Senators mailbag: Is Ottawa better or worse on paper after losing Brady Tkachuk?

One month away from Ottawa Senators training camp, it’s time to start answering the tough questions.

From Citizen reader Stewart Nicol: “It’s a weaker lineup than last year.”

The Senators are not an improved hockey team on paper after losing Brady Tkachuk, but are they really that much worse?

Adding winger William Eklund will help recoup a significant portion of the offence Tkachuk provided, and if young Carter Yakemchuk can prove he’s NHL-ready by the end of training camp, the Sens may be just as dangerous as they were last regular season (eighth in the NHL with 3.35 goals per game).

Speaking at the team’s Season Seat Member Summit last week, general manager Steve Staios pointed to roster continuity as a major reason he balked at making more off-season moves.

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“We really like this core,” Staios told several thousand card-carrying Sens fans. “We like how they’ve come together. We like how they continue to develop. We like how they represent you guys. We like how they play.”

Ottawa’s 23-man roster could include 20 familiar faces. Coach Travis Green certainly appreciates — and perhaps advocated for — player retention.

While Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson had monster campaigns in 2025-26, the Senators were not carried by individual performances. Stutzle, who had 83 points (34 goals, 49 assists) in 80 games, was the only Ottawa skater inside the NHL’s top 45 in scoring.

Indeed, the Sens found success by buying into an all-hands-on-deck approach to team defence and forechecking. In turn, Green felt comfortable most nights rolling all four lines and six defencemen.

Looking back, the vast majority of Ottawa skaters probably played the best two-way hockey of their careers.

The NHL 2025-26 roster landscape by our model — forward GAR vs defense GAR, all 32 teams. Who's balanced, who's top-heavy? #NHL pic.twitter.com/8hTCy6bdXr

More cause for optimism should be the current stage of the core that Staios speaks so highly of. Stutzle (24), Sanderson (24), Tyler Kleven (24), Shane Pinto (25), Dylan Cozens (25) and Jordan Spence (25) each is entering his prime as we speak.