Senators Need More from Leadership Trio

The various headlines in the Ottawa Citizen’s sports section give you a rather good idea where the local NHL club stands right about now:

“Ottawa Senators not ready to hit the panic button after slow start,” “Senators goalie Linus Ullmark remains confident despite rocky start to season,” and even “TSN 1200’s Dean Brown talks Sens early season struggles”.

Sure thing, we buy into the it’s-early-yet argument. After all, a season is not fully evaluated on a seven-game slate.

But in reality, when you give the 2-4-1 team the vaunted eye test, it presents a troubling picture.

Strictly by those numbers, Ottawa finds itself one point out of the Eastern Conference basement. Only Buffalo (sarcastically shocking) and Tampa Bay (legitimately shocking) are running behind the Senators.

For now, let’s proceed and throw the numbers out of this. The eye test on how this team looks on the ice – period by period, game by game – does not resemble the surging team that flew into the playoffs last season.

That is discouraging.

Disjointed is the best word I can come up with to describe the on-ice product. The cohesiveness that head coach Travis Green had this team playing with in 2024-25 is nowhere to be seen.

A case can be made that the glue is missing. The glue’s name is Brady Tkachuk. If you didn’t believe Tkachuk was the most important skater on the Ottawa Senators, and if you’ve watched the club since he hit the injured list, you’ve altered your opinion. The 26-year-old captain is that integral to the young team’s potential for success.

Much like the Toronto Maple Leafs who are lollygagging through the opening stages of 2025-26 without the under-valued Mitchell Marner, Ottawa looks a little bit lost (in the Senators case, of course, they will get Tkachuk back at some point; not so much for Toronto).

But as anyone can tell you, hockey is a high-contact, rapid-fast sport and injuries can and will happen. It’s the way things are.

The idea then that Ottawa can wait patiently and whistle until the captain returns (likely in a month-and-a-half) would be foolhardy. Seasons can get roasted and toasted as early as late-November.

Nope, Ottawa needs answers now.

Last week, the discussion here centred on the adage ‘next man up.’ I’ll grab three candidates who’ll need to be that for Ottawa to fend off the wolves until Tkachuk comes back.

No. 1 is an obvious one (actually, they’re all pretty obvious). Tim Stutzle has to drop the pout and just play as he can play and not worry that his winger is in sick bay. Drive the play Tim, drive the play.

No. 2 is Jake Sanderson. He’s been decent through the opening seven. And he’s had plenty of opportunity. Sanderson leads Ottawa in average ice time at a whopping 24:06 per game. To give you an idea how much the organization depends on the 23-year-old defenceman, the next guy up in the stat line is Thomas Chabot . . . but at nearly two-and-a-half minutes less per match. Sanderson’s mentioned as a Norris Trophy-type candidate in the years to come. Could be (although he might have to hang on until Cale Makar and/or Quinn Hughes retires), but he needs to be a little cleaner in the d-zone. He leads the Ottawa defence in giveaways and sits 18^th in the league.

No. 3 is the seemingly unflappable Linus Ullmark. Maybe he should become a bit more flappable; a little more excitable. Ullmark’s stat line can be shelved under the heading ‘needs to improve.’

In his six games so far, the former Bruin has a 2-3-1 record, a 3.80 goals-against average and an ugly .854 save percentage. Ottawa needs better.

Ullmark was fine and sometimes outstanding last season as the team zoomed in on its first postseason berth in seven years. In Tkachuk’s absence, Ullmark’s play has to upgrade.

If you’re searching frantically for some positivity, the locals supplied a taste on Tuesday night in overcoming an early 2-0 deficit to the defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers. Ottawa brought the game back to level on Dylan Cozen and Chabot markers. Edmonton’s Jake Walman won it in overtime with a ripper that Ullmark might want another stab at.

OTTAWA SENATORS WEEK AHEAD:

Thursday, Oct. 23: Philadelphia at Ottawa (7 pm)

Saturday, Oct. 25: Ottawa at Washington (7 pm)

Monday, Oct. 27: Boston at Ottawa (7 pm)

Tuesday, Oct. 28: Ottawa at Chicago (8:45 pm)

thegrossgame@yahoo.com

Photo: Courtesy @ottawasenators