-nosed left wing would give the Senators a dose of toughness that could pay huge dividends down the home stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs.
Tanev has just 9 goals and 8 assists this season, and he has never scored more than 16 goals in a season. Still, he has an edge to his game that could pay dividends.
Senators must add talent to their roster without giving up key draft picks
The Senators are a team that has played well this season and has plenty of room for growth in the future. The Senators have draft picks in the first three rounds both this year and next season, and they can add more talent with those picks.
They should not convince themselves that they are ready to win the Stanley Cup this season. If that was a legitimate possibility — and not just a hope — they could trade a first- or second-round pick for an established player.
They are not a better team than the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers or Tampa Bay Lightning. They would need a great deal of luck to get by any of those teams.
Trading one of their top picks in this year’s draft or next would be something of a nightmare for a team that is clearly on the way up. They should hold on to those picks if they want to keep improving in future seasons.
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