The Senators finished with a 37-41-4 record (78 points), six points behind Buffalo
The Buffalo Sabres took a step back after barely missing the playoffs in 2023, finishing seven points out of the final Eastern Conference wildcard spot with a 39-37-6 record (84 points). The regression cost head coach Don Granato his job and put more pressure on GM Kevyn Adams to snap the league’s longest playoff drought of 13 seasons.
Adams brought back veteran head coach Lindy Ruff to stress accountability and has made trades and free agent signings to remedy the Sabres depth and defensive issues, but the question now is whether they are as good or better than their competition in the Eastern Conference.
The Ottawa Senators like the Sabres were expected to be in the mix for a wildcard spot last season after adding free agent goalie Joonas Korpisalo, having trade deadline acquisition Jakob Chychrun for a full year, and filling the vacancy created by the trade of Alex DeBrincat with the free agent signing of Vladimir Tarasenko, but the things in Ottawa were more disappointing than in Buffalo, as GM Pierre Dorion was fired by new ownership after the Sens was penalized a first round by the league, head coach DJ Smith was dismissed in December, the club struggled defensively and in goal, and without centers Josh Norris (injury) and Shane Pinto (suspension) for a good chunk of the season, Ottawa finished with a 37-41-4 record (78 points), six points behind the Sabres.
Forwards
Ottawa with new head coach Travis Green taking over has a quality young core forward group that rivals the Sabres, with Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Norris, Pinto, and Drake Batherson, and veterans Claude Giroux and David Perron (free agent signing from Detroit), but Buffalo appears to have a slight advantage up front after bolstering their depth up front with the additions of Ryan McLeod, Beck Malenstyn, Jason Zucker, Sam Lafferty, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel.
Defense
The Sens ran into the same issue that led to the DeBrincat trade (being unable to get an extension signed) with Chychrun entering the final year of his contract and traded the blueliner to Washington for Nick Jensen and a draft pick. Youngster Jake Sanderson and veteran Thomas Chabot are legitimate top-four defensemen, and big Artem Zub is good defensively, but Buffalo is superior in depth and talent over Ottawa’s group of six that includes Travis Hamonic, Jensen, and Jacob Bernard-Docker.
Goaltending
The Korpisalo signing turned out to be a dismal failure, as new GM Steve Staios had to retain salary for four seasons in the deal sending him to Boston in exchange for Linus Ullmark. The former Sabre and Vezina Trophy winner is definitely an upgrade, but he will not be playing behind the defensive-adept Bruins in Ottawa, so it is uncertain whether he can put up numbers that will close the gap and make the Sens a playoff contender.
Although it is not a certainty that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen can repeat his second-half performance from last season, the Sabres appear to have a slight advantage between the pipes as they do in every other aspect. Ottawa should be in that group of five or six teams on the bubble challenging for an Eastern Conference wildcard spot.
