After seven years without even a sniff of playoff action, hopes are high among the Ottawa Senators faithful that their club will contend for Lord Stanley’s silverware this season. Here’s a look at five storylines to follow closely in 2024-25.
How these storylines turn out could decide whether the team’s long playoff drought comes to an end or continues for an eighth consecutive season.
Will Tim Stutzle Rebound in 2024-25?
The Senators’ star centreman, Tim Stutzle, will have to return to form for his team to make the playoffs this season. In 2023-24, he played 75 games and notched 18 goals and 75 points – far from the 90 points he racked up in the previous campaign.
Explanations for his disappointing season were as abundant as armchair coaches up and down the Ottawa Valley. Some speculated that he had a hard time adjusting to interim head coach Jacques Martin’s more disciplined and defensive style. Stutzle implied as much, saying in a January interview with TSN that, “It was tough with the coaching change. I loved playing for (former Senators head coach D.J. Smith). He meant a lot. I’m a really thankful person and a loyal person, and a lot of the guys wouldn’t be here without him. And a lot of our guys wouldn’t have signed those contracts without him.”
Still, it’s a stretch to assume, based on these comments, that Stutzle chafed at Martin’s approach. As he said later in the same interview, “It doesn’t matter if you like the system or not. If everybody’s on the same page, you have a chance to win every night. Obviously, there’s pros and cons to every system.”
Injuries are probably a better explanation for Stutzle’s struggles last season. He suffered a wrist injury just a few games into the schedule and reinjured his shoulder later in the season. That shoulder injury has nagged him for two years. Even so, fans will be paying close attention to how well Stutzle adapts to the systems and style of new head coach Travis Green. That will determine in no small measure whether he becomes the NHL star fans expect him to become.
Does Linus Ullmark Live Up to His Vezina Pedigree?
If the good Burghers of Ottawa know anything, it’s that their team has poor odds of playing in the postseason without strong goaltending. All eyes will be on Linus Ullmark on opening night to see if that’s what the 2023 Vezina Trophy can deliver. That Ullmark is a better goalie than former…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Hockey Writers…