The Ottawa Senators missed the postseason for the seventh straight time in 2023-24, but there was belief in Canada’s capital that this would be the year the Sens finally returned to the dance. That’s especially true after the front office brought Linus Ullmark into the fold to fix the goaltending woes. Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender in 2022-23 and was supposed to rectify one of the NHL’s most precarious goaltending situations.
But through 21 games, it’s been much of the same for the Senators. Ottawa is 9-11-1, and although it isn’t Thanksgiving in Canada this weekend, the Senators are limping into the American holiday regardless. The Sens won for the first time since November 12 on Monday night, edging out the Calgary Flames 4-3 at the Canadian Tire Centre. Before that, the team had lost five consecutive, falling to second last place in the Atlantic Division in the process.
Senators are again disappointing in 2024-25
After Monday’s triumph, the Senators are just three points up on the Montreal Canadiens for last place in the Eastern Conference. It isn’t at all where the front office expected to be nearly two months into the campaign, and it’s starting to look like, if things don’t change quickly, this could be another lost season in Ottawa.
There hasn’t been a playoff game played in the city since 2018, and there is a ton of frustration setting in across the organization. It was even reported this week that the front office could be looking to shake things up to try to turn things around ahead of the New Year.
“Something big could go down there soon, and I’m talking a shake-up trade,” RG’s James Murphy reported on Sunday. “They’ve changed the management team; they changed the coach; they made lineup changes, and the culture isn’t changing. That roster has a sense of entitlement, and they know it may be time to shake things up.”
Former Senators defenseman turned podcast host Marc Methot is thinking along the same lines.
“Not trying to sound dramatic at all here, but next on the chopping block (if this continues) isn’t the coach, or the GM, or the owner,” Methot reported last week. “It’ll be a core piece player and it’s going to sting.”
It’s becoming more and more clear that the Senators need a change. Whether or not that will include trading a core piece is up in the air. But one player who likely won’t be going anywhere due to his surprisingly excellent play is Drake Batherson.
Drake Batherson has been a pleasant surprise
In the midst of another disheartening campaign, Batherson is on pace to shatter his career highs across the board. The 26-year-old played a full 82-game slate in each of the last two seasons, chipping in 62 points in 2022-23 and increasing those totals to 66 last year. But in 2024-25, the Fort Wayne, Indiana native is taking his game to another level.
Batherson is one of just three Senators playing at above a point-per-game pace; he’s up to nine goals and 22 points in 21 games. If he keeps up this pace, he’ll easily surpass his career highs, and he’s become one of the most dependable players on the roster this season. The former Cape Breton Screaming Eagle has been phenomenal on a line with Claude Giroux and Josh Norris, and he’s feasted on the powerplay as well, cementing himself on the top unit.
During an otherwise discouraging campaign, Batherson has been terrific. It’ll be interesting to see if he can score at a point-per-game pace over a full season for the first time in his career. The offense hasn’t been bad at all overall; the team is currently scoring 3.14 goals per game, good for 15th league wide.
But, just like last year, the goaltending is letting this club down.
Linus Ullmark has not come as advertised
Ullmark was undoubtedly one of the league’s best goaltenders in both of his seasons with the Boston Bruins. But after being acquired by Ottawa and subsequently signed to a lucrative deal that will pay the Swede $8.25 million AAV starting next year, he’s been a huge disappointment between the pipes.
The veteran has started 13 of Ottawa’s 21 games, and he’s managed to win just four of them. To make matters worse, he’s sporting his worst goals-against average and save percentage in years, with a discouraging 3.10 GAA and .881 SV%. Those are just not good numbers. It’s obvious that the blue line in Canada’s capital isn’t as good as the one in New England, but he’s been without a doubt the most disappointing thing about the 2024-25 season.
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Ullmark is a fan favorite and a huge candidate to bounce back, but his below average play has opened the door for Anton Forsberg to earn a couple of starts — and his numbers have been much better. Still, the goaltending was one of the main reasons the Senators were so lacklustre in 2023-24, and the fact that it isn’t fixed yet has got to be frustrating.
David Perron doesn’t yet have a point
Another one of Ottawa’s offseason adds that isn’t panning out is David Perron. Signed to a two-year deal in the offseason, the Stanley Cup champion was supposed to be a reliable source of depth scoring. He did manage 47 points in 76 games last year with the Detroit Red Wings.
But Perron has only gotten into nine games, missing 11 due to personal reasons — and he hasn’t scored a single point. That’s brutal for a player who has hovered around the 60 point mark for most of the last half decade. The 36-year-old badly needs to get going, especially considering he’s not helping defensively at minus-four.
There is certainly an avenue for the Senators to turn things around, and it’s going to start between the pipes. Ullmark needs to be better, and not even a breakout season from Batherson — along with continued above average play from Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle — can keep this team afloat.
The front office in Ottawa clearly has more work to do, and it’ll be interesting to see what moves are made to help try and get the 2024-25 Senators back to relevance in the Eastern Conference.