Sanderson's return to practice bodes well for Senators' season opener

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators have so much to prove this season that it’s hard to know where to begin. 

They want to show that consecutive playoff appearances in the last two springs were no fluke. 

They believe they can not only make the playoffs but also win a series for the first time since 2017.

To do that, they’ll need to prove they are at least as good a team as they were when Brady Tkachuk was captain, inspiring with his emotional play when he wasn’t settling personal scores. 

As Thomas Chabot fairly danced into a media conference room this week with the ‘C’ on the chest of his Senators jersey, he wore a smile as big as a Kanata parking lot. That famous grin is bound to be tested over the course of an 84-game season that finally starts for Ottawa on Saturday. 

There has never been a preamble quite like this in the history of the Senators. 

At a time when the NHL shrank the pre-season and added two extra regular-season games, the Senators found themselves sprinting through this mini-training camp, only to find that while the rest of the league got to play real games, the Sens had to sit around the better part of a week waiting to start. 

It’s like doing a Formula 1 qualifying lap, only to find that the official start has been delayed by several days. 

What else could the Senators do but stage a kind of second training camp? On Monday, Travis Green and his coaching staff ran a skills practice first and then a full hour of regular practice. Tuesday began with a workout for defencemen, followed by another practice, with a lot of flow and battle drills. 

On Wednesday, they skated again, followed by a full day off Thursday. On Friday, preparations renewed for Ottawa’s first game of the season — in Toronto on Saturday against a Maple Leafs team playing its third regular-season game. 

Consider it a mixed blessing. While it is hardly ideal to be bereft of game action for several days before launching into a three-games-in-four-nights road trip, at least the Senators have been able to use this week to heal some wounds. 

The Senators' top defenceman, Jake Sanderson, had not been able to practice with the team before Friday, meaning he might have risked aggravating whatever has been ailing him if there had been games this week. Sanderson should be good to go in Toronto. 

The time also helps Sanderson’s partner, Artem Zub, still recovering from a knee injury suffered last spring in the playoffs. Zub had a setback in camp and has yet to participate in a team practice, while Sanderson had been more or less a full participant until an ailment late in pre-season restricted him. Zub is skating on his own. 

Newly acquired winger Andre Burakovsky has also been recovering from a hit by Montreal’s Arber Xhekaj in Saturday’s game with the Montreal Canadiens. He skated in a non-contact jersey Friday. 

Beyond these early hiccups, what can fans expect from the 2026-27 Ottawa Senators?

The experts don’t seem to know. I’ve seen sites where not one of a band of hockey writers picked Ottawa to make the playoffs, owing to the strength of the Eastern Conference and, in particular, the Atlantic Division. 

Other analysts have them in. 

Once again, the Sens appear to be a bit of a data darling, as analytics sites point to Ottawa’s strong underlying numbers last season, where poor goaltending held them back until Linus Ullmark’s late-season turnaround. 

From the department of wildest Senators predictions, we bring you one of the 32 bold predictions from Sportsnet's Frank Seravalli: The Sens not only make the playoffs but knock off Florida in Round 1. There’s an aspiration to get fans here dreaming. 

General manager Steve Staios feels the club is firmly in its contention window, despite losing captain Tkachuk to those pesky Panthers. The type of defensive style of play established under third-year head coach Travis Green should withstand the loss of Tkachuk and his bravado. Ottawa's 12-5-5 record without Tkachuk last season should be encouraging, especially with two new forwards to help fill the void — Burakovsky and William Eklund.  

With all this in mind, here are three key factors for the Sens to be a top-eight team and a legitimate threat in the East. 

1. Goaltending, of course

By his own admission, Linus Ullmark suffered through a difficult time in 2025-26, taking a mental health leave for about a month after suffering an anxiety attack during a game against the Leafs in late December. Swedish coach and mentor Maciej Szwoch was brought in to help guide Ullmark and remains on the Senators staff as co-ordinator of goaltending scouting and development. 

Ullmark, 33, part of a standout goalie tandem in Boston with Jeremy Swayman, had never posted a save percentage below .900 until last season in Ottawa, when he finished at .891. (Note that save percentages overall hit a 30-year low). If Ullmark stays healthy and is the rock he was down the stretch and in the playoffs, the Senators will be fine. He has never appeared in as many as 50 games in a season, which means new backup Samuel Ersson will play an important role, too. If he can’t do the job, the Sens might have to find someone else. Prospect Leevi Merilainen, coming off a tough pre-season and a challenging 2025-26 in Ottawa and Belleville, was lost on waivers to Vancouver.

2. Can they score enough?

On barstools and arena seats, many wonder where the goals will come from for the Senators. They don’t have a pure goal scorer, although forwards like centre Tim Stutzle and winger Drake Batherson have the hands to be consistently productive. Both are capable of improving on their 34 and 33 goals, respectively, from last season. After that, it drops off to Dylan Cozens at 28.

If the Senators continue to be a difficult opponent and get decent goaltending, they won’t have to try to outscore teams. They can win games 2-1 or 3-2. Ottawa’s forward lines are deep, though not prolific. Cozens, Shane Pinto, Claude Giroux, Warren Foegele, Fabian Zetterlund, Eklund, Burakovsky, Michael Amadio and Ridly Greig (suspended for the first two games) should score enough as a group to get by. From the back end, Sanderson was fifth in team scoring with 14 goals and 54 points. There’s more upside there as well.  

3. Here’s to your health

The Senators have to believe their training camp injuries are an early blip and not an omen for the season. Any extended loss of their top defence pairing would be difficult, so let’s take the coach and GM at their word when they say that Sanderson will be fine and that Zub is coming along and should be back in the lineup soon. The Sens have depth on D, with Chabot and Jordan Spence rounding out the top four. Tyler Kleven, their physical presence, is coming off a good playoff series. At forward, the team could likely absorb the temporary loss of anyone outside of Stutzle and Batherson. Missing Ullmark for any period of time could be disastrous. 

And so, where are the Sens in 2026-27 as they prepare to start their campaign against the revamped Leafs?

It would be fascinating to take the pulse and temperature of every Senators fan in the region and beyond. 

My sense is that they are a little nervous but hopeful, and bloody determined to show the rest of the league that their team can thrive without a captain who ultimately didn’t want to be here.