The Ottawa Senators are starting to arrive in Canada’s capital city, eager for the opening of training camp next week and the opportunity to build on a season that saw them qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017.
After the Senators finished as the first wild card from the Eastern Conference, they made subtle changes to the roster, acquiring defenseman Jordan Spence in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings and signing forward Lars Eller as an unrestricted free agent.
“I think the next step is in our room,” forward Tim Stutzle said during the Senators' Charity Open on Monday. “I’ve said many times I believe in this group, I believe in this core and the next step is in our room.
“I think (general manager) Steve (Staios) has done a phenomenal job to kind of support our group and we’ve just got to take the next step. The young guys got to take the next step, and as a group we’ve got to take the next step as well. I think last year we showed that if we play the way we want to play, we’re a really good team.”
Ottawa (45-30-7) lost the first three games of the Eastern Conference First Round to the Toronto Maple Leafs before winning the next two. In Game 6, Senators forward David Perron tied the game a little more than midway through the third period, but their season ended that night with a 4-2 loss.
“During the playoffs, I still believe we had a chance to win that series,” Stutzle said. “Now it’s just about us and what we can do in this room. I think that’s going to be really important, that we keep believing in this room and have a good start.”
Staios, who is entering his second full season as GM, endorsed his young core, which is led by captain Brady Tkachuk, who will turn 26 on Sept. 16, Stutzle, 23, and defenseman Jake Sanderson ,23, and is anxious to see what his team can do for an encore.
“There’s great energy and optimism,” Staios said. “I draw the optimism from gauging the character of the group and the way they’ve bonded together and grown together, the steps that they’ve taken together. That’s [how] I’ve drawn the optimism for the group. The experience of last season [particularly] in the playoffs, for them to feel that, for them to feel the fans and the energy of playing playoff hockey and understanding that it’s a long process just to get there.
“I think we approach it the same way we did last year, and I think (coach) Travis (Green) and the coaching staff did a wonderful job of keeping them in the moment. I think what that did in particular for our group last year at this time was there was a lot of things that had happened in the past and some negative experiences for this group, and we stayed focused on the day to day. It’s a bit cliché, but that gave us the focus to continue to grow together as a group. Last year was staying in the moment, to take away all the negativity that had happened in the past. Now we’re looking forward.
“Time will tell with the next step. I believe in the group. … When you take an honest look at our group, how they performed post-Trade Deadline and even how they grew in that playoff series in Round 1, at times you look back as a manager and you see that growth. It gives me optimism to bring the group back.”
Off the ice, there’s reason to be excited as well. On Aug. 11, the Senators and the National Capital Commission announced they reached an agreement for the purchase and sale of land parcels totaling approximately 11 acres at LeBreton Flats, a package of land close to downtown Ottawa and the Canadian federal parliament buildings, and just across the bridge from Gatineau, Quebec. It’s the next phase in plans to build a new entertainment district, including an arena.
The Senators visit the Tampa Bay Lightning in their season opener Oct. 9.
“We kind of set the standard of once you get in the playoffs, you want to just be back there every year,” defenseman Thomas Chabot said. “I think we all went through the process of being on that stage and playing there for the first time, and I think we all kind of went home thinking back on how the playoffs went. Yes, we had some great games, but going down 0-3, it’s going to be hard to come back. We, as a group, pushed until the end and almost made it back and tied it 3-3.
“I think that’s just going to help us coming into this year. It’s more experience for everybody, it’s a learning curve for everybody, so coming into camp, coming into this season, we just want to keep doing the same thing we did last year, put ourselves in the same position of being in the playoffs. Once we get there, we went through it once, so I feel like we’ll be off to a better start."
