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
