Ottawa Senators Land at No. 26 in NHL Off-Season Power Rankings

Ottawa Senators Ranked No. 26 League-Wide

Ottawa hockey fans looking for bragging rights this off-season might want to keep expectations in check. The Hockey News has released its annual NHL off-season power rankings, and the Ottawa Senators landed at No. 26 out of 32 teams, placing them firmly in the bottom third of the league heading into the new season.

What the Ranking Means

Off-season rankings like this one from The Hockey News are a snapshot of how each franchise's summer stacked up against the rest of the league, based on roster moves, depth, and overall direction. A No. 26 slot puts the Senators well behind the league's perceived top contenders, a placement that will likely fuel debate among the team's fan base about where the franchise stands as puck drop approaches.

The Ottawa Angle

For a city that has watched the Senators' fortunes rise and fall over the years, rankings like this one carry weight beyond just bragging rights. They shape expectations for the season ahead at the Canadian Tire Centre. Ottawa's hockey faithful have grown accustomed to reading the tea leaves of every off-season list, and a bottom-third finish in a national outlet's rankings is sure to be a talking point on local sports radio and around the water cooler in the lead-up to opening night.

Whether the Senators can outplay a modest pre-season ranking remains to be seen, but for now, the numbers put Ottawa's off-season work near the back of the NHL pack.

Source: The Hockey News, via Google News