2026 Season Preview: Ottawa Senators
The Brady Tkachuk era in Ottawa is over. Will that be a blessing or a curse for the Sens moving forward?
The Ottawa Senators have followed up a seven-year playoff drought with back-to-back first round exits. After losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2025 and the Carolina Hurricanes this past year, the Senators are in serious need of a step forward. But whichever direction they head in from here, they’ll do so without their captain of the last five years, Brady Tkachuk.
2025-26 Outcome
Regular Season Results: 44-27-11
Postseason Results: Lost 4-0 to Carolina
The Senators were another team fighting right through to the end of the regular season to hold onto their playoff spot, and were successful in doing so, clinching the second wild card position. While it seldom matters how you get there, the Senators drew the short straw in having to take on the top team in the Eastern Conference in Round 1, and things did not go their way. Despite Tkachuk's best efforts to set the tone and outstanding goaltending from Linus Ullmark, the Senators top players failed to show up, and the Hurricanes took care of business in the form of a sweep.
Who’s In and Who’s Out
It may feel like Brady Tkachuk leaves a big hole in the Senators lineup, but replacing him with William Eklund and Kasper Halttunen could actually be viewed as an upgrade, especially in the long run. Both players are still young and have some developing to do, but at least with Eklund, he’s a guy that can immediately fill that hole left by Tkachuk and may even be a better compliment to Tim Stutzle’s game. Losing Lars Eller and James Reimer to free agency is no sweat, especially when you have Andre Burakovsky and Samuel Ersson filling their voids.
