The Ottawa Senators made a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in eight years in 2024-25.
While they ultimately fell short, losing in six games to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, it was a step in the right direction for a team centered around a young core that had no prior postseason experience.
Having that under their belt, the Senators will now look to take another step in their development in 2025-26, with goals of more than just a playoff appearance.
For Ottawa to follow through on that, TSN insider Bruce Garrioch believes it will be dependent on the health and performance of star goaltender Linus Ullmark.
"Home-ice advantage in the playoffs, in the first round of the playoffs, would be a very good start for the Senators taking the next step. For that to happen, a couple of things have to take place. Number one, Linus Ullmark has to stay healthy. He’s making $8.25 million this year to be the club’s top goaltender. He missed two months last year with a back injury that nobody ever expected he would be out that long. So, that’s number one on my list. Bring that level of play and stay healthy," Garrioch said.
As Garrioch mentioned, the 32-year-old is set to enter the first season of the four-year, $33 million contract he signed with the Senators after being acquired in a trade from Boston in 2024.
Ullmark was excellent when healthy in 2024-25
The Ottawa Senators hadn't had a reliable number one goalie since the prime years of Craig Anderson, so having Linus Ullmark in between the pipes last season had to feel nice for the fanbase and organization.
When healthy, the former Vezina Trophy winner was just about all the Sens could've hoped for, going 25-14-3 with a 2.72 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage, and four shutouts. All that held him back was injury, and given that he's never started 50 or more games in a season in his career, that's a concern moving forward.
It will be up to Linus Ullmark to prove that he can stay healthy and handle the load as a true number-one netminder in Ottawa for the next four years, because that's what he's paid to be.