OTTAWA 鈥� The Ottawa Senators are ahead of where they were this time last season, giving general manager Steve Staios reasons for optimism at the halfway point of the 2024-25 NHL campaign.
The Senators (20-18-3) are eight points ahead of where they stood at this point last year and have shown tangible growth. Staios attributes much of this improvement to a renewed commitment to two-way hockey and the development of a team culture under first-year head coach Travis Green.
"It鈥檚 a process-driven approach with this group,鈥� Staios said Sunday. "We want to see incremental steps.
"I think, laying the foundation the way that we have and the way the coaching staff has, we feel like there鈥檚 a foundation there to build off of."
Ottawa's improvement on the defensive side of the game has been a key talking point. Staios highlighted the impact of such veterans as Nick Jensen, acquired this past summer, and the coaching staff's focus on structure and accountability. Staios praised 27-year-old defenceman Thomas Chabot for elevating his game.
However, injuries to key players, including goaltender Linus Ullmark, David Perron and Michael Amadio, can鈥檛 be overlooked.
Ullmark hasn鈥檛 played since the first period of a game against Edmonton on Dec. 22 and the timeline for his return remains uncertain. Perron, who missed part of the season for personal reasons, has been limited to just nine games this season while Amadio is dealing with a concussion.
Of the trio, there鈥檚 no denying Ullmark鈥檚 absence is most concerning.
After struggling in November and enduring a five-game losing streak, the Senators were able to string together six straight wins before the Christmas break. Ottawa found itself sitting in a playoff spot for the first time since 2017.
Not surprisingly, the win streak coincided with Ullmark's return and the club was 7-0-1 with him. But in his absence the Senators have gone 2-4-1.
"I don鈥檛 have a timeline on it,鈥� Staios said regarding Ullmark鈥檚 return. "I just think that watching (Ullmark and Perron) progress over the last little while here gives me optimism that we鈥檒l see them in the near future."
Staios expressed confidence in the group鈥檚 ability to weather Ullmark鈥檚 absence and believes the organization has enough depth in goal to get it through this stretch.
"We feel comfortable with (our depth)," he stated. "We withstood some injuries, Linus (Ullmark) and (Mads) Sogaard as well.
"So, you know, we have some depth. It's young depth with Sogaard and Leevi (Merilainen), but certainly Leevi stepped up to the challenge at this point in time.鈥�
Merilainen, 22, picked up his first career shutout Saturday in a 5-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
While the defensive improvements have been evident, finding offensive consistency remains a work in progress. The Senators have struggled with scoring droughts since mid-November.
Ottawa has scored 67 goals since Nov. 15 and before Sunday's game most of its top five scorers were struggling. After going scoreless in five Tim Stutzle now has goals in back-to-back games. Josh Norris scored his first in six games on Sunday. Drake Batherson scored his first in 11 games on Saturday, while Brady Tkachuk has one goal in his last five and Claude Giroux hasn鈥檛 scored in his last six.
Ottawa will need much more from that group down the stretch.
There鈥檚 no denying the Senators are eyeing a playoff push through the second half of the season. Like most GMs, Staios will be evaluating what moves he could make to bolster his roster, but will want to balance that with internal growth.
"I continue to look at options to try and help the group out in certain ways, but also watching the group grow internally as well as I've told some of these, the call-ups that are coming up," Staios said. "Certainly we'll keep an eye on it.
"I mean, it's nice to be having that conversation right now. We鈥檙e at game Number 41, there鈥檚 still time as we lean toward trade deadline."
After a seven-year playoff drought, a post-season appearance would definitely be beneficial. But Staios emphasized the Senators are still in the early stages of building a consistent, winning team.
"It鈥檚 just the initial step," he said. "We have a long way to go, but certainly if I can find a way to help the group, I will.鈥�
The Senators next 20 games before the trade deadline March 7 will clearly determine what comes next.
This report by The 91原创 Press was first published Jan. 12, 2025.
Lisa Wallace, The 91原创 Press
