The Ottawa Senators made just two deals during the trade deadline, the most notable being the trade for Dylan Cozens from the Buffalo Sabres. However, the front office believes that’s all they need to make a playoff push in 2024-25. The Senators also added a depth forward in Fabian Zetterlund from the San Jose Sharks, who can play anywhere in the lineup.
With 16 games remaining in the regular season, Ottawa has no reason to believe it won’t be in the playoffs. It has a nice lead on the second wild card position in the Eastern Conference and an outside chance of competing for the third spot in the Atlantic Division. The Senators believe their acquisitions at the trade deadline will be the catalyst to putting them over the top.
The Senators’ rebuild has been long, but it will be worth the wait if they make an exciting run this spring. Ottawa is full of hope as we enter the stretch run, and the other teams in the Atlantic Division are starting to take notice.
Dylan Cozens brings high upside and immediate impact to Senators
Josh Norris was an integral part of the Senators’ locker room, growing up with the rest of the young core that is now finally contending for a playoff spot. However, there are some glaring concerns with Norris in the long term. He has been unable to stay healthy after numerous shoulder injuries and the possibility of the next one being detrimental to his career isn’t impossible.
Losing Norris from the locker room was visibly upsetting for some core members, namely Brady Tkachuk. General manager Steve Staois and the rest of the Senators’ front office are likely looking at it as a move they had to make. It might not be enjoyable for the team when it happens, but they believe it’ll succeed in the long term.
The early returns on Cozens’ arrival to the Senators make it look like a good move. They have won all five games since he got to Ottawa, and he has a point in four of them. He also had a plus-five rating over two games against the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers. Cozens is developing significant chemistry with David Perron and Drake Batherson and looks like a great fit with the team’s system.
The jury is still out on whether the Senators will miss Jacob Bernard-Docker in the future, who was the other piece in the Cozens deal. However, he was in and out of the Senators lineup this season, and the team is set on making a playoff push this year.
In another move that signals the philosophy that you have to move backward to start moving forward, losing Bernard-Docker for this season is fine when you get Cozens for the next seven years and also already have a defenseman like Carter Yakemchuk in the system who can eventually replace Bernard-Docker.
Linus Ullmark’s return to health
The Senators had high hopes when they acquired Linus Ullmark on the night of Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. He has been good this season, but Ullmark’s most significant issue has been his inability to stay healthy. He has played just 34 games so far this season, mostly in line with the tandem work he did with the Boston Bruins, but a number the Senators hoped he could increase in Ottawa.
Ullmark has looked healthy since the Four Nations Face-Off, which is a welcome sign for the Senators as they hope to return to the playoffs. He is also on a run of five wins in a row, including a 48-save performance in a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. The one thing the Senators were lacking over the past few seasons was a goaltender who could steal them a game when the rest of the team didn’t bring their best, and Ullmark beginning to show that ability is a great sign.
The Senators’ question is how Ullmark will perform in the postseason. Playoffs have been the kryptonite for Ullmark in his career at both the NHL and AHL levels. The sample size isn’t massive, as he has played just 13 playoff games since turning pro in North America in 2015-16. However, he has a 3.59 goals-against average and a .887 save percentage over ten NHL playoff games and a 5.50 goals-against average with an .800 save percentage in three AHL playoff games.
The Senators hope those numbers don’t become a concern. The only thing they can look at is how the team improved this season with an above-average goaltender. Ottawa should enter their first playoff series since 2017 with plenty of hope until Ullmark proves otherwise.
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