The Ottawa Senators’ 2026 playoff run was short-lived. A first round sweep at the hands of the Hurricanes was yet another bump in the road for the Senators rebuild. As we noted in the March Atlantic Division Notebook, it hasn’t been a smooth ride up from the bottom, but Ottawa does have some good pieces in place.
The good news for the Senators is that they’ve built a contention cohort that is leading their charge back into the playoffs. It’s come through the draft, with stars like Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson and Brady Tkachuk, and it’s been bolstered by trade with players like Dylan Cozens and Jordan Spence.
The Senators have done a good job of prioritizing their cap space for the key components of their rebuild as well. It’s the guys playing big minutes and driving the Senators success that are signed to longer term deals with sizable cap hits. Yet there’s still cap room to optimize the roster as they enter their contention window.
The Senators have depleted their prospect pipeline to some degree in recent seasons. However, their poor showing in 2023-2024 resulted in a 7th overall pick that may be a key to finding some cost effective support as the contention cohort enters it’s prime. The Sens selected Carter Yakemchuk with that pick and he found his way onto the NHL roster for a handful of games late this season.
The biggest challenge for the Senators as their window starts to open may be that nothing ever seems to be easy in Ottawa. Rumors persist that Brady Tkachuk is angling for an exit and the Sens can’t afford to lose a core piece of their contention cohort. How they handle the situation may very well decide how well their rebuild ultimately turns out.
