How Senators went from preseason playoff darlings to NHL's basement before the All-Star break

Ottawa has imploded after garnering significant preseason hype

By Austin Nivison Jan 26, 2024 at 9:09 am ET• 5 min read

Going into the 2023-24 season, many in Ottawa hoped the Senators would take the next step and compete for a playoff spot. Instead, the Sens are 15th in the Eastern Conference, six games below .500, and have already made a coaching change. How did things go south so quickly in Ottawa?

The Senators have a roster full of youth and talent, which should be a winning combination in today's NHL. They even fooled some people into picking them to win a playoff series in preseason bold predictions. Barring a major miracle, Ottawa won't sniff the postseason, let alone win a round.

That is fairly disappointing given how the Senators look on paper. Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle, Josh Norris, Drake Batherson, Thomas Chabot, Jakob Chychrun and Jake Sanderson are all promising young players aged 26 or younger. There's a reason Ottawa wound up at No. 2 on our list of the best young cores in the NHL.

As it turns out, that group isn't ready for prime time yet, and there are a few reasons for that. Ottawa is one of the worst defensive teams in the league, the special teams haven't contributed much at all, and the goaltending has left a lot to be desired.