The Battle of Ontario is back on the opening-night stage, and the question hanging over it is simple: how much rivalry is really left?
The Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs meet tonight to open the season, the ninth time the franchises have done this. That label - “Battle of Ontario” - still carries weight, but not everybody hears it the same way.
For some Senators fans, it still summons the old days: Daniel Alfredsson, Darcy Tucker and Chris Neil throwing everything into games packed with red and blue. For others, it lives mostly online now, in highlight clips and memory, because the feud has felt pretty quiet for a while.
That changed a bit when the teams met again in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, finally snapping a drought between the provincial and national capital clubs that stretched a little more than two decades. And with a beloved Senators captain now linked up with friend - and on-ice rival - Mats Sundin while joining head coach Jim Hiller’s team in Toronto, the old storyline has fresh fuel.
If you want to understand why this matchup still means something, you have to go back to the early 2000s. From 2000 to 2005, Ottawa and Toronto met four times in the playoffs, and Toronto won every one of those series.
That was especially brutal for Senators fans because Ottawa was rolling out one of its best groups, with Jason Spezza, Patrick Lalime and Wade Redden in the mix. The games had edge, too - the star power, the hits, and moments like Alfredsson’s fake stick toss, which mocked Sundin’s suspension-inducing act.
Once those playoff runs ended, the noise faded with them. The packed buildings, the boos, the chirping and the tension all cooled off.
Part of that was because the teams started heading in different directions. Ottawa stayed strong for a while, finishing with 113 points in 2005-2006 and reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2007 before adding a couple more playoff appearances.
Toronto, meanwhile, missed the playoffs entirely during that stretch.
The balance shifted again once the Auston Matthews era got going in Toronto. Ottawa’s “Hamburglar” run in 2017 - one that carried the Senators to a Game 7 double-overtime Eastern Conference Final - briefly pushed the rivalry back into focus, but the team then collapsed and entered a rebuild. Toronto, on the other hand, spent nearly a decade playing postseason hockey.
When the teams met again in the playoffs in 2025, the old arguments came roaring back. Toronto is now 5-0 in playoff series against Ottawa.
But Senators fans still have a counterpunch: in the regular season, Ottawa’s all-time record against Toronto sits at 79 wins, 56 losses, and 16 ties, overtime losses and shootout losses. In other words, Ottawa has won plenty of battles, even if Toronto has taken every war.
And maybe that’s where this rivalry stands now. The early-2000s version was built on packed arenas and repeated playoff pain.
This version looks different, but it may be building something of its own. Both clubs have started to show similar traits in recent years, from trading a star player to a state with no income tax to drafting and developing young talent.
The Battle of Ontario does not have to look exactly like it did before to matter again. With Matthews, Gavin McKenna, Tim Stützle and Jake Sanderson in the mix, the next chapter starts tonight at Scotiabank Arena.
In Other News...
DeBrincat Just Put Detroit's Biggest Contract Decision Into Focus
Alex DeBrincats contract situation in Detroit has quickly become one of the more intriguing storylines around the league, and it has obvious ripple effects for Ottawa fans who watched him up close before his move to the Red Wings. The winger is in the final year of his deal and is reportedly seeking an extension in the range of $12 million to $14 million annually depending on term, a price tag that puts a spotlight on how aggressively Detroit wants to keep him in place.
For the Senators, the more immediate concern is on their own blue line, where Jake Sanderson is expected to miss at least two games because of a lingering injury. He has returned to Ottawa for testing, leaving the club to manage a gap on the road trip and potentially lean on familiar depth options if the absence stretches on. In the meantime, the latest wave of injury and contract news only adds to the sense that this stretch could force a few teams to make choices they would rather not face yet. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Trade Buzz Could Quietly Matter To The Flames Soon
Edmontons latest trade chatter has some ripple effects across the Canadian market, even if nothing has been finalized. Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer said the club could make a move before its next game against the Anaheim Ducks, and Sportsnets Elliotte Friedman reported Edmonton has explored ways to swap from its defensive depth toward another forward after a cluster of injuries up front. The need appears to be short term, with no long-term absences expected, but it has still put the Oilers in a familiar spot of weighing roster balance against immediate help.
For Ottawa, the interest is less about Edmontons lineup card than about the kind of transaction that can reshape a division race without much warning. The discussion has centered on whether the Oilers use one of their extra defensemen to address the forward group, and the names being floated show just how fine the margins are around the back end. No deal has been announced, but if Edmonton does pull the trigger, it would be the sort of move the Senators watch closely because it could alter the competitive landscape fast. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Just Created A New Question On Defense
The Senators needed another body on the blue line, and Jorian Donovan got the call from Belleville to help steady things while injuries have thinned out the defense. The 22-year-old fifth-round pick has only two NHL games on his rsum, but he arrives with a solid AHL track record after putting up 21 points in 61 games last season, giving Ottawa a young option as it tries to navigate a short-handed stretch.
Donovans recall also adds another layer to a roster picture that is still in motion, with injured players working their way back and Ridly Greig close to returning from suspension. For Ottawa, the next move may not be the last one, as the club keeps sorting out how to patch the blue line now while leaving room for whatever comes next. [Read more 🡒]