OTTAWA — It has taken longer than expected, but the Ottawa Senators are in the NHL playoffs for the first time in eight years.
The Senators, who claimed the first wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference, will face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
It’s been a long, often challenging and frustrating journey for the Senators to reach this point.
Captain Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot have both played 512 career games and Sunday will be their first taste of playoff action.
“I mean, it's just moulded us into who we are and to who we are as, you know, a group, and as individuals,” said Tkachuk. “There's been plenty of adversity, plenty of tough times, and to kind of come out of that, it feels like we're all kind of new people and, you know, our best selves.”
Tkachuk admitted that when he started his professional career, he never anticipated it taking seven years to reach the playoffs.
Unlike others, Tkachuk has had a front-row seat of what it takes to not only make the playoffs but win a Stanley Cup. Last spring Tkachuk was by his older brother's (Matthew) side as he raised the Stanley Cup after the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.
Tkachuk said he’s fortunate to have his brother as a mentor and a cheerleader and can only hope to share similar success.
The playoffs will be a first for many of the Senators including Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Shane Pinto and Jake Sanderson.
Batherson said he’s never even seen a live playoff game and is pumped for his first experience to be part of one.
“I think the atmosphere, the intensity, how much you know every little play matters, obviously, it’s all our first time so we're going to have a lot of nervous energy but excitement and confidence in our group at the same time,” said Batherson. “So, really excited to get in there and just, yeah, probably the first shift be nervous, but we’ll settle in after that.”
While the Senators core group had shown flashes of brilliance over the years, they never seemed to put everything together. This year, with new head coach Travis Green at the helm, the team seemed to find a new confidence and maturity and maybe more importantly consistency.
This season when they lost a game, they bounced back. When challenges mounted, they leaned on their experience, and on each other.
“I think, you know, we've had our fair share of adversity, but obviously you’ve got to go through that to kind of just kind of grow up and kind of mature,” said Pinto. “And I think we've done that this year, and I think that showed in our consistency. I think that's what we struggled with in prior years.”
Stutzle, now one of the most dynamic playmakers in the league, emphasized the value of the lessons learned.
“For us, the goal was to get in, and I feel like in the playoffs anything can happen,” Stutzle said. “So, like I said, we're very confident in our group. There were a lot of lessons learned, but we haven't played the playoffs, or most of us haven't, so we'll see our goals, and we'll always give 100 per cent effort and we’re really confident in our group.”
Just as important as the maturing of the young core was the additions general manager Stave Staios made during the off-season. Adding veteran voices such as David Perron, Nick Cousins and Nick Jensen have provided guidance and leadership and they’re excited to see what their young teammates can do in the playoffs.
“The message is to enjoy it and to let them live their own experience,” said Perron, a Stanley Cup champion in 2019. “I think us older guys, and there’s a few of us, we’ll try to help them navigate the roller-coaster of emotions no matter what plays out. You have to remember it’s still the same hockey.”
“It’s been a long time coming,” Pinto said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2025.
Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press
