The Ottawa Senators are hoping 2026-27 brings more than just a return to the postseason. The bigger target is clear: get out of the first round for the first time since 2017.
But the road there may be rougher than plenty of fans would like. A playoff berth is expected to take around 100 points, and if last season is any guide, even that might not be enough to guarantee a wild card spot.
The challenge starts with the division itself. Ottawa will have to navigate what looks like the toughest division in the NHL, even if the picture is a little less bleak than it first appears.
Buffalo was the season’s biggest surprise a year ago. The Sabres snapped a 14-year playoff drought and pushed all the way to the second round, but now they’ll have to prove they’re more than a one-year surge.
Boston could also shift the math. The Bruins took the first wild card spot last season, but if they slide even a little, that could create a better opening for teams behind them.
Still, banking on Buffalo and Boston to stumble is hardly a plan. The Senators will need to deal with other clubs that could make the race even tighter.
Toronto is one of them. The Maple Leafs made major efforts to improve their roster, and if those changes hit, they could be right back in the playoff mix.
Detroit is another. The Red Wings may finally be ready to turn a corner, even with uncertainty around their GM situation and the Dylan Larkin trade request. They should be in the picture for most of the season.
Florida is the biggest wild card of all. The Panthers lost some significant pieces this offseason, but they’ve also replaced them. If those moves pay off, they’ll be right there with Toronto and Detroit chasing the same spots Ottawa wants.
And then there are the teams that should be solid again: Tampa Bay and Montreal. There’s little reason to think the Lightning and Canadiens won’t be good this year.
So the path for the Senators is real, but it’s crowded. The task is simple in theory and unforgiving in practice: win games and bank points. Stack victories early in October and November, and the finish line gets a lot easier to reach.
In Other News...
Senators Newcomer Is Already Fueling Big Expectations For Ottawa
William Eklunds first impressions around Ottawa have already come with some serious recognition attached. The Senators newcomer arrived after spending last season with the San Jose Sharks, and his highlight against the Boston Bruins quickly turned into one of the leagues most talked-about plays, a solo sequence that featured a rebound finish and a mid-air shot that stuck with fans all season.
The goal was one of the flashiest in the NHL this year, and it put Eklund in the same conversation as a pair of Ottawa teammates, with Andre Burakovsky and Tim Stutzle also landing goals among the final six nominees. For a team hoping its new faces can raise the ceiling, it is the kind of early signal that naturally feeds bigger expectations, even if the lasting memory of the play belongs to the place where it happened. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Could Be Headed For Another Expansion Draft Headache
The chatter around NHL expansion is starting to feel familiar again for Ottawa, and not in a good way. Houston has emerged as a favored location if the league adds another club in Texas, and with that comes the inevitable question of how the Senators would protect their roster when the next expansion draft arrives.
For Ottawa, this would not be uncharted territory. The Senators have already been through this process in 2017 and 2021, losing Marc Methot and Joey Daccord along the way, and the timing of a possible new franchise points to another round of roster decisions around 2030, when a Texas team could be aiming to debut in 2030-31. It is still a long way off, but for a team that has been burned before, the prospect is already hanging over the future. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Prospect Caleb Malhotra Had Success Predicted Years Ago
Caleb Malhotra is arriving at Boston University with the kind of rsum and name recognition that have made him a prospect to watch for years. The Vancouver Canucks first-round pick and son of coach Manny Malhotra has been on Jay Pandolfos radar since he was 15, and the Terriers coach has been vocal about expecting him to help at both ends of the ice as he makes the jump to college hockey.
The timing of this move also says plenty about how the college game is changing. NCAA scholarship rules recently opened the door for players from Major Junior leagues, and that shift helped shape Malhotras path to BU as part of its freshman class. The transition still figures to come with the usual adjustment period, but for a player with this much pedigree and a coach who has tracked him for years, the baseline expectations are already clear. [Read more 🡒]